Aman Summer Palace

The hotel lies a stone’s throw from the Summer Palace itself, and is very much a continuation of it in terms of the aesthetic: traditionally elegant Chinese architecture, set in beautifully serene gardens. The property itself isn’t short on history, either, and some of the buildings were previously used as residences for guests of the Empress.

The hotel’s guestrooms and suites are suitably palatial, with ornately carved bamboo blinds, high wood-panelled ceilings and Jin clay floor tiles all adding up to an atmosphere of refined Imperial elegance. The rooms sit around beautiful courtyards and gardens; privacy is afforded through the use of ornate wooden screens, or some, such as the Imperial Suites, boast their own private courtyards.

There’s something to suit all tastes at Aman Summer Palace, with a range of Asian and Western dining options spread across three restaurants. The Chinese Restaurant draws inspiration from the iconic Ming Dynasty to offer superb Cantonese and Imperial Chinese dishes, while the Japanese Restaurant offers a gourmet fusion of French and Japanese traditions. The Grill, meanwhile, is the place to go for prime cuts and superb Western favourites. 

The hotel’s vast spa, spread over two levels below the ground, is a luxurious affair where a wide range of indulgent therapies are on offer which draw on the rich Chinese Imperial tradition; these include the more familiar treatments such as acupuncture, and the more exotic, such as moxibustion – where dried mugwort herb is burned on different points of the body. Pilates and yoga are also on offer, and you’ll also find squash courts, a gym, and a 25-metre swimming pool.

The hotel sits adjacent to the East Gate of Beijing’s iconic Summer Palace, actually a number of palaces dotted among beautiful lakes and gardens, which dates from 1750 and is a beautiful place to walk through of an afternoon.

Other highlights include the Forbidden City, the imposing home of the Ming and Qing dynasties for almost 500 years, and the largest collection of ancient preserved wooden structures in the world. You can have a go yourself at some of the arts and crafts for which these periods were famous, with visits to the hotel from experts in fields such as calligraphy, paper-cutting and kite-making.