Enjoy a Romantic European-Style Holiday at Qingdao's Trendy Hot Spring Resort

Qingdao is a city I love dearly, with its sea, red-roofed houses, and a leisurely pace of life.

This time I discovered a hidden gem, a trendy spot that's all over social media, offering me a different scenery and a blissful, romantic seaside holiday.

It is the CTS (Qingdao) Ocean Spring Resort.

Ocean Spring Resort is located on the shores of Aoshan Bay, Qingdao’s second largest bay. To the southwest, the lush peaks of Laoshan stretch endlessly; to the east, the Tianheng islands meander into the sea. With a kilometer-long golden beach and bromine salt marine hot springs, its location is truly exceptional.

The resort is composed of classic European-style buildings, giving you the wonderful feeling of traveling through a European seaside town. It has hotels, restaurants, a shopping street, and entertainment facilities—everything you need for a perfect vacation.

Ocean Spring Resort is located in the Jimo hot spring area, one of the four famous marine hot spring regions in the world with a history of over a thousand years. It taps into Jimo’s deep marine geothermal resources to provide an authentic marine hot spring experience.

The Qingdao Ocean Spring Hotel is within the resort, offering rooms in various styles—Chinese, Mediterranean, Thai, Japanese, Balinese—all cozy and comfortable.

Each room features an in-room hot spring, and soaking in the outdoor balcony hot spring tub while watching the sunrise or sunset over the sea feels incredibly romantic.

The hotel has five themed areas and over 60 indoor and outdoor bathing pools, surrounded by greenery and covered walkways, creating a very comfortable environment. While enjoying the hot springs, you can also indulge in a delightful wellness feast.

In addition to the classic wellness hot spring pools, there is also a children’s play area with water fortresses, a whirlpool slide, rainbow slides and more, which will keep kids entertained for hours—perfect for family trips.

After bathing, you can head to the hot spring SPA and beauty area, where therapists use natural products and aromatic oils for treatments and massages to relieve the fatigue of your journey.

The classic European architecture of the resort’s shopping street gives you a sense of being abroad on a shopping spree; it's perfect for street photography. There are plenty of brand shops and seafood restaurants here to explore.

A Ferris wheel has always been a symbol of romance. At the end of the European-style street, Qingdao’s tallest Ocean Star Ferris wheel rises, embodying sweet dreams.

The Ocean Star is built by the sea, with observation cabins offering 360-degree views, where you can see both mountains and the ocean.

Legend has it that if lovers kiss at the highest point of the Ferris wheel, they will stay together forever. At sunset, when the sky turns crimson and the sea glitters with golden light, the romance is so breathtaking it leaves you momentarily speechless.

A perfect trip is incomplete without great food.

The Crown Plaza Ocean Spring Resort within the complex is very stylishly designed; besides exquisite rooms, there are several restaurants to choose from.

The Japanese cuisine at Tianhai Japanese Restaurant was a hidden gem we stumbled upon. This Japanese restaurant tucked inside a five-star hotel amazed us with both the taste and presentation of every dish.

The sashimi platter is a must-order, featuring salmon, tuna, shiromi, Arctic surf clam... a rich selection of fresh seafood, presented with an ethereal mist.

The botan shrimp placed on an ice mountain was the star of the show, while the sweet and bouncy Arctic shrimp left us wanting more.

Turn off the lights, light a piece of magic paper, and when it burns out, an abalone that has been simmered in chicken broth for four hours appears. The potato underneath, soaked with the rich sauce, delivers a deep, hearty flavor.

The conch and matsutake mushroom soup: after the dazzling flames die down, the conch meat is fragrant and chewy, the matsutake mushroom is delicate, and finally you lift the conch shell and drink the soup in one gulp—wow!

The tempura was decorated with a small bridge and a young woman in a kimono, like a work of art, making us almost reluctant to pick up our chopsticks.

In short, every dish was deeply satisfying.

Qingdao, a city so romantic and comfortable, is perfect for a getaway. As the weather gets colder, hot springs become a much-sought comfort in the chill.

I hope everyone can enjoy a warm and romantic holiday at Ocean Spring Resort.