By the Lakeside in Kunming, I Thought of Hawaii
Amid Shanghai's gloomy winter drizzle, I started writing about that hidden gem resort — Kunming Spring City Lakeside Resort. I miss the wind blowing between the mountains and the sea, gently brushing across the greens, the sunshine so bright it sweeps away all melancholy, and that oil-painting shade of green by the shores of Yangzonghai.
Standing on the golf course, I kept thinking of the Princeville Makai Golf Club on Kauai, Hawaii. It wasn't until I was preparing to write this post and looked up information that I was delighted to discover: both golf courses were designed by the top golf course designer Robert Trent Jones Jr. A sudden realization — no wonder I felt a certain resemblance.
I first learned about Kunming Spring City Lakeside Golf Resort during the Double 11 shopping festival, spotting it among a vast sea of listings on the Xiaozhu homestay platform. The voucher package I snagged was 1,299 yuan, including one night in a one-bedroom villa, three meals a day plus a late-night snack for two, a mini golf lesson, over a dozen activity experiences, and shuttle transfers to the airport and downtown — valid on weekends and holidays with no surcharge.
Honestly, I didn't expect much from an all-inclusive package at just 650 yuan per person; I mainly went to tick Yangzonghai off my list. But from check-in to dining to activities, every single experience kept surprising me until the moment I left. How much did I love it? On the first day, I was already passionately recommending it to everyone on my social media. When it was time to leave, I lingered, reluctant to go, pondering the possibility of staying an extra day. In the end, I made plans to return in spring.
Perhaps you've never heard of this place before, and it's no wonder — few know about it. Kunming Spring City Lakeside Golf Resort was jointly established by Singapore's Keppel Land and the Kunming municipal government. Originally, it wasn't open to individual travelers, catering mostly to golf enthusiasts from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
The entire resort features two 18-hole championship golf courses, a lake course and a mountain course, a golf clubhouse, five phases of private villa communities, 73 deluxe rooms, and recreational facilities like a fitness club. Chatting with the staff, I learned that most of the golf properties here have been sold, and many businesspeople come to spend their summers and winters vacationing here.
The resort only started pivoting in the first half of last year to welcome guests booking through various platforms. Some owners also rent out their idle homes, allowing individual travelers like me to stay. However, during my two days here, most people I encountered in the restaurants and public areas were still golfers, along with a few families returning for a second visit.
The resort opened in 1998, and more than 20 years on, it's still remarkably well maintained. HBA handled the renovation and interior redesign in 2013. Many hotels start showing signs of wear after just four or five years, let alone ten, but here the spirit is still very much in its prime — everything feels like it's in its sweet spot.
Over these 24 years, the awards it has won are too many to list; the hallway leading to the activity center has two full walls of accolades. As early as 2004, it was named the Best Golf Resort in Asia. Moreover, the resort places great emphasis on ecological preservation and is a member of the Audubon International Bird Sanctuary.
First, let's talk about the rooms:
The resort mainly offers guest rooms and villas. Guest rooms come in traditional and contemporary styles, while villas are one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom. I stayed in a Yueyun one-bedroom villa in an area called Juya. This is part of the first-phase development, the oldest area of the resort, with a peaceful and private setting. Since it was the off-season, some villas were undergoing renovations gradually.
The views in this area are excellent — some villas face the sea, others perch halfway up the mountain. If you don't feel like walking up the slopes, you can call for a golf cart pickup, and it'll arrive in two or three minutes.
The red roofs and white walls of the community evoke European country villas, while the interiors are decorated in an American country style. The one-bedroom villa 516 I stayed in, though about the same age as me and with a slightly old-fashioned decor, exuded an indescribable warmth and sense of solidity. The furniture is all solid wood, and the little fireplace actually works!
There's a cypress tree by the entrance; looking out from inside, it gives off a vibe reminiscent of a little piece of Switzerland.
The little villa is a dream cottage, facing Yangzonghai directly. It has a separate living room, bedroom, and bathroom space, plus a small terrace that blends seamlessly with the surrounding garden. Both the living room and bedroom look out onto Yangzonghai. With the mountains and sea as a backdrop on the terrace, every photo turns out stunning — you don't need to worry at all, even with just your phone. What you see is what you get.
The minibar in the room is complimentary: two cans of cola, two cans of Sprite, plus snacks like peanuts and chocolate, and a fruit plate. If you finish the drinking water, you can ask the staff to replenish it.
