Steamy nights in Dai Land
The Sheraton brings supreme comfort to Xishuangbanna
XISHUANGBANNA in southern China has been growing in popularity with tourists in recent years and many of them are choosing to stay at the Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel. About 15 minutes by car from Jinghong city centre and a mere 10-minute drive from Xishuangbanna Gasa International Airport (JHG), formerly known as Jinghong International Airport, the hotel is also conveniently located near such attractions as Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve, Jinuo Ethnic village, the Wild Elephant Valley and Liusha Village.
Xishuangbanna is an autonomous prefecture at the extreme southern tip of Yunnan Province, straddling the upper half of Mekong River, known as the Lancang River in China, and bordering Myanmar and Laos.
Warm smiles greet me as I arrive at the hotel. The lobby is vast but not overwhelming with beautiful lighting, airy spaces and warm earth-tone furniture. Elements of the architecture and culture of the Dai ethnic group can be seen in the hotel’s design, among them patterns of the elephant foot drum, named for its shape, peacocks and indigenous plants. Vibrant splashes of peacock blue and bright yellow convey the symbols of beauty, kindness and good luck.
The hotel has 326 guestrooms and suites, all equipped with a balcony. Each room features the all-white Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, flat-panel LCD TV, rainforest shower and bathroom amenities by Shine for Sheraton.
My room is a Junior Suite with a spacious living room, dressing room and bathroom, all separate from the bedroom. My marble bathroom is generous with a double sink vanity, dressing table, a bathtub and roomy shower cubicle with rainforest shower. A separate washroom ensures plenty of privacy.
The hotel has extensive leisure facilities including the Shine Spa to ease muscles and calm the spirit, a well-equipped fitness centre, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools and on-site hot springs for those, like me, who prefer a more sedentary form of exercise. The first internationally branded hotel in the area to boast on-site hot springs, the Sheraton has both indoor and outdoor hot-spring pools in different sizes but equally rich in minerals and sulphur.
“Sheraton Xishuangbanna Hotel is located in an area full of entertainment and discovery – guests can choose to soak in the hot springs, explore the rainforest, immerse themselves in the local cultures and customs of the Dai minority group, or take a bike ride to see the millennium-old Pu’er tea tree,” says the hotel’s general manager Damian Chua.
For now though, my stomach is growling so I grab the hotel’s directory to decide which restaurant will best soothe my hunger pangs. The hotel has three. Yue Chinese restaurant offers a long list of traditional Cantonese dishes and other local and regional Chinese favourites, Red Basil restaurant, the hotel’s signature speciality restaurant, serves authentic Thai cuisine and Feast, the all-day dining outlet, offers a selection of Western and Eastern cuisine and buffets plus an open kitchen to provide an interactive dining experience.
I opt for the buffet at Feast but am disappointed to find that the only vegetarian option is the salad bar. I ask one of the chefs if he can make me a vegetarian maki roll and he does so with pleasure, enquiring politely when I finish if I would like another vegetarian dish. I thank him but settle for three scoops of ice cream.
I return to my room to watch the in-house movies before getting ready for that evening’s dinner party, which is scheduled to begin at 6 at the Lobby Lounge with pre-dinner cocktails
Now all I have to do is raise the energy to move away from the couch.
AT A GLANCE
High points: Beautiful and well-equipped rooms and attentive service
Low points: Not so many interesting shops or market within walking distance.
Find it: Yuntou road Gasa Town, Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China
Pay for it: Check the best rate on the hotel’s website
Phone it: (+86) (691) 899 1111
