THE FACTS ABOUT KAYUMANIS NANJING

China

In making its first foray outside Indonesia, the Kayumanis hotel group had the good sense to pick a bucolic lakeside location near Nanjing, and to import a team of first-class butlers. If these 21 brick-under-tile villas can be said to have a trump card, it is the Balinese team who glide about the property with grace and dexterity. The villas are decorated in six styles: European, Chinese, Peranakan, Javanese, Tibetan and Balinese. Each is secured behind solid lacquered doors and set around a flagstoned courtyard with a lap pool and alfresco bath. The tub is fed from hot springs in the Tangshan Mountains, whose waters were once the preserve of the Emperor. The restaurant, Nine, has a Chinese fusion menu, lake views and a thoughtfully compiled wine list. A gentle, rural pace is very much the way of things here. You might start the day with a t'ai chi session, graduating to a calligraphy lesson or cooking class, before popping into the spa for acupuncture and herbal treatments. Nanjing is less than an hour's drive away. No under-12s are allowed at the hotel. WHEN TO GO Avoid DecemberMarch: winters can be uncharitably chilly. ROOM TO BOOK The contemporary Chinese villas work best. Zhen Si Zhuang Village, Tangshan, Nanjing (00 86 25 8410 7777; www.kayumanis.com). Villas from US$599 Find out more about China in our country guide