DESTINATIONS BEIJING HOTELS, RESORTS & SPAS
designers – while fitness fans and foodies take full advantage of its urban-chic fitness centre and on- site microbrewery. It’s China, but not as you’ve ever seen it before. With the accommodation
sorted, travellers can then throw their full energy into embracing Beijing’s essential must-sees.
w THE FORBIDDEN CITY AND TIANANMEN SQUARE A visit to this pair of classic tourist attractions – within a stone’s throw of each other – is truly like taking a walk back through history. Set in the Dongcheng district, the huge cavernous space of Tiananmen Square was etched on the world’s consciousness in 1989 by the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre. Memories of the armed suppression of a pro-democracy movement still create a sombre atmosphere here, but the vast square contains many of the city’s most important buildings and monuments, including the Great Hall of the People and the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. It was named after the
Tiananmen, or Gate of Heavenly Peace, which leads to the Forbidden City. Security is strict and tourists must show passports to enter the vast compound. There are more than 9,000 rooms in the former residences of three royal dynasties, and the red- roofed wooden palaces, guarded by time-weathered Ming- dynasty bronze lions, make for
Tried & Tested
The Forbidden City’s red-roofed palaces, guarded by bronze lions, make for a magnificent sight
a magnificent sight. Somewhat disappointingly, the 80,000 daily visitors can no longer enter the six main temples within the Unesco World Heritage Site, but they can still peer in to see the impressive thrones where emperors would have greeted visitors, and gaze up at the exquisite dragon carvings on the palace roofs, positioned to ward off evil spirits and enemies. Entrance tickets, around £7, must be booked in advance.
w THE GREAT WALL We visited this world-renowned landmark on a cold day, when the mercury plummeted to -10C and tourists were ‘rarer than panda sightings’, according to our guide. Stretching across thousands of miles of China’s northern flank, there are several sections accessible to visitors, including Mutianyu Great Wall, considered one of the best-restored sections. The drive through Beijing to get there, navigating congested 12-lane highways, is an
HOTEL JEN, BEIJING
Sophistication meets sass at Hotel Jen, which opened last October. The latest addition to the Shangri-La family is firmly aimed at the younger, hip traveller, or the young at heart. Cleverly, the 450-room hotel has a smattering of social-media- worthy touches, including ‘selfie’ pillows and the uber-cool Trainyard gym featuring a boxing gym and graffiti-style art, so smartphone-toting guests will act as ambassadors, generating an ongoing buzz about the place. Guests can also take ‘pop’ dance classes alongside hip young Beijingers working off the stress
of city life, or kick back with a cold craft beer in Beersmith Gastropub, serving brews from the hotel’s microbrewery. Bedrooms feature electric curtains and toilets, complete with heated seats and high-tech bidet settings, adding to the modern-luxe vibe. Plus, every kind of food imaginable is available in the buffet-style San Wu Tang Kitchen, from traditional Chinese dim sum to sushi and European options. And, joy of joys – there’s an ice-cream dispenser! Book it: Prices from about £100 (low season) for a double room.
hoteljen.com/beijing
LEFT: The Great Wall
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travelweekly.co.uk 12 April 2018
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