Chinese whispers

Kuoni’s Keira Welsted discovers the delights of the lesser known side of China on a fam trip to Hangzhou.

Aman Fayun Resort

"From the moment I landed into Hangzhou it blew me away! The beauty of the destination was so much more than I had anticipated. It was once the capital of the whole of China (in the Song Dynasty from 900AD) and has continued to be an important centre for trade in silk and green tea, amongst other things, and a very popular domestic leisure destination.

I had been invited by the Hangzhou Tourism Commission to visit as part of a group of seven established tour operators from the UK (and France and Germany, as it turned out) and right from the start, was impressed with how easy it was to get there. We flew in Cathay Pacific’s new Premium Economy Class direct to Hong Kong and although the flight was full, it was comfortable and the time flew by. After one hour in Chep Lap Kok – barely time enough to get any duty-free! – we were on a DragonAir flight to Hangzhou landing a few hours later. We checked into the new and modern Sheraton Xixi Wetlands Park Resort Hotel located near (but not on) the city’s legendary West Lake. The rooms were large and well-appointed and we all loved the bath/room area which could be enclosed with sliding doors or left open to maximise the feeling of space.

It being spring time and one of the most popular times of the year for visitors, there were people everywhere looking at the blossoms and taking in the many beautiful sights around the West Lake. This was our first destination and we climbed onto large comfortable boats and spent a happy morning floating on the lake and taking in the glorious vista of pagodas and temples and blossoms – the kind of scenery you imagine you could see everywhere in China but is fast vanishing under the break-neck pace of development. There is any manner of floating vessel available for hire – even romantic gondola-style boats that can be operated by the customer.

The next day we took in the extraordinary Lingyin Temple – one of the largest, oldest and most revered in China. To get there, we walked under/through the exotically named ‘Peak Flying From Afar’ – so named because it is looks different and is made of sandstone unlike the rest of the area, which is primarily limestone. Here there are over 400 statues of Buddha carved into the mountain from between the 10th and 14th centuries – most of which survived the destructive Cultural Revolution. A short five-minute walk near the Temple is the Aman Fayun Resort, one of only two Aman Hotels in the whole of China. We were shown around the villas which are set away from the main path (which is open to the public and strolling monks) and the spa and restaurants – formerly a village, it’s definitely an unusual Aman hotel.

The other tourist attractions we visited included the Grand Canal, the world’s longest and oldest man-made canal stretching from Beijing and ending in Hangzhou. The area where we embarked was culturally interesting and picturesque and the canal boats were clean and spacious – but there was not much to see on either side of the canal apart from the willow trees and this might be a better option for an evening cruise when all the lights are on. The other watery attraction which I enjoyed greatly was the Xixi Wetlands, China’s first and only national wetlands park. Gliding through the reeds on a wooden boat and spotting interesting looking birds was very calming and our excellent guide told us that we could even go fishing here and cook and eat our catch!

Xixi Wetlands

An area that we all enjoyed was the Longjin green tea plantation, a short ride from the city in the hillside where one of China’s most popular quality tea (also known as Dragon Well) is grown. This is definitely worth a visit to find out all about the many health benefits of green tea (all those polyphenols) and buy the best quality tea. Talking of shopping, there are so many great shopping areas and streets such as QingHefang Street where we had a wonderful time buying exotic gifts to take home….the picturesque Silk Street was a joy too.

Four Seasons

We were all very pleasantly surprised by the standard of the accommodation that we visited. The Four Seasons was stunning and superbly located by the Lake, whereas the Banyan Tree by the Xixi Wetlands is very picturesque with individual villas and great facilities. The local Dragon Hotel impressed everyone with its high tech innovations and the local Narada and Friendship Hotels looked very busy. We all loved the local cuisine too – slow cooked Dongpo Pork was amazing! And in the evening we were all dazzled by a nightly open-air extravaganza called the ‘Impression West Lake’ show, designed by the creator of the Beijing Olympics. Hundreds of dancers glided over the lake in synchronised choreography to lights and original music – a real wow under a moonlit night with lit pagodas in the background. This is on twice every night for 10 months (not in Dec or Jan) and is a real winner.

Impression West Lake

Overall, the fascination of the friendly locals, streets lined with flowers and the cleanliness was outstanding. In our short four-night stay in Hangzhou I learnt so much, ate so much and had the best time. We managed to cram so much into our time in Hangzhou and it is a trip I will never forget. Hangzhou to me is the unknown side of China but there is so much to see and do….. tours generally only stay in the area for a couple of nights – what a shame! I would recommend a minimum of four nights and would suggest leaving the stay till the end of your trip and finish on a high."