Forest of Osmanthus Trees | Leisurely Wandering amidst Mountains and Rivers, a Carefree Family Weekend in Shangri-La

January 30, 2023

On the banks of the Li River in Guilin

At the Shangri-La Hotel

With Teacher Kong from Shanghai (WeChat official account: "Take the Kid Travel") we chatted about meeting up for a weekend getaway with two kids of similar age, and we both thought of Guilin without hesitation.

At the end of January, the warm winter sun brightened our mood. The driver arranged by the Shangri-La Hotel Guilin drove very steadily, introducing the customs and traditions of Guangxi along the way. The car passed through the city, with rolling "mantou-shaped hills" lining the road—the unique karst landforms of the south were breathtaking. Osmanthus trees lined the streets in shade, making it easy to imagine how fragrant the golden autumn season would be. And the city of Guilin got its name from this—"A Forest of Osmanthus Trees."

As the car turned around the street corner, the flying eaves of the Chinese-style architecture of the Shangri-La Hotel Guilin could already be dimly seen.

The Shangri-La Hotel Guilin is located on the scenic banks of the Li River. It is the first international five-star hotel in Guilin city. Its distinctive characteristic is the unique Chinese-style architecture resembling a palace complex, and the oversized hotel garden is highly sought after. The hotel has 439 luxurious guest rooms and suites, adorned with exquisite Guilin landscape murals. Most rooms offer views of the charming Li River; looking out the window, you can see the beautiful peaks. The ink-wash landscape outside the window overlaps and reflects on the calm and clear river surface, creating a fairyland-like scene on misty mornings. Both inside and outside are a visual feast for the eyes, making it undoubtedly the best place to enjoy the scenery in Guilin.

Many people think that Gui Xiang is just a city resort hotel. In fact, the hotel has put a lot of thought into family-friendly features, turning it into a children's play paradise and designing many projects that free up parents.

Truly amazing!

The guest rooms all come with landscape-like views. The Executive Mountain View Balcony Room has a large terrace; the Garden View Room looks out onto the lush hotel garden; the River View Room allows you to lie in bed and gaze at the river. And if you're staying with kids, the Family Room is definitely the first choice!

In front of the TV cabinet, there is a ceramic doll practicing tai chi, cute and naive. The small hanging tag tells you which tai chi move it is; flip it over and it shows the morning exercise (tai chi) time. If you want to relax your mind and body, just set your alarm and join the exercise.

The Terrace Suite is very special. If the hotel has a promotional offer with a discount price, don't miss it. The large terrace is equipped with a hanging chair. Sitting here at night, swaying gently while enjoying the river breeze and stargazing, is very pleasant.

During the day, have a cup of coffee while appreciating the charming Li River. Look at the smooth and clear river surface like silk, like a mirror reflecting the towering peaks, complemented by the beautiful garden scenery at the foot of the hotel building outside the window—the crystal clear Li River and the naturally beautiful garden form a natural scroll painting. The strong Chinese classical style of the architecture itself also complements the scenery before you.

The Deluxe River View Room has an elegant design and is spacious. In addition to a 1.8-meter king-size bed, there is a thoughtfully placed 1.2-meter wide cute tent, inside which lies the hotel's exclusive mascot doll—a cormorant (commonly known as a fish hawk). As 11-Jie explored the room, she discovered a "cute pet" cormorant welcoming her, full of delightful surprises.

At night, each of us slept in our own bed—that's what we all wanted, a peaceful sleep without the worry of blanket stealing.

I woke up just as it was getting light. I pulled back the curtains and looked down to see the winding Li River stretching into the distance, and looked up to see Yushan Mountain not far away. The famous Li River scenery and Guilin's unique karst mountains create a poetic and picturesque landscape.

If there is a little light rain, the mountains and rivers seem to be covered with a layer of gauze, hazy and romantic.

The Kids' Paradise on the first floor of the hotel is warmly and adorably decorated. With a large trampoline, ball pit, mini rock climbing, and tube slide, this Shangri-La has brought the big equipment only found in large amusement parks into an indoor play area!

Indoor play activities are also very rich: building blocks, whack-a-mole, X-BOX, etc. Both boys' and girls' different preferences are catered to, and even parents can have a lot of fun.

Teacher Kong and I felt very comfortable leaving 11-Jie and her little kid in the care of the young lady at the Happy Zone, letting the kids explore their favorite activities on their own, such as drawing, reading comic books, playing motion-sensing games, or lying on large beanbag-like cushions to watch movies or variety shows. The two kids would occasionally quarrel and then make up, exercising their independent social skills. We became hands-off moms, which was really worry-free.

The hotel also offers intangible cultural heritage handicrafts in collaboration with local heritage. We chose to paint round fans. Under the guidance of the teacher, the children learned about Guangxi's intangible cultural heritage knowledge, then used their creativity to paint their own creative designs on the fan surface, added stickers with New Year blessings, and received an "Intangible Cultural Heritage Study Certificate." It felt as joyful as holding the great rivers and mountains in their hearts.

Taking this opportunity, we went to the gym to lift some weights or continued swimming in the indoor heated pool. The outdoor pool was closed in winter, but the indoor pool is quite large, so no need to worry about crowding.

The hotel's fitness center is fully equipped, with an indoor heated pool, treadmills, and various professional equipment. The changing rooms have massage pools and saunas. After exercising, you can relax comfortably. If you want an even more soothing mind-body journey, you can go to the SPA center to lie down and recover your energy—it's absolutely wonderful.

