Ultimate Guide to Club Med Yabuli: Everything You Need to Know!

📍 Harbin · 👁 1 reads · ❤️ 58 likes

A few days ago, I went skiing at Club Med Yabuli Resort! Many friends asked me how it was, so here's a full guide for you today!

In January this year, I took my little one to Jilin and also skied at Changbaishan. I knew that Yabuli's temperature is about 10 degrees colder than Changbaishan, usually around minus 20 degrees Celsius, so I was a bit nervous.

But when I got there, I realized that winter in Northeast China isn't as cold as I'd imagined. It only felt truly cold later when we went to the Big Snow Valley near Snow Village (I'll write about that trip separately). You can confidently bring your kids to the Northeast for fun!

From Harbin Airport to Yabuli, it takes about three and a half hours by car. The snow scenery during sunset along the way was breathtakingly beautiful!

The most important thing at Club Med Yabuli Resort is, of course, skiing! And it's all included in the all-inclusive package, including ski lessons and instructors, which are completely free! That alone made me incredibly impressed, as ski instructors at other resorts typically cost over a thousand yuan per hour!

Every evening during dinner (around 6:30 to 8:30 PM), you can sign up for the next day's ski lessons at the ski school counter near the buffet restaurant. Although I had skied twice before, both times were short and I never learned properly, so I signed up for the beginner class.

▲ The ski area here spans three mountains, and this year the number of slopes has expanded from 17 to 49, with a total length of 50.9 kilometers!

Many of the instructors come from the top French ski school ESF, ensuring top professionalism. My first lesson started on a flat practice area, from warm-up to learning braking, walking, and other techniques. It may seem repetitive and boring, but it builds a solid foundation!

At first, I was shaky and could only scream as I slid forward, relying on the instructor to push me from behind.

But soon, with the guidance and encouragement of the instructors and classmates, my movements became precise.

From the practice area on the first day to the beginner slopes, I practiced repeatedly and gradually advanced. By the second day, I could even take the cable car to the top of the mountain and ski down the beginner slope!

The wind roaring past my ears, snow particles being pushed by my skis—this thrill of sprinting can only be understood by those who have learned to ski!

Thank you to the Club Med instructors—without their careful guidance, I would never have had the courage to learn such a seemingly difficult sport. They even went as far as helping us put on and take off the heavy ski boots, put on helmets, etc. The service was truly VIP!

By the way, the view from the top of the mountain is stunning.

Even if you don't ski, you can still use a free cable car pass to go up the mountain to play in the snow, enjoy the scenery, and use swings and seesaws in the snow.

The vast snowy plains, layered mountain ridges... Winter in the great Northeast is so bright and majestic!

- Ski lessons and instructors are completely free. Just pre-book the next day's lessons based on your level every evening.

- Rent your ski equipment the day before (I'll detail what to rent and what to bring later), and you'll get a personal locker. Keep the card and return it before you leave. Very convenient.

- Make sure your ski boots and skis fit properly. Too big or too small will affect your skiing and may cause injury.

| Luxury Mountain View Room

We stayed in a Luxury Mountain View Room. The location was excellent, right facing the ski resort.

▲ Yabuli Ski Resort as seen from my balcony

The room wasn't brand new, but it was comfortable.

You can even take a bath facing the mountain view. The resort has so many activities that we spent very little time in the room, which was more than enough.

The drinks in the mini-fridge were also complimentary.

As everyone knows, as a foodie and buffet queen, one reason I love Club Med is the food! Everything is all-inclusive, so you can eat unlimited! And the dishes have been upgraded recently, much better than when I visited a few years ago.

Club Med Yabuli has several restaurants. Apple Orchard is the main buffet restaurant.

Last year, I tried cheese fondue in Switzerland and couldn't stop thinking about it. I never expected to have it every day at Yabuli! It's a signature dish here! The chef makes fresh cheese fondue every day, pulling long strings and inviting everyone: Eat it while it's hot!

There were many other great dishes! For example, thick and soft cherry goose liver,

huge lamb shanks,

(I completely lost my composure when I saw them, haha!)

A wide variety of cooked and chilled seafood every day,

And my favorite Northeast iron pot stew! They changed the ingredients daily: sometimes sauerkraut stewed with bones, sometimes goose stewed with vermicelli, sometimes cold-water fish with vermicelli... Ah, as a vermicelli lover, I just camped out daily, standing by waiting for the chef to add them! Soaked in rich sauce, the Northeast vermicelli was absolutely delicious!

Desserts as shown: every flavor was good, and there were various ice creams. Unfortunately, I had a bad cold at the time, so I couldn't eat much. (But 'not much' still meant three plates per meal—I still have the capacity, haha!)

