10/10 Excellent
Asher and Co., Shanghai
31 Mar 2014
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing atmosphere
We found the comfort of our room at Anantara to be 5-star quality indeed. The overall size, furniture, large bath tub and patio space was exactly what we needed for our two small children. The hotel itself is well suited to accommodate children. We visited during Spring Break and this is an excellent time to visit because the Chinese are not on holiday. The resort is so quiet and peaceful! Perhaps our best experience at this hotel was the quality of service, specifically our interactions with the hotel employees. They were very polite, kind and helpful. We certainly didn't want to leave. The only misgiving we had was the overall health of the surrounding area, which is impoverished. We were definitely looking for a eco-friendly getaway from Shanghai where we work and this location fit the bill based on the hotel's own description of the area. It is described as being pristine tropcial rainforest, but this area is more subtropical and there isn't too many pristine areas to be observed. Yes, the Lancang River (Mekong) runs right by the hotel, but we saw some trash floating down it and litter along the shoreline. Mengla Town right next door is also not a very clean town and much of the area is agricultural land and not pristine rainforest. That said, the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden is well worth the visit. It's huge and beautiful and right by the hotel. Despite the few misgivings we had, we would definitely visit again if the chance arises.