Guilin's landscapes lure travelers looking for luxury

[Photo by Zhan Weike/China Daily]

They dine at its Mongolian barbecue, Chinese restaurant or noodle bar.

Half the staff hails from 22 countries, while the rest are local.

Downtown Guilin's Shangri-La offers more conventional luxury, with a helicopter that takes off from a fountain, a petting zoo and an organic garden.

The grounds adjacent to the Lijiang River house emus, peacocks and chickens. Piglets share pens with rabbits. They nap in tiny pink and red houses.

Guests can tend the hotel's organic garden, which grows a cornucopia of foodstuffs－chilies, ginger, taro, tomatoes, lettuce, figs, guavas, papayas, pumpkins and more. The list itself is a mouthful.

A different and new experience is offered by Yangshuo's recently opened campground and recreational vehicle park.

The destination, run by a Shandong province native who prefers to be known as The Beard, covers 20 hectares, including a kilometer of riverside property.

The Beard hopes to transform one karst peak with a cave bored into its waist into a "hotel" for rock-climbers.

It shows how diverse Yangshou's accommodation options have become over the past few decades－and points to how dynamic they may become in the years to come.

Contact the writer at erik_nilsson@chinadaily.com.cn