Even better were the drinks: besides carbonated beverages, there were various hot grain drinks, all generously made.

Alcohol lovers, drink up here! All these red and white wines, beers—they're all yours!

Breakfast was also abundant. Every day I'd customize my bowl for the chef, asking for a bowl of corn noodles. Several small breads were crispy and delicious—I'm still drooling just thinking about it!

| Peony Restaurant

You can pre-book hot pot at Peony Restaurant. Be sure to book in the morning of the day—it's also included in the all-inclusive package. I was really impressed by the dishes here: shrimp balls, mussels, large prawns, fresh lamb and beef... They didn't skimp on ingredients!

The taste was great. After skiing and enjoying the warm bath, having hot pot in the snowy landscape felt amazingly satisfying!

There's more: this place transforms into a noodle bar during late-night hours. We came on the first night but were too full. We said we'd save room the next day, but... the second and third nights, dinner was so rich and delicious that we never had room for noodles.

Afternoon tea is served here. It was just the Christmas season, and the afternoon tea setting was gorgeous.

Every day after skiing, I'd come back and order various drinks with a grand gesture—all free, after all! I always go for non-alcoholic drinks at Club Med—they're beautiful and tasty.

The adjacent book bar has a cozy winter fireside atmosphere. No matter what time of day, you can order a drink and relax.

| Snow Hiking

This activity was very popular. We signed up early and got spots. A G.O. led us outside the resort, and we went up the mountain!

The route wasn't long—uphill, downhill, around a bend, down a path, and then back down. Very suitable for elderly and children.

Walking in the great Northeast forest, everything was quiet, with only the sound of the wind gently blowing, the crunch of our feet on the snow, and—the 'tap-tap-tap' of a woodpecker hitting a tree trunk... Everything was so beautiful!

Suddenly hearing the crisp 'tap-tap-tap' from the silent forest, we searched around and finally found a lovely woodpecker busy preparing for next year.

Occasionally, we could spot footprints of some small animal! Nature is truly amazing!

A big shout-out to the G.O. who not only acted as a human snow machine for photos but also made sure we safely entered the resort gate before leaving, afraid we might get lost. Club Med's service quality is truly top-notch.

| Outdoor Warm Bath

Swimming is out for me—I'm a landlubber.

But an outdoor warm bath is fine! It gets dark early in the Northeast. After skiing or hiking in the afternoon and having some afternoon tea, we eagerly went to soak in the warm pool.

In the biting cold wind, jumping into the warm water, letting the steam rise and envelop our bodies, looking out at the vast white landscape—that feeling was truly wonderful!

Although it didn't feel too cold outside, there was a chill that seemed to seep into the bones. Soaking in the warm bath, then going for a dry sauna and steam room—it felt much better!

| Other Entertainment

There are also various sports: large ones like rock climbing,

small ones like billiards and table tennis,

and quieter activities like mahjong and livelier ones like karaoke! Haha! All free! Some need to be booked in advance.

Like other Club Meds, the nightly shows are performed by the resort's G.O.s.

During the day, they might be tour guides or children's club staff, but at night, they transform into top-notch performers—amazing! The shows were truly wonderful and worth watching. They've reportedly been upgraded as well.

Especially, you can follow the resort's schedule and wear the designated colors (like fluorescent or black and white) every day to have fun—it creates a great atmosphere.

It's recommended to follow the 'Club Med Yabuli Resort' official account in advance. Before your trip, you can check the daily activities and follow along—you'll never run out of things to do.

This time, I didn't bring my little one, but I still checked out the children's club carefully. After all, one of the main reasons we choose Club Med is that we can ditch the kids! For free!

Can you feel that urgency? Haha, I get it!

At Yabuli, the main activity at the children's club is, of course, skiing! Don't worry if your child has no foundation—there are 6 levels of children's ski courses for both skis and snowboards. And just like with the ESF instructors, the courses are free. Kids as young as 4 can go skiing!

For skiing, children also have a dedicated kids' channel—a slide that avoids stairs. I'm so, so jealous! I really wanted to slide down it too, haha.

Besides skiing, the children's club organizes many activities. I often saw kids playing games with G.O.s in the Forest Bar.

By the way, there's even a dedicated kids' drink menu—all free, of course!

You can drop off your kids from the moment you wake up and enjoy the whole day comfortably, then pick them up for dinner. Sometimes the children's club arranges evening 'report performances,' so you can even ditch them at night... Oh wait, I mean go watch your kid perform, haha!

