Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake

After staying at several Four Seasons properties in China, Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake is by far my favourite. The service, food, facilities and landscape are all at the level you would expect from the brand, but what really sets this property apart is its sense of place. It feels much closer to a resort than simply a hotel. The hotel is beautifully integrated into its surroundings, with gardens filled with lush greenery, lily ponds, streams, water bridges and covered corridors featuring traditional Chinese architectural elements. Even during the rainy season, we enjoyed walking around the property and taking in the picturesque scenery. We stayed in Room 166, which had a wonderful 270-degree panoramic view over a private garden, together with an outdoor terrace. Sitting outside with a cup of tea, watching the raindrops fall into the garden and simply slowing down was almost heavenly. The low density of the property is another major advantage. We rarely encountered other guests beyond the main lobby, which made it incredibly easy to unwind and enjoy a real sense of privacy and solitude. The dining was another highlight. Jin Sha, the hotel's Michelin one-star Chinese restaurant, is a must-try. It combines a beautiful traditional setting overlooking the gardens with refined Jiangsu-Zhejiang cuisine and seasonal ingredients. We also enjoyed West Lake Bistro, the Italian restaurant, where the seafood was fresh and full of flavour. The Eight Trigrams cocktails at the Lobby Lounge were particularly interesting and creative, offering a fun interpretation of traditional Chinese culture through cocktails. One of our favourite experiences was the traditional Chinese costume photo shoot within the hotel. It was a wonderful way to experience the property and, more importantly, created some very special memories for our family to take home with us. The gym is surprisingly small for a hotel of this calibre, and the swimming pool and gym are located in a separate area, meaning guests normally need to walk outside for a short distance to reach them. These are not really shortcomings that can be easily addressed, given that the property was designed and developed more than 15 years ago. To their credit, the staff openly acknowledged these limitations and offered us access to a staff passageway so that we could reach the facilities without walking outside in the rain. This was particularly helpful during the rainy season and with young children. I would like to thank Frieda and Cathy from Breakfast, Peter from Jin Sha, Lulu, Sunny and Jasmine from the Front Desk, Hayden from the Bistro and Albert from the Pool area. They all contributed to making our family trip even more memorable. Four Seasons Hangzhou at West Lake is a very special property. The combination of beautiful Chinese gardens, tranquillity, outstanding dining and genuinely attentive service makes it feel like a private retreat within Hangzhou. Of all the Four Seasons hotels I have stayed at in China, this is the one I would most happily return to.

My stay was, unfortunately, much too short and less than 24 hours. But this gave me a taste of how lovely and relaxing a longer stay could be. This is a resort, not a business hotel in city center, so the room was really spacious - with an enclosed patio of sorts connected to the living area. The bath room was huge, and the bath tub is next to the window with a view of the greenery outside. The whole place with the greenery and the lotus ponds was designed to put guests in a relaxing mood. Unfortunately I was too busy working inside the room and didn't spend enough time strolling the grounds. The popular trend in China is for travelers to do photoshoots dressed in "period costume", and the hotel also offers this service. Could be something interestng for many people. We had a fantastic dinner at Jin Sha, with many local and seasonal dishes. Breakfast buffet also offers a number of dim sum items that one could order. For our "fruit basket", the hotel offered a varietal of fresh berries, plus fresh lotus seeds which were in season. Not many people get the chance to eat fresh lotus seeds still in their green shells. I wish I had more time at this property. Would love to return.

Very convenient good food and services

One of the most amazing hotel I stayed at. Was stopping by for one night before heading to Shanghai. The staff here really are attentive and helpful. Great breakfast buffet that’s offer extensive options. They also offered a complementary photo shoot with three photos free of charge. They did an amazing job and were very professional . They’re called the 上惊鸿旅拍. Really made the stay extra memorable. Don’t forget to visit the rooftop bar.

Room was kept well and the architecture was beautiful. Service was excellent