A Peek at Capella's Latest China Hotels

With a nod to China’s adventurous past, Capella Hotels and Resorts will open a new hotel on Hainan Island. Located on the coast of Blessed Bay, Capella Sanya will have 190 rooms, suites and villas, each inspired by a Chinese trader’s adventures along the Silk Road. 

History will be reflected in the property’s design, as the legend of Blessed Bay dates back about 600 years. According to the legend, a group of Persian traders leaving China were pummeled by a typhoon at sea. The survivors floated to an unknown bay, where they settled and ended up thriving. They named the area Blessed Bay in honor of their fortune. 

Now, Capella Sanya will open at the end of this year and feature accommodations that include suites; two-, three- and four-bedroom villas; and a Presidential Suite within the Manor House. There will also be five low-rise mansions. Six dining concepts will be available, as well, including a signature restaurant, a Chinese eatery, a noodle bar and a lobby lounge. A spa will have a Moroccan hammam and a “snow cabin.” 

The property will be the latest of the brand’s hotels in China to open, but the buzz regarding its most recent accomplishment, Capella Shanghai, has yet to die down. The hotel, which celebrated a soft opening last September, aims to show Shanghai as it was in the 1930s. It’s a unique glimpse into the past in one of the country’s most rapidly developing and technologically advanced cities. Capella Shanghai is the city’s only all-villa urban resort, with 55 one-, two- and three-bedroom courtyard townhouses. A town car brings guests into a driveway behind a storefront facade and into a brick-and-ivy courtyard, around which are the rows of Capella Shanghai’s townhouses; clients will feel like they have stepped into the back-alley lanes of residential Paris.

Capella Shanghai is built on the estate of Jian Ye Li, which spans more than 460,000 square feet. At the heart of the property is the Secret Garden, which is shrouded in foliage and features pockets with bubbling fountains. The Capella Library is stocked with books on Chinese and European art. 

The on-site La Boulangerie et Patisserie by Pierre Gagnaire bakery serves freshly made French pastries and coffee beverages. Also on-property is Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire, which opened this summer and serves authentic French cuisine in a bistro atmosphere.

But Capella Shanghai’s piece de resistance is Auriga Spa, which offers much more than massages and facials. Four programs were developed to target specific areas: Qi Movement, Weight Management, Sleep Quality Management and Pain Management. A Flotation Therapy maximizes sleep, while Indiba technology provides physiotherapy treatments to improve circulation, reduce cellulite and tighten aging skin. Guests can also take advantage of the music and color therapy at the sauna and steam room. 

Treatments are designed in correlation with the lunar phases, as well. During the new moon, signature treatments are meant to rejuvenate guests, while during the waxing moon, services focus on motivational therapies to increase concentration. Full moon treatments center around decluttering the mind, while waning moon packages aim to detox and cleanse.  

The Details
Capella Hotels and Resorts 
www.capellahotels.com