Speaking of which, my little one's first time on stage was at Club Med Yabuli! He was only 20 months old then, crying to go on stage with the big kids, and a friendly G.O. invited him up. He loudly said his name 'Miao Miao' (that was the only word he could say at the time, haha).

My suggestion: if you see a photographer at the resort or ski area, ask them to take lots of photos. Later, you can select them. A single photo costs 50 yuan, but the entire set costs only 380 yuan, which is very worthwhile. It's like a professional shoot, and the photos turned out great!

Let's talk about ski gear. For most people, helmets, ski boots, and skis are not something they'd bring. It's recommended to rent them directly at Club Med; the prices are reasonable.

I suggest bringing your own ski jacket, ski pants, goggles, and gloves. Although you can rent them, it's not expensive to get a set from Decathlon, and you can wear them even when not skiing in the Northeast. Plus, your own gear looks better, haha.

Buy thick gloves because you'll constantly need to take them out for photos, and your hands will get terribly cold. I ended up putting two warm packs inside my gloves. Don't use knitted gloves—they offer no warmth, can't be used for playing in the snow, and get wet instantly.

Prepare a thermal underwear top. I only wore a cotton long-sleeved T-shirt, which was fine since I didn't sweat much.

Note that indoors in the Northeast, including Club Med, it's quite warm. I strongly recommend wearing an inner layer that you can take off and not be embarrassed about. For indoors, a long-sleeved T-shirt, single-layer pants, and single shoes. Remember to bring single shoes, or you'll end up walking around in hotel slippers like many people, haha.

If you forget, it's not a big deal—there's a shop in the resort where you can buy new ones!

Make sure to buy snow boots. Don't wear 'snow shoes' like UGGs—they're not meant for snow. I saw countless people slipping in UGGs on the snow. I bought mine at Decathlon, and they were great.

Bring two pairs of ski wool socks because after putting on ski boots, the socks need to tightly wrap your calves for warmth and protection. They can also be worn normally.

For fleece-lined leggings, make sure the seams aren't too prominent, otherwise they may rub against the tight ski boots and cause blisters. I wore one pair of leggings plus ski pants while skiing, and normally I wore leggings plus fleece-lined jeans, which was enough.

Prepare a neck gaiter, preferably quick-dry and able to pull up over your face for wind protection (my wool scarf got wet from my breath and became uncomfortable after a while). Never wear a long scarf—if you fall, it could get caught in a conveyor belt or something and cause an accident.

You must have an ear-protecting hat. Make sure it has a fleece lining inside, or it will get soaked when it touches snow.

10-20 warm packs per person is enough.

When skiing, if you're not too afraid of cold, wear a base layer, a thick fleece, and a ski jacket. My ski jacket was actually a softshell with a thin down liner, not very thick, so I wore a long-sleeved T-shirt, a wool base layer, and a thick high-neck sweater underneath.

Skiing involves a lot of exercise, so it doesn't feel too cold. But when playing outside, you should wear more. My heaviest outfit was a long-sleeved T-shirt, a thin high-neck wool sweater, a cashmere zip-up, and a long thick down coat. Remember: every piece should fit snugly—loose clothing, no matter how many layers, won't keep you warm.

In my personal opinion, for skiing beginners, Decathlon's ski gear is sufficient. Using it twice a year is about the limit. But the downside is you might keep running into people wearing the same outfit, haha.

Also, bring anti-fog sunglasses, sunscreen, heavy-duty moisturizer, and lip balm.

Finally, a little tip for taking great photos: since your face is mostly covered, bring a brightly colored lipstick. You know why, haha!

I think the best way to visit Yabuli is to combine it with Harbin. From Harbin you can take the high-speed rail to Yabuli, hire a car, or simply book a package online that includes hotel and transport.

My colleague Lisa, who is from Harbin, has been recommending Volga Manor and the Ice and Snow World.

Volga Manor is full of Russian charm, with a beautiful castle covered in snow in winter. For a little girl, it's like Elsa's castle. There are many parent-child activities: DIY bread, DIY nesting dolls, castle snow tubing, snowball fights... You'll feel like you're in Moscow in no time.

The Ice and Snow World, which opens tomorrow, is a wonderland that southern kids have never seen. Everything—top to bottom, inside and out—is made of ice sculptures. Ice lanterns, snow sculptures, Harbin ice shows, and ice slides that kids can slide down 100 times.

At night, colorful lights refract through the ice, creating a fairy-tale scene of enchanting colors.

Travel Journal Contents:

1. Let's Go Skiing!

2. Food and Accommodation

3. What Else to Do

4. Children's Club

5. Ski Equipment

6. What Else to Do?

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