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It was my first trip to Hangzhou. I wanted to celebrate my husband’s birthday here and it was totally impromptu. What I was looking for: 1) a closer location to the West lake - to walk there, not to ride; 2) a balcony or courtyard; 3) and/or at least a beautiful view and surroundings; 4) as we love tea and really interested in Chinese tea culture, some tea plantation nearby could be a plus! Not many hotels seemed to meet my requirements and those which fit were way beyond our budget.
Xunzhenshe hotel looked very pretty but their description was not very clear. Anyway, considering that I was booking our room just a day (!) before our arrival on Friday night, Xunzhenshe seemed to be my only choice with just two rooms left. To be honest, I didn’t expect much when we arrived. However, from the beginning the service was outstanding with a personal approach. At the hotel they greeted us as we were VIPs. Celia, an English-speaking lady, who contacted me after my booking, was extremely helpful. She gave us few recommendations about Hangzhou and the area nearby. She showed us the tea plantation just next to the hotel and a room where farmers were drying tea leaves - it was quite short but interesting introduction to the hotel environment.
The hotel itself is owned and managed by a former architect. The building was built based on construction principles of the Song dynasty. As I understand, all ground floor units have their own courtyard. There is a parking lot, a tea room and a restaurant at the hotel. We were given a non-smoking one-bedroom apartment in a quieter part of the hotel and could enjoy our morning tea in our small but elegant courtyard. The apartment was clean with all necessary amenities. There was a kitchen and a dining room with a huge table (we didn’t use this room though). The breakfast buffet was included in the rate, however they offered mostly Chinese food (no problem for us as we love it). Our dinner and breakfast food were delicious!
Also, we so much appreciate totally unexpected birthday presents to my husband. Upon arrival he found a little gift with a touching handwritten birthday message and then birthday noodles were served at the restaurant. So, it was very unique and memorable celebration!
After all, I was really happy with my hotel’s choice.
To conclude what we loved the most about this hotel:
1. Attentive and caring service
2. Nature and beautiful surroundings
3. Very good location: just next to the West lake park and bridges. Walkable distance to the famous night show Impression and Su Causeway. Not far away to Leifeng pagoda and Longjing and Meijiawu villages.
4. Good Chinese restaurant with a terrace just next to the tea plantation
5. Amazing tea
Me and my husband had a great time in Xunzhenshe. Highly recommend it to those who love places with soul.
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