Baituanzi
December 26, 2025
I used up my annual leave at the end of the year and took a trip to An Lan, spending two days in Ninghai and two in Anchang. I jokingly called it a high-end mountain retreat!
First, let's talk about Ninghai An Lan. Following my friend's advice, I made sure to book a stand-alone villa instead of a stacked villa. This allowed me to enjoy an almost perfect, 'lung-cleansing' hot spring experience and the thoughtful service of our butler, Rico.
The room was huge. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a stunning, oversized terrace and a mountain-view living room. The next day, when the sun came out, the dappled light was simply delightful.
The two guest rooms on the second floor were completely independent except for a shared balcony. Each had two sinks and a private hot tub, which was perfect for a group of four.
The entire hotel occupies two hilltops. For villa guests, getting to the restaurant is convenient, just a golf cart ride away. However, getting to the front desk requires a transfer, which is slightly more hassle than for stacked villa guests – though, conversely, stacked villa guests find it less convenient to get to the restaurant.
The hotel opened in 2019, and while the room hardware is maintained, some issues were apparent: the balcony door was broken and couldn't be opened, there was a sewage smell from the bathroom sink (a common issue in many high-end hotels in China, surprisingly), and the guest room door had also undergone repairs.
However, none of this detracted from my overflowing positive feelings for Ninghai An Lan when I finally soaked in the longed-for 'Elysian Bath'. I finally experienced a Japanese-style open-air onsen in China! It's exclusive to guests and requires a reservation, ensuring privacy. The generously sized pool and the cleverly designed landscape made me feel like I was in Kurokawa Onsen. I highly recommend going between 4:30 PM and 5:00 PM to witness the sunset and the moment the lights turn on. All the year's hard work felt soothed away in the swirling mist.
I was personally very satisfied with the hotel's breakfast. I don't like to judge breakfast quality by the sheer number of dishes. For me, having freshly cooked clay pot porridge, Ningbo's local specialty noodle bar (and it was delicious!), homemade tofu pudding, and eggs Benedict, all combined with the beautiful morning mountain mist, was more than enough!
Finally, a side note: during the National Day holiday, I visited the Kurokawa Onsen town in Japan and experienced the renowned Moonlight Tree Onsen Hotel. Looking back at Ninghai and Ninghai An Lan, I can't help but feel that Ninghai itself, as a hot spring destination, also enjoys a great reputation. However, both the town's development and the supporting facilities of high-end hotels fall short compared to the marketing and operational prowess of the Japanese. It feels like a real shame (of course, the price of one night at Moonlight Tree could cover four nights in a two-bedroom villa at Ninghai An Lan...). I truly hope that one day Ninghai can attract hot spring enthusiasts from all over the world, and I hope An Lan is just the beginning.
Original TextTranslation provided by Google
