Weekend Retreat | Stay in a 600-year-old Ming Dynasty residence at Anlu in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai

Stay in a 600-year-old Ming Dynasty residence at Anlu in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai. After a month of business trips, I'm really tired and ready to take a short vacation for myself. The summer in the south is really too hot, and as someone from the north, I really don't want to travel too far, so I booked this hotel that doesn't require leaving the city. No need for exhausting travels, just a perfect staycation right here. What attracts me here is mainly that it is a 600-year-old Ming Dynasty ancient architectural complex. There are only 35 townhouse-style guest rooms, and the style of the rooms is a combination of classical and modern Chinese. Each room has its own small courtyard, and the rooms are named with numbers, such as 'Shiliu', 'Sanyi'... This time, I stayed in 'Ling Er'. 🏯 The hotel's front lobby area was restored over five years by a hundred national treasure-level ancient craftsmen, who relocated and reconstructed the 'Number One Official Hall in the South of the Yangtze River'—the Wufeng Building. The ancient charm of the historical building blends well with the modern design of the hotel's landscape swimming pool area. The perfectly symmetrical architectural aesthetics are very friendly to people with OCD. In the hotel lobby, you can practice calligraphy, play chess, or play the guqin. At 10 a.m., there is also boxing practice, which is especially suitable for dispelling dampness in this hot season. 🏠 The hotel has a high level of privacy, and with the attentive butler-style service, no matter when I return to my room, the bathroom is always clean and tidy. It feels like it's not just cleaned once a day, which is very considerate. Every staff member I meet when going out or coming back greets me warmly. When I return to my room at night, the turn-down service is already done, and they also prepare sweet soup corresponding to the current solar term 🍵 which is very comfortable. 🛁 My favorite part is the room's bathroom, which is very spacious. Lighting some sandalwood during a bath can be very relaxing. The bathroom also has two sinks, with corresponding men's and women's exclusive toiletry kits, and the bath products are a full set of Hermès ✨. I really like the bathrobe here; it's tailored and doesn't look as bulky as those in other hotels. Wearing it gives you that cinematic feeling of a Parisian woman's graceful figure. 🌟 Because there are not many guest rooms, the swimming pool is basically empty, so swimming alone is very comfortable. For breakfast, there are Chinese and Western options to choose from. Since I stayed for two days, I tried both, and they were both very good, with generous portions, so much so that it's basically a brunch after eating. 🚊 Transportation Metro Line 17 goes directly to Zhujiajiao, and after getting off, you can take a bus to Zhuhu Road Botanical Garden (many bus lines reach there). Opposite the hotel is the Zhujiajiao Ancient Town scenic area. If you don't want to dine in the hotel, you can also go to the restaurants in the ancient town. I usually just sit here, drink tea, listen to music, and watch the boats, which is very enjoyable.