A truly delightful stay.
We booked the ocean-view pool twin suite during the 'Jianwang 3' 'Eating Festival' event (828), and the room rate was over 5,000 RMB. Upon check-in, we received a warm welcome ceremony with tea and towels in the lobby while resting. We also selected our room fragrance and added the butler's WeChat.
We arrived quite early (around 10 AM), and while waiting for our room, my friend and I went to the breakfast restaurant for dim sum. The breakfast restaurant offers à la carte or buffet options. The buffet is included with the room or can be purchased separately for 200+ RMB per person. It's an order-as-you-go buffet with coffee, sparkling wine, soy milk, and a good selection of handmade dim sum. The staff delivers your order to your table. If you don't want the buffet, you can order from the menu, which has pretty much the same items, with the added benefit of being able to order lunch from 11 AM. Let's talk about the food: the chef here is excellent at making puff pastry; the crusts of the egg tarts and durian pastries were amazing. I think their custard buns, apple buns, and spring rolls are even better than those at Guangzhou's Bing Sheng Private Kitchen and Tao Tao Ju. The roast goose was incredibly crispy and delicious. However, I highly do not recommend the cheong fun (rice noodle rolls); the noodle itself was fine, but the filling was too thick, almost like a meat patty. Also, the sea urchin sauce and black tiger prawns were very greasy. If you're sensitive to heat, sit indoors; otherwise, you can sit in the corridor or by the pool. While the pool view is lovely, be wary of rain. I personally recommend sitting in the corridor (on the first day, there were no place settings in the corridor, but my friend and I asked to sit there to enjoy the view while eating. Even with rain, it was charming, and many guests came to take photos later. The next day, the restaurant had set up place settings in all the corridor seats, haha).
While we were eating, our room was ready. The butler had already taken our luggage to the room and brought us the room key and escorted us to our room after we finished eating. Our room was on the first floor (the front desk lady had mentioned that first-floor rooms might have trees obstructing the view, but whether there are trees or not, it offers a different kind of charm! For those who want an unobstructed infinity pool view, choose a second-floor king bed room. For those who prefer the sound of waves, peace, and quiet with a Chinese style, opt for a first-floor twin room). From our window, we could see the distant seashell-shaped building, and the specific view is shown in the pictures. The room was spacious, with a standard bar, water, and snacks. The toilet and shower room were separate, which I like. The shower room was very spacious, with two showerheads, so two people could use it simultaneously. The bathtub was round. There was a rectangular infinity pool, quite wide, so it didn't feel crowded. The water was pre-filled and incredibly clear (so clear that when I returned to the room at night, with no wind or rain, the water surface was so still that I thought it had been drained). The hot tub was a smaller pool next to it; you needed to long-press a button to fill it yourself. It had temperature control and would stop automatically when full. There was a hammock nearby, big enough for two people. In the evening, there was a turndown service. A staff member came to diffuse the essential oil we had chosen during check-in. I had scheduled it for 8 PM, but I overran my spa appointment, and the butler thoughtfully didn't disturb me and simply took care of it. Truly excellent!
During our stay, we booked a travel photoshoot and a spa session. The travel photoshoot was for the hotel's scenery. I recommend wearing your own clothes, as the clothes provided by the photography company are more suitable for very slender women. You need to schedule the time with the photographer one day in advance. The scheduled time is for the photoshoot itself; if you need makeup and styling, you need to go to Angsana earlier, and there might be a queue. They offer 5 original photos for free, and retouched photos cost 5 RMB each, with additional photos at 20 RMB each (retouched ones are 25 RMB). The retouching seems to be one-click software editing, and they'll photoshop a blue sky if it's rainy. The photographer's skills were decent, and my friend and I spent an additional 300+ RMB.
The spa was also booked a day in advance. You can book the duration first and then decide on specific treatments on-site, but for facial treatments, you might need to communicate in advance, or there might not be a therapist available. I booked a 60-minute treatment for two ladies and decided on a 1300+ RMB facial on arrival. While waiting for the products to be prepared, you can have tea in the lounge. Afterward, the therapist leads you to the room, where you can shower and change (I wish I had known I could shower there, I wouldn't have bothered showering in my room, haha). Before starting, there's a foot bath and relaxation ritual, which isn't included in the treatment time. The therapist guides you to relax completely. Once the treatment officially begins, you'll undress, and the therapist thoughtfully uses a blanket to cover you, so you don't need to feel embarrassed. The bed had an electric blanket, which was warm and much more comfortable than the hot packs used in other beauty salons – such a clever design! The treatment was incredibly comfortable. I asked, and they confirmed that non-guests can also book spa appointments.
For an evening drink, I highly recommend the bar at Banyan Tree! At Banyan Tree! Do NOT go to Angsana! Do NOT go to Angsana! Hot tip: Be cautious when many photos on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) only show one angle! The Angsana bar is genuinely small, noisy, has a limited menu, and the food doesn't taste good! The chairs are woven rattan sofas, and sitting on them for a while leaves many marks on your thighs. The BBQ options are very limited, the ingredients are okay, but the seasoning is very ordinary. Served haphazardly on paper plates, it lacks both the presentation of a proper restaurant and the authentic vibe of a street food stall – it's an awkward hybrid. To make matters worse, I stumbled upon a birthday party that had booked half the space. My goodness, the guy who booked the space was probably a 'good' husband because he loudly asked his wife to show off the 140,000 RMB bag he gave her. But he was incredibly loud, and a tone-deaf person with a microphone is truly as loud as a thousand ducks. My friend and I fled back to Banyan Tree, but we could still hear his high-pitched singing across the sea, it was unbearable. In comparison, the bar at Banyan Tree is truly fantastic! (No wonder it's called 'Bang,' which sounds like 'great' in Chinese). As soon as we entered, the dim lighting and the beautiful-voiced resident singer almost made my friend and I cry (it felt like a Japanese-style quiet bar). The 'Bang' bar offers both a terrace and indoor seating. The terrace faces the sea, and having a drink while enjoying the sea breeze at night is wonderful, making even the occasional 'duck-man's' voice from Angsana sound softer. After a while, the weather became a bit muggy, so my friend and I moved indoors. Passing by the fully enclosed BBQ room (no need to worry about smoke!), we were deeply drawn to the roasted pork hock, so we ordered a plate. It was delicious, not too greasy and not too dry, just perfect, and the chili powder served with it was tasty. The beef short ribs were also excellent, with a slightly sour sauce and rich mushroom paste – truly great! The kimchi and other BBQ items were also good, but the seaweed and cucumber combination was very strange; this pairing really brought out the fishy taste of the seaweed, which I didn't like. In short, Banyan Tree does not trick wealthy people. If you have the means, do not go to Angsana.
Finally, a quick word about the service – it was truly excellent. Ella at the front desk and our butler Casey were very attentive, handling many details from check-in to check-out perfectly. What impressed me most was when I forgot my room number while registering at the spa. I messaged the butler on WeChat, and while she was replying, I heard that she had already proactively contacted the spa to help me. I really appreciate this proactive service quality!
I will definitely choose Banyan Tree again on my next visit to Zhuhai.
Original TextTranslation provided by AI