The resort promotes eco-friendliness. Around 5 or 6 p.m., an auntie comes by with hot milk in a thermos, and she'll also turn on the humidifier in the bedroom. She mentioned on her own that the thermos is cleaned and disinfected daily, and she reminded us to be careful as it's hot. The thermos keeps things warm well — even after four or five hours, the milk is still steaming.
The bathroom isn't large and you can tell it's been around, but the hot water comes out promptly and with strong pressure. Toiletries are from L'Occitane's Sweet Almond collection, one of the pricier lines from the brand, costing about a few dozen yuan per set. The shower oil feels a bit greasy at first, but it emulsifies when you rinse it off, leaving your skin moisturized and not dry — something some ladies really like.
It's worth mentioning that the resort offers free laundry service (wet wash) with no limit on the number of items. Considering many golfers stay here for two or three months at a time, this service is really thoughtful. You'll also find shoe polish, nail clippers, and plenty of hangers in the room. If an owner occupies the villa, the kitchen and gas can be used as well.
Out of professional curiosity, I asked the staff to show me some other room types. The basic guest rooms are 40 square meters, with two styles: traditional elegant rooms (calendar rate 550+ yuan on OTAs) and modern elegant rooms (660+ yuan). Both have large balconies. The price difference isn't huge; the modern rooms are on higher floors, recently renovated, and offer better views. If you're on a budget, I recommend the modern style.
Traditional Elegant Room
Modern Elegant Room
For those used to resort hotel prices in the Yangtze River Delta, villa rates here aren't expensive either. The Yueyun one-bedroom villa I stayed in is a single-story villa, with a calendar rate around 1,000 yuan. Two-bedroom villas go for about 1,500 yuan, loft-style with two bedrooms, suitable for four guests — one king bed and two single beds, ideal for families.
The Yueyun three-bedroom villas are in another hilltop community called Dujuan, and you need a car to get up there. The staff said if you used a golf cart, the battery would die after just a few trips. Many of my friends saw photos of this room type and exclaimed they must stay here next time.
These rooms start at 140 square meters, with their own private entrance and parking spot. There are three bedrooms: two king beds and two single beds. The best part is this villa type overlooks the villa area and Yangzonghai — standing on the balcony is an eye-opening experience. The calendar rate for this villa starts at 2,000 yuan, but considering it sleeps six, isn't that excellent value?
For an all-inclusive resort experience, dining is crucial. If the food is mediocre, wouldn't it be a waste of the scenery? Our package included three meals a day, plus the handmade pizza we made in the afternoon and the nightcap noodles we didn't end up eating in the evening. So there was no worry about going hungry. It's not just about quantity; every meal in the package was delicious and never repetitive.
The main dining venue is the all-day dining Eagle's Nest Restaurant in the main building, combining Chinese and Western restaurants without clear separation. There's also a large outdoor terrace where many people bask in the sun and read on clear days. We had three meals here: breakfast, plus a hotpot dinner and a semi-buffet lunch, all included in the package.
After a direct ride from the airport, we arrived hungry just as lunch was winding down. Our first meal was a lunch set plus semi-buffet. There were six choices for the set; we ordered a small pot rice noodle soup and a potato beef brisket rice to share.
The small pot rice noodles reportedly use chicken stock as the base, with a rich broth and thick, soft noodles. The minced meat was finely textured and flavorful, accompanied by shredded wood ear mushrooms and carrots. The potato beef brisket rice was a generous bowl, with the brisket stewed until tender, not chewy, and slightly spicy. The semi-buffet selection wasn't extensive, but these two sets were thoroughly satisfying. Especially the rice noodles — we slurped up every last drop of soup.
In the evening, we had hotpot. The ingredients brought out were bountiful: beef, shrimp, free-range chicken, green mussels, fish fillets, plus several vegetables grown by the club itself. If we wanted more, it was free to add. There was also a specially mixed dipping sauce. The fish fillets were freshly sliced from just-caught fish, incredibly tender with few bones — my companion raved about them.
The breakfast buffet selection at the restaurant isn't vast, but you won't feel overwhelmed with choices. It has both Chinese and Western options. If you like porridge in the morning, try some of the local side dishes, many of which I'd never seen before. I must recommend a bowl of rice noodles at breakfast — it's a local specialty, after all!
Beyond the meals included in the package, the resort offers varied dining options: afternoon tea for two, an alfresco picnic basket on the lawn, and lakeside barbecue. With limited appetites (and limited time), we didn't get to try more, so I hope you'll explore for me!
During our short two-day stay, we spent most of our time between the villa and the main building, where the lobby is located. It's just a three- to five-minute walk from the main building to the villa area, perfect for retreating to rest whenever we got tired.
