From Jane Austen novels to westerns, is there anything sexier than a man who can ride a horse? If you harbour fantasies of your loved one playing Mr Darcy (or Elizabeth Bennet, for that matter), then consider trotting along to Naked Stables Private Reserve. Though its name suggests some kind of naturist resort, this is actually a gorgeous eco-retreat and equestrian centre, set just outside of Moganshan – a tranquil hill town fast becoming to Shanghai what The Hamptons are to stressed-out New Yorkers.
Still in its soft-opening period, there are only a small number of horses onsite as yet, but book in advance and you can take two fine stallions on an hour-long trail past neat rows of tea bushes and through thick bamboo forests. Aside from riding, there are plenty of other ways to ‘get active’ with your partner, from hiking and mountain biking to swimming in the heated infinity pool. Or get your hands dirty making pizza together at the poolside pizzeria (one of three onsite eating options, of which the most romantic is the low-lit, lakeside Kikaboni restaurant).
But you probably won’t want to leave your room. Even the most basic option – the standalone ‘earth huts’ – comes with giant round beds calling out to be leapt on, and standalone bathtubs with private views of the forest. Splash out on a two-bedroom treetop villa and you can also enjoy a hot tub on your balcony, cook a meal in the kitchenette or curl up on a giant sofa in front of the flatscreen TV. Plus, all guests have access to a personalised butler service. This is a slice of pure luxury – with a price to match, so be sure to make the most of the two-nights-for-one offer, which closes at the end of this month.
Price
Eco earth hut from 2,990RMB; two-bedroom treetop villa with balcony hot tub from 6,670RMB. During the soft-opening period (until Wednesday 29), the resort is offering two nights for the price of one. To book, visit www.nakedretreats.cn.
Get there
High-speed trains from Beijing to Hangzhou take around six-and-a-half hours and cost from 631RMB for one-way tickets. Overnight trains from Beijing to Hangzhou take at least 13 hours and cost from 194RMB (one-way). From Hangzhou station to the Stables takes around an hour-and-a-half by car. However, as part of the current soft-opening offer, the resort is providing a complimentary shuttle bus on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays (see website for details). Alternatively, pick-up is provided from Hangzhou station or airport from 350RMB per car (one way).
Naked Stables Private Reserve
37 Shangxiazhuang village, Paitou town, Deqing county (021 6431 8901). 浙江省德清县筏头乡兰树坑村上下庄37号
For those hoping to escape the cold as well as the crowds, the Linden Centre in Xizhou village, Yunnan province is an enticing option. Like nearby Dali, Xizhou has a mild climate and is sandwiched between the gorgeous surrounds of Erhai Lake and the Cangshan Mountains.
It’s a little harder to get to than its better-known neighbour, but that’s half the point: wandering together around the quiet streets, past the traditional white-washed Bai minority houses, you feel like you’re in your own private piece of once-upon-a- time China. Gone are the battalions of backpackers and, best of all, there are no hawkers (nothing quite kills the romance like the screech of someone trying to rip you off).
From Xizhou, it’s just a short walk past roadside shrines and through bursting rice paddies to Erhai Lake, where small fishing boats tinkle along the waters. This impression of the country’s past continues at the Linden Centre itself. The restored courtyard mansion-turned-guesthouse is all wooden beams, intricate carved panels and curled eaves, while each of the 14 rooms is tastefully furnished with antiques and tapestries.
The friendly people who work here can help you organise a horse-cart or bike ride around the lake, a picnic lunch by a Daoist peak or a hike along Cangshan Mountain’s ‘cloud path’ – an easy-to-trek trail carved into the mountainside, two-thirds of the way up. But you don’t have to go far to appreciate the beauty of the area. The guesthouse can arrange breakfast, lunch or dinner on the roof terrace, which overlooks the surrounding green fields and mountains.
Price
980RMB per night for a double room, but the Centre is currently running a special package: stay two nights for 2,000RMB and they’ll throw in a bottle of wine and lunch on the terrace. Stay three nights for 3,000RMB and, in addition to the wine and lunch, they will also include a free transfer to and from Dali. To book this offer, contact info@linden-centre.com and mention Time Out.