Just after the Spring Festival, it's the low season. Lucky you might even experience the feeling of having the place to yourself!

To be honest, after visiting many hotels, 11-Jie came back and was full of praise for Gui Xiang's backyard garden. I never imagined that at 11 years old, she would be so fond of activities like teasing peacocks and feeding pigeons!!

Gui Xiang has a 6300-square-meter outdoor lawn, perfect for outdoor weddings and also an excellent outdoor activity space. Next to it is a mini zoo full of wild charm, where children can get close to nature through activities like boating, cycling, planting potted plants, and feeding small animals.

Kids seem to have a natural curiosity about animals. 11-Jie's favorite was feeding pigeons. Watching the little creatures spread their wings, stubbornly grip the cage with their claws, and struggle to balance their bodies while pecking for food, she said, "They're really trying hard."

Holding a piece of vegetable leaf and clapping her hands to tease a male peacock, trying to get it to fan its tail, was her daily delight that never got old.

A group of cute rabbits often made the little kids laugh out loud—I had never seen so many varieties of rabbits before!

When they got thirsty, after feeding the animals, 11-Jie and the little kid went boating in a group. When tired from playing, they could rock the ancient well nearby and enjoy the sweet and refreshing mountain spring water.

As free-range parents, we strolled along the winding stone paths, where free-range hens wandered around, or went to the pavilion to feed the fish in the pond. Maybe an ostrich would stretch its neck and curiously check you out. Of course, quietly leaning against a big tree, breathing in the pure air after the rain or soaking up the sun, was also very comfortable.

On sunny afternoons, there were activities like frisbee and archery on the lawn. In the evening, treasure hunts were organized, where you could exchange points for gifts... In short, Gui Xiang believes it is their responsibility to exhaust the energy of the little rascals!

By the way, the Bagua-shaped platform is where everyone does morning tai chi exercises. Of course, it can also serve as a helipad. The hotel can provide helicopter transfer services between the airport and the hotel for VIP guests.

In a place where osmanthus trees form a forest, there is no shortage of delicious food.

The chefs at Li Cafe carefully prepare hundreds of Chinese and Western specialties. From local famous snacks like Guilin rice noodles and river flower fish to authentic Indian-style barbecue, Japanese teppanyaki, spicy hot pot, and a wide variety of sashimi—even I, who usually sleep until I wake naturally and miss breakfast, set an alarm every day to get up and eat, eat, eat.

The Shang Palace is what I want to strongly recommend. Shangri-La's dining never disappoints. Shang Palace is the signature restaurant of every hotel, offering exquisite Cantonese, Hunan, Sichuan, and authentic local cuisine.

The Lipu taro I ate here was the best taro I have ever had in my life. It was cooked in a rich broth, the taro was soft and fluffy, melting in the mouth. The starch and broth combined to create a blissful taste. After finishing, 11-Jie immediately clamored to buy some taro to make at home (writing this, I'm already drooling).

The Beer Li River Fish is also not to be missed. The meat is tender yet chewy, and with the chef's seasoning, we even drank bowl after bowl of the soup.

Shang Palace's lunch menu offers an all-you-can-eat dim sum set. The online promotion is 138 yuan, incredibly good value for the variety, and the authenticity of the flavors is also very nice~~

When tired from all the fun, I recommend taking a break at the lobby lounge. Order an afternoon tea, drink a cup of fragrant osmanthus tea, and let yourself relax. With 12-meter-high panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, the blue sky contrasts with the lush green of the outdoor garden, allowing you to easily take in the beautiful view.

In this pleasant afternoon, it felt like stepping into the peaceful and healing "Shangri-La" in my heart.

Nearby Attractions:

◆ Diecai Hill Scenic Area

Just a stone's throw from the hotel, we strolled over after dinner.

Approximately 4.3 km from the hotel. The Two Rivers refer to the Li River and the Taohua River, while the Four Lakes are Shanhu, Ronghu, Guihu, and Mulong Lake.

Get off at Lequn Road intersection, then it's a short walk to the Two Rivers and Four Lakes. Next to the Two Rivers and Four Lakes is Guilin's Zhengyang Pedestrian Street, full of great food.

I let 11-Jie go with Teacher Kong's family for a boat tour on the lake. When she came back, she described it with full praise, saying a giant banyan tree with lights looked like a giant broccoli; the Sun and Moon Pagodas were really vivid—the Moon Pagoda was cool and translucent, the Sun Pagoda dazzling and eye-catching; looking at the brightly lit cruise ships, she was inspired to quote "River楓漁火對愁眠" (Maple bridge and fishing lights, in restless sadness I lie). Well, somehow it had that flavor.

If you want to take a cruise, it's recommended to book one day in advance, costing 205 yuan per person.

Located about 5.5 km from the hotel, the Elephant Trunk Hill Scenic Area seems like a must-visit when coming to Guilin. The scenic area is currently free; just scan the QR code to make a reservation and enter. You can leisurely stroll around for two hours. For someone from Chongqing like me, it's a piece of cake! Climb halfway up the mountain to the Elephant Eye Rock or a few observation decks, and you can overlook the whole city of Guilin with a sense of grandeur. When you come down, a crowd queues up to "support" the elephant's trunk. We found a spot by the river and casually took photos supporting the mountain for half an hour without anyone urging us—doesn't it feel like we saved money again?

Gui Xiang is located on the banks of the Li River, adjacent to Seven Star Park. It's only about a 10-minute drive to the city center, about 15 minutes to the high-speed rail station, and about 35 minutes to Guilin Liangjiang International Airport.