The resort has over a dozen special activities: mountain hikes, village-style markets, baking classes, traditional papermaking, and more. From 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., there's something going on all day, suitable for both adults and kids, and we had a great time.
Most activities meet in the lobby or children's activity center. Even if you're alone, they'll take you to join — the only thing stopping you is your own reluctance. The children's center might not have many toys or look fancy, but it shines with its rich and fun activities, and you can really feel the staff's genuine care in leading the kids.
The mini golf experience included in the package starts with the basics. Only after the theory lesson do you get to go on the course, under the one-on-one guidance of an experienced coach for swing and putting practice. Putting on the nation's top-ranked course, every stroke is a scenic view — it was quite a treat. At the end, you even get a certificate of completion, a nice memento.
Just before Christmas, the children's center staff also led everyone in painting pinecones to turn them into Christmas trees. The pinecones were collected from the golf course and looked adorable once painted. I was told the whole process from painting to drying takes about one to two hours, so I quickly waved my hands, admitting I didn't have the patience. The center also displayed other handcrafted items and paintings for those interested.
We also joined another family for a baking class, learning to make pizza and cookies. From rolling the dough, poking holes, to piling on pineapple, ham, and cheese, it was quite fun.
We could choose our favorite molds for the cookies.
The chef instructing us had worked at the resort for nearly 20 years, and the desserts in the restaurant were his creations. He helped us bake, and after waiting half an hour, packaged cookies and a fragrant pizza were delivered to us. Seeing that loaded pizza, I couldn't help marveling at how generously we'd topped it — it became my midnight snack while working late.
The resort's two courses, mountain and lake, have repeatedly won accolades from major golf magazines and are seen by enthusiasts as some of the most challenging. Even if you don't play, you can join a tour of one of the world's top 100 courses. The tour meets at 5:30 p.m., three people per golf cart, with a staff member driving you around the course to enjoy the scenery along the way.
The route includes several stops at the most scenic spots on the course. During the tour, everyone kept sighing, "So beautiful." Forgive our limited vocabulary — in front of stunning natural beauty, we resorted to the simplest words to express our feelings.
The final stop was near the 8th hole of the lake course, facing Yangzonghai directly. We waited for the sunset, leisurely watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon — the view was mesmerizing.
At night, there was stargazing. The resort staff handed out a small kerosene lamp to each family, their flickering light guiding us toward the course. The telescope and moisture-proof mats were already set up on the lawn. Staff explained astronomy knowledge and even had laser pointers for us to take photos with the stars.
As I reflect while writing this, I realize this resort isn't luxurious — at times it even feels a bit rustic — yet I can't stop thinking about it. A memorable vacation isn't necessarily about how fancy the hotel is or how many activities you do; it's about the entire journey, from start to finish, leaving you with good feelings and a joyful heart. That depends on one's values and the people you meet.
Given the scenery and the price, this resort was clearly beyond value for me, but what made me feel most comfortable were the uncles (staff members) I met.
Several of the staff I encountered had worked here for over a decade. In these nearly 20 years, their personal lives have become deeply intertwined with the resort, and work naturally became part of life. They treated guests with a kind of "living room spirit," as if welcoming guests into their own homes — warm yet proper, kind and thoughtful, polite and never making you uncomfortable. Even if something wasn't their responsibility, they'd go out of their way to help.
I think that for a 24-year-old resort to remain in such good shape, besides scientific management, a lot has to do with the staff strictly following rules and cherishing the place like their own home. If I have a chance to write about this resort again, I'd love to interview the staff to understand why Kunming Spring City Lakeside holds such a special place in my heart.
The uncle at the activity center tried several times to persuade me to paint pinecones for a Christmas tree. I told him, "I don't have the patience; I don't enjoy this kind of thing. When it comes to crafts, I only like cooking." He replied, "Well, what a coincidence — I don't know how to cook at all. Next time, let's bring a big pot, we can exchange ideas about stir-frying over the fire." We both laughed.
"You are welcome back in the spring."
Some Tips:
The resort is about an hour's drive from Kunming city center and the airport. A taxi from the airport to the hotel costs around 200 yuan. The resort provides free shuttle buses; from the airport, there are three departures daily: 12:30, 15:30, and 20:30. You need to book 24 hours in advance. For return shuttles to the airport or city, inquire at the resort.
The resort offers butler service, and before your trip, they'll remind you of current pandemic policies and travel tips. During your stay, you book all activities through the butler, who will also give timely reminders.
After all, you're between the mountains and the sea, so it can get chilly at night — be sure to protect against the wind no matter the season.
