LUX* Tea Horse Road

The hotel sits in the ancient Old Town of Lijiang, and the property’s traditional style fits right in with its UNESCO-listed surroundings. Inside, the property exhibiting a unique stylistic blend of the old and the new, with wood-panelled walls and other traditional elements alongside modern furnishings and artworks.

In contrast to the hotel’s historic exterior, the guestrooms and suites have a more modern design, but are a fascinating fusion of styles: some feature tatami-matted floors, while local Naxi architectural traditions are paid homage through the extensive use of wood and other organic materials. Deluxe Rooms overlook the property’s beautiful courtyard, and Superior Rooms have beautiful wooden floors and ceiling beams.

The hotel’s restaurant offers fantastic opportunities to sample the traditional cuisine of the local culture, with Naxi hotpot and Yunnan barbecue among the delicacies on offer. Yunnan’s famous pu’er fermented tea, which once travelled the tea road of the hotel’s name, is on offer at the Tea Lounge, while a wide variety of wines, beers and spirits are available at the stylish bar. At breakfast, a range of Asian and Western options are offered on a buffet basis in the restaurant.

There are no fitness or spa facilities at LUX* Tea Horse Road, although there are next door at the Crowne Plaza.

If the Naxi specialities served at the hotel’s restaurant have inspired in you a love of the local cuisine, you can learn the tricks of the trade for yourself in a traditional cooking class at the hotel, after a trip to the market to handpick fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Lijiang is an ancient city, famous for its beautifully preserved Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traditional culture is evident everywhere; keep an eye out for the falconers who gather to buy and sell birds at the market each morning, and watch locals washing vegetables in the White Horse Dragon fountain, as they have done for centuries. Out of town, the magnificent Tiger Leaping Gorge makes for an incredibly scenic hike.