Doubletree By Hilton Yancheng Dayangwan

“Gorgeous Doubletree resort in Yancheng”

Doubletree Yancheng Dayangwan is a hidden gem. Yancheng is about 2-hours high-speed rail north of Shanghai. As a Hilton Gold member, we were upgraded to a top floor executive twin (rooms are just 3-stories high), given complementary breakfasts daily and access to nightly happy hour (simple dinner … more

Doubletree Yancheng Dayangwan is a hidden gem. Yancheng is about 2-hours high-speed rail north of Shanghai. As a Hilton Gold member, we were upgraded to a top floor executive twin (rooms are just 3-stories high), given complementary breakfasts daily and access to nightly happy hour (simple dinner with 3-4 entrees). Loved the design of the room where 2 walls of the bathroom actually retract, thereby the room felt very open. Every room has a balcony with a chair and low table and finished with hardwood flooring, so the overall vibe is clean and spacious. The manicured grounds were simply gorgeous, architected in classic Chinese pagodas, rocks, curved corridors and arched bridges across vast water lily ponds, waterfall and lawns. There is a separate pond with a pair of black swans; we even saw the pair swim around with a young chick. Off the gardens is the recreation hall housed in an ancient grand mansion with an inner courtyard; this is where both indoor and outdoor play structures are found for the children. This is the first hotel in China we have stayed at which has an indoor basketball/badminton court, along with two ping pong tables and a snooker table. There is also an indoor pool with access from both the garden and an elevator from the grand lobby. Besides regular hotel rooms, this resort also has private villas of varying sizes lining the edges of the vast garden; staying in villas might be ideal for families or for those who detest the smell of cigarette smoke. Each villas has an inner courtyard and a rear balcony overlooking its own garden. Guests from each room (and villa) receive complimentary access to a Han-style garment so they could pretend to transform back in time; pictures of themselves wearing the traditional garment in the gorgeous ancient setting might make a great souvenir. Breakfast foods has a lot more Chinese than Western fare, but all were very delicious. There is also a hot pot restaurant but we did not partake. There are 2 negatives at this resort. First, some bad-mannered guests smoked indoors but management did not follow-up even after we alerted them, so the hallways constantly smelled of disgusting cigarette smoke during our 4-night visit. Second, this resort is located in the suburbs far from shopping and other restaurants, so going anywhere requires either a private car or calling Didi (China’s Uber). We would happily stay here agin but might try the villa to get away from the second hand smoke.

less