Five-star, 400 rooms
17 East Yue Chun Road,
Lintong District, Xi’an,
Shaanxi Province, China
www.angsana.com/en/cn-china-xian-lintong
The sprawling Angsana Xi’an Lintong may be a 40-minute ride by car from Xi’an city centre and the airport, unlike most of the international class hotels that occupy the prime district, but the journey is worth it.
Built to resemble a Tang Dynasty court, the sprawling property offers guests an equally regal treatment.
Its location in Lintong County, home of the famed Terracotta Army and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, puts guests in close proximity to the historical sites.
While its location places it at a disadvantage among business travellers seeking quick access to the city’s business district, Angsana Xi’an Lintong’s serene surroundings will surely score points with corporate event planners who like their delegates to be removed from the downtown buzz and distractions.
Meeting facilities The Angsana Ballroom can host grand banquets and corporate gatherings with up to 800 guests. Meeting planners with smaller-sized events on hand can also choose from one of seven other multifunctional rooms.
These venues are supported by an outdoor foyer that overlooks the hotel’s lush gardens and Chinese-style courtyard. In cooler seasons, this venue is a splendid alternative to indoor spaces for a rejuvenating coffee break or post-meeting cocktail networking session.
The courtyard is also no stranger to corporate teambuilding activities, and the hotel’s in-house MICE specialists can help clients organise games as well as half- and full-day pre/post tours to key attractions in Xi’an.
Rooms The 400 guestrooms promise views of the hotel’s sprawling gardens, hot springs, or Mount Li. Room sizes are generous, starting from 60m2.
My Royal Room – the lead-in category – looked out to Mount Li and the courtyard. It is as comfortably and luxuriously furnished as one can expect of a five-star international hotel, especially one that carries the Angsana brand.
But it was the circular bath – separated from the sleeping quarters by a plush curtain – that stole my heart. It would be filled with warm water and plump red rose petals every evening when I returned from a long day of meetings, beckoning me to slide in and unwind. That I did on both nights of my stay, and the bath was a welcome prelude to a restful sleep.
F&B Hotel guests are spoilt for choice, as there are three restaurants and two bars, as well as another restaurant – Waterlight – in the hot springs annex. I had the opportunity to dine at three restaurants.
Angsana Cafe is the hotel’s all-day dining outlet, a spacious venue with a lively marketplace vibe and an extensive breakfast spread.
The Silk Road-themed restaurant, Silk Route, showcases dishes from countries along the ancient trade route. For dinner, I had a simple salad with vinaigrette, an array of Mongolian-inspired barbecued meats and seafood on metal skewers stuck dramatically into a pineapple, and a curry rice dish.
But the restaurant that will truly impress guests is the Mandarin Palace, which is set among lush greenery and comes with 18 private dining rooms, some of which are spacious villas furnished with oversized sofas and local art pieces. The largest private dining villa can seat 20 pax. My dinner here featured some of the most luxurious ingredients favoured by Chinese diners, such as abalone and sea cucumber, and they were all done and presented wonderfully.
Other facilities There are six karaoke rooms, seven mahjong rooms, a Kids Club, a massive swimming pool, a gym, a yoga studio and the signature Angsana Spa where treatments unique to the property are offered. The Angsana Hot Spring next door earns the hotel boasting rights to being the only international hotel in Lintong to have its own hot springs.
Helene Fong
