A Light Luxury Retreat Amidst Guilin's Mountains and Waters: Everything in One Place, as Lazy as You Want

Last year, I went with my bestie to Club Med Joyview Beidaihe Golden Coast Resort. Remember that? That trip left a great impression – a lazy vacation with no need for攻略. This time, I brought my family – a family of three. We didn’t want to rush between attractions or get too tired, so we chose Club Med again.

For frequent travelers, Club Med is no stranger. This French super-resort brand, founded in 1950, is currently the world’s largest vacation resort chain. Its Chinese name is “Mediterranean Club”, with over 80 resorts across 30 countries on 5 continents.

Since we can’t go abroad for now, we picked from domestic resorts.

“Experience the fusion of natural scenery and contemporary sculpture art.” That line, plus the fact that I hadn’t visited Guilin, Guangxi in a long time, made me choose Guilin over Club Med Guilin Resort, Club Med Anji Resort, Club Med Sanya Resort, and Club Med Yabuli Resort.

Three plane tickets, direct from Shanghai to Guilin. 1,300 kilometers, 2.5 hours. By the way, airfares are really cheap these days – rock-bottom prices.

We chose Club Med’s signature “all-inclusive” package. Just book round-trip flights and the resort room, and that’s enough. The package includes airport transfers, three meals a day, and a variety of activities. No need for攻略, no hassle. The remaining time was spent leisurely wandering – truly a lazy vacation mode. Perfect for couples, families with kids, and family vacations.

At the exit of Guilin Liangjiang International Airport, a driver held up a sign to greet us. Club Med Guilin Resort is located in Yuzi Paradise, surrounded by mountains and waters. The drive from the airport to the hotel takes about 45 minutes. Outside the window, the iconic karst landscape of Guilin unfolded.

Many families with kids were heading to Club Med for a family vacation. The car even had a baby safety seat – so thoughtful.

Guilin is famous for its stunning scenery, beautiful Li River, vast rice paddies, and karst landforms. It’s one of China’s most beautiful sights and a symbol of the country.

Famous attractions like Li River Scenic Area, Yangshuo West Street, Yulong River Rafting, Elephant Trunk Hill, Impression Liu Sanjie, and Two Rivers and Four Lakes – I had visited them all years ago. Moreover, in August, daytime temperatures in Guilin are above 30°C (86°F), not suitable for wandering. So this time, we planned to just laze around among the mountains and waters for a few days.

The driver left our luggage outside the hotel steps. A staff member noted our room number and told us to go inside to check in – the luggage would be delivered to the room. Check-in was simple: each of us got a wristband. This wristband served as the room key and proof for entering the restaurant. We couldn’t take it off even for showers; it would be cut off only when we left the resort.

Finally, I stood before that huge floor-to-ceiling window I’d seen in pictures – stunning at first glance.

Among the trees, the cottage with the grass-covered roof was where we would stay – it felt like living in the mountains. Without stepping out, we could enjoy the full beauty of Guilin’s landscapes, the joy of natural ecology, and the elegance of architectural art.

I melted into the natural scenery, enjoying quiet leisure time. Taking a deep breath, I felt refreshed.

Club Med Guilin Resort occupies 8,000 mu of stunning mountain and water scenery, with not only breathtaking natural beauty but also 150 artistic and spiritual sculptures.

Because the resort is huge, there are electric buggies shuttling between buildings. The first impression of Club Med Guilin Resort was a sea of green.

The corridor leading to our room was Chinese red, full of a sense of time travel. It was a very old building, filled with nostalgic vibes.

After resting a bit in the room, I felt hungry. At Club Med Guilin Resort, no need to worry – even at 3 pm, you won’t go hungry.

All activities in the resort are included in the “all-inclusive” fee, even the drinks in the room’s fridge.

Let’s go to the restaurant in Building 1 for a bowl of Guilin rice noodles!

For Guilin locals, the best snack is Guilin rice noodles. Even though it’s a hotel restaurant, the taste was amazing – maybe I was just hungry.

Besides meals, afternoon tea at the activity center is also included.

At night, you can order a few cocktails here – also covered by the “all-inclusive” fee.

If you bring kids, there’s even more to do. Parent-child handicraft activities like rainbow tie-dye are all part of the “all-inclusive” fee. Every day can be packed with activities.

You’ll meet many foreign tourists from different countries.

At the resort, about 120 G.O.s come from 20 different countries, forming Club Med Guilin’s international G.O. team, making every guest feel the warmth of their native language from the moment they check in.

The place with the most laughter in Club Med Guilin Resort is the outdoor pool amidst the mountains. The resort also has a gym and indoor pool, but summer spent in an outdoor pool is the real summer.

Early in the morning, before the pool opened, it was quiet like this.

At noon, only foreigners were willing to bask under the scorching sun. The clouds over Guilin those days were really beautiful, and the sky was clear blue.

At sunset, the pool was at its liveliest. Many families vacationed here, enjoying wonderful parent-child time.

This trip to Guilin wasn’t really a travel – it was just a vacation, with the hotel as the destination.

At Club Med Guilin Resort, everything is all-inclusive – three meals a day are free of charge. And the quality is good. Let me show you.

In the morning, I could sleep in and have a hearty buffet breakfast by the pond.

For lunch that day, I chose the Mongolian-themed restaurant on the third floor. It also serves dinner, but dinner requires advance reservation.

The Mongolian restaurant was very distinctive: spacious, bright, with beautiful scenery outside the glass windows.

Lunch was a barbecue buffet with freshly grilled beef and lamb – tasty.

Outside the Mongolian restaurant was a rooftop terrace where you can take photos against the lush green mountains.

In the evening, you could choose the buffet restaurant, offering cuisines from around the world.

The buffet changed its offerings daily: both traditional Guilin rice noodles and Western steak, desserts, ice cream, etc. Oh, the grilled lamb chops were excellent – don’t miss them.

The buffet’s main colors were blue and red, a very bold color combination.

Want a little drink? The restaurant’s beer, wine, etc., are all free and unlimited.

I especially recommend the Lotus Restaurant at night. Remember to book in advance – it’s also included in the room price.

The atmosphere was great. We booked for 19:30, and dinner took a full 90 minutes.

We selected two appetizers, one main course, and one dessert. Flowers, music, red wine… full of ceremony.

During the three nights at Club Med Guilin Resort, there was a different themed party every night. Since the resort is in the countryside, there aren’t many entertainment facilities nearby, but every night brought surprises.

The first night featured exciting performances.

All performers were resort employees. The dark-skinned man in the middle was the resort’s village chief, interacting cheerfully with everyone.

Then we moved here, where everyone started dancing to the rhythm. Nobody knows you; no matter how you dance, just follow your own rhythm.

The second night was a glow party. The atmosphere was incredibly lively – you have to experience it in person.

The third night was a pool party. The pool had never been this lively at night – the kids went wild.

You could also opt for paid excursions outside the resort, with several routes to experience a different Guilin.

One day, we chose to take a taxi to downtown Guilin. We visited a time-honored Guilin rice noodle shop, the Dongxi Alley Historical and Cultural Block, Xiaoyao Tower, had coffee at a café, ate at Xiuli Restaurant where locals dine, and strolled along the Li River in the evening…

On the day we left, Club Med Guilin Resort arranged a car to take us to the airport. We said goodbye to Guilin’s graceful natural landscape and the resort nestled among the mountains at the border of Guilin and Yangshuo.

Four days and three nights to enjoy a lazy family vacation. Being together 24 hours a day, chatting about everyday things, eating and wandering – that’s the leisure time we wanted.