Alila opens second hotel in China
Alila Hotels & Resorts has announced the July opening date of its second property in China, the 117-key Alila Yangshuo. Set amongst the Karst Mountains the hotel was once a working sugar mill, though has now been transformed into a contemporary resort featuring a signature restaurant, in-house rum distillery and spa.
Designed by Dong Gong of Vector Architects, with interiors by Ju Bin of Horizontal Space Design, the vision was to combine old and new, with much of the original architecture carefully incorporated into the design, and the historic sugarcane dock adapted into the hotel’s outdoor pool.
Alila Yangshuo’s Sugar House restaurant, set in the mill’s sugar pressing room, will serve a selection of Chinese and western dishes, whilst the 1969 Bar, containing the aforementioned distillery, boasts a modern industrial scheme. Elsewhere, Spa Alila is housed in an underground location entered by spiral staircase. The walls and floors are here made from volcanic rocks which produce jewelled hues in cave-like interiors.
Other facilities include a library, the Alila Living boutique, creative design spaces for up to 20 guests and a private pier for destination dining. Meanwhile, a fully equipped gym features a cardio theatre, a separate weights area and a Kinesis wall.
Located in Guilin, Alila Yangshuo is a 1.2-hour drive from Guilin Liangjiang Airport and 30 minutes from the Yangshuo railway station. The opening of the hotel follows the launch of Alila Anji in Zhejiang.