Get there
One-way flights to Yunnan’s capital, Kunming, cost from 1,000RMB (including taxes) and take just over three hours. From there it’s a five-to-six-hour bus journey (from 100RMB) or next-day flight to Dali (the 40-minute early morning flight costs from 360RMB one-way). Xizhou is a 20-30 minute journey by taxi from Dali.
Linden Centre
5 Chengbei, Xizhou town, Dali, Yunnan (0872 245 2988). 云南大理喜洲镇城北5号喜林苑
Few things are more romantic than soaking in a natural hot spring with a lover on an icy winter’s day. If that sort of thing only sounds possible in Japan, think again. The intimate and low-key Xiao Yong Gu, situated just an hour northwest of Beijing among the rugged hills and stone-walled fields of Changping district, offers exactly that.
The hotel’s burly Chinese owner has spent over a decade travelling back and forth between Beijing and Tokyo and his experiences have informed both the ethos and decor of this small guesthouse, which takes its cue from the traditional onsen ryokan (Japanese hot-spring inn). Leave aside your high expectations, however – the cheap building materials and finish are all too local – and a stay here might surprise you.
Dinner – as in any proper ryokan – is part of the experience and included in the price. It consists of six cold and nine hot dishes, with delectable home-style cuisine such as crispy roast duck served alongside more creative fusion dishes and free-flow warm sake and beer.
All meals are served in a sunshine-filled, glass-fronted dining room, which overlooks a small lake of natural spring water. Come in summer to swim or read a book among the tables and chairs outside. In winter, having filled your belly with a copious lunch, take a strapping walk through the dramatic and dusty countryside. Afterwards, relieve any aching limbs in your own private onsen bath – it’s searingly hot, big enough to swim in and makes the perfect night’s end before you stretch out on the pair of futons laid over a heated floor.
Price
650RMB per person for a room with private onsen; 450RMB per person for a room and use of the public onsen. Both include dinner, breakfast, sake, beer and soft drinks. To book, call Chen (who speaks English) on 139 0121 9431.
Get there
While getting there by bus is tricky, the hotel offers a car service, picking you up from anywhere within the Third Ring Road and dropping you back for 350RMB (up to four people).
Xiao Yong Gu
Gu Haizi Cun, Xingshou Zhen, Changping district (8972 5840). 昌平区兴寿镇海子村小涌谷商务会馆
Just because you’re strapped for cash doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a break away from Beijing.
Perched on a hillside 60 miles to the northwest of the capital is Cuandixia, a small hamlet so picturesque it was chosen as the location for filming the 2007 historical epic The Warlords (with Jet Li and Andy Lau).
Since then, more and more visitors have turned up to traipse Cuandixia’s narrow lanes. Nowadays, most of the village’s 70-or-so traditional courtyard homes also double up as guesthouses. When the weather is more amenable, the tiny village gets packed and prices soar. But should you brave it out here in winter, two people can share a room for as little as 50RMB.
You should expect very rough-and-ready accommodation (including communal squat toilets) but the saving grace of these basic inns is the delicious, home-style food they serve, with fresh ingredients plucked straight from the backyard, not to mention their cosy kangs (traditional north China heated brick beds). Once darkness falls, there’s not much else to do but slip under the generous pile of duvets and enjoy the toasty warmth of the kang. But an early night in Cuandixia is not such a bad thing: there’s little chance of a lie-in the next day with the village roosters crowing. Step outside at dawn and you can admire the village at its most magical, as the early morning sunlight catches the smoke rising upwards from chimney pots.
Wrap up warm and walk off your hearty breakfast with an hour’s brisk stroll, in which you pass hillside shrines and caves on your way to the neighbouring hamlet of Baiyu. Or, for more hardened trekkers, there’s a further two-hour climb to the Huang Cao Liang section of the Great Wall.
Price
Most of Cuandixia’s inns charge around 50RMB per person for a room with a kang bed or 100RMB per person for accommodation that includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Explore the village and choose your own guesthouse or try the Mingqingguzhai Inn (contact details are listed below).
Get there
Take the subway to Pingguoyuan station (on Line 1). From Exit D, turn right and walk 100m up the road where you’ll find the stop for bus 892. The bus takes around two hours to reach Zhaitangzhan. From there, it’s just another 30RMB, 20-minute taxi journey to Cuandixia.
Mingqingguzhai Inn
Cuandixia village, Mentougou district (187 0122 9380). 门头沟区斋堂爨底下村明清古宅客栈