Just came back from a heavenly two-night stay at this brand new Alila property in China.
The hotel is located deep inside the mountain area of Anji province, about 2.5 hrs drive away from Hangzhou airport. I have to admit the trip from airport to hotel takes longer than my flight from Hong Kong to Hangzhou. But I think it's worth the journey.
Alila Anji is the fourth Alila property I have stayed at and the first one outside Bali. It's not Soori or Uluwatu; they are a class of their own. I think Alila Anji is more on par with the fairly new Alila Seminyak which I also stayed at when it was newly opened.
The room, the view and the surroundings are gorgeous. Nothing to complain about them. It's so refreshing and unique for city folks like me.
They have two dining outlets at the hotel and I have tried both. Buffet breakfast at the Lakeview and dinner at the Hidden Dragon Restaurant. The buffet breakfast spread is very decent, with freshly made noodles, freshly made local bread, western and Chinese options as well. I am particularly fond of the steamed local sweet potato and corn. Food at Hidden Dragon is also amazing. Sadly, I was travelling alone so I did not try dishes like the local chicken. But whatever I had, I think they are very delicious and not overly priced. I particularly admire how they incorporate local produce into their menus.
Service not perfect but certainly not like that of a 3 star property. The front desk and bell staff are cheerful, eager to help and professional. The housekeeping staff are so friendly; they are like your neighborhood Aunties. I was lounging around in my room not wanting to do anything and the housekeeping staff was asking me why not took a walk and even mentioned some of the spots I should visit around the resort.
On the other hand, security staff and staff on the phone is a hit or miss. Once I called and asked for assistance and the person on the phone did the proper greeting and stuff and was super helpful. When I checked out and called for a buggie, I thought I was speaking to the DMV staff; no pleasantry at all.
I do agree with the previous reviewer that they could do better in terms of welcoming guests. You are supposed to wait at the welcome pavilion to be picked up by staff in buggie to reach the lobby which is at the top of the mountain. The security staff didn't really tell us what to do but just to wait. To be fair, there was a corporate event going on and they did take up the welcome pavilion. But I wished the security staff could give us better instructions rather than just waiting in the hot car park.
All in all, I like this new Alila a lot. There are definitely rooms for improvement but I think there are potentials as well. The friendly staff and down to earth ambiance is definitely a plus.
“Divine location, superb design, to-be-improved management”
Location is amazing. Centred in a natural reserves, the hotel is surrounded by a bamboo forest and a blissful lake.
The interior design is up to expectation with other Alila properties.
Service - to be improved. Staff are generally friendly but not well organised. Shower water cut out in Spa, running out of towel at swimming pool, missing locker number plate in changing room, inadequte cleaning by house-keeping...etc.
Afterall, the hotel is still under development and there's room for improvement. We have a great trip and happy to recommend to others.
The interior design is up to expectation with other Alila properties.
Service - to be improved. Staff are generally friendly but not well organised. Shower water cut out in Spa, running out of towel at swimming pool, missing locker number plate in changing room, inadequte cleaning by house-keeping...etc.
Afterall, the hotel is still under development and there's room for improvement. We have a great trip and happy to recommend to others.
