THE TEMPLE HOUSE - When History Meets Luxury

Sleek, utilitarian and thoughtful design that respects the fact of the entire inspirational architectural design cannot be an eyesore or needlessly extravagant. The Temple House in century old Chengdu preserves the traditional classic architectural approach with modern amenities and state-of-the-art facilities, yet, not forgetting the elevated experiences and heartfelt service that allows you to explore the unknown and beyond. mylifestylenews writes.

The city of Chengdu can be a conundrum, as you enter the city proper from either airports (yes, they have two enormous international airports) and approximately 14.2 kilometres from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and 74.6 kilometres if you choose to arrive from the newer Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. The Temple House chauffeur, Bruce awaited our arrival from Shanghai and greeted us warmly, promptly escorted us to a brand new Audi SUV that picks up the hotel guests and VIPs in such a splendid chariot. The charming Bruce is a font of information, fluent in English and had such a bubbly personality, so already we felt like we were in safe hands and picked his brains for some local recommendations and the transfer just flew by.

Upon entering the city precincts, you’ll see the typical high density high rise – so prevalent in China – but then all of a sudden you turn into vibrant streets that has those exciting and inviting local food eat-outs, restaurants, retails shopping that from one bustling street to another, it just never ends.

Approaching The Temple House in pretty good traffic condition, the joy ride ended when we were confronted with an ancient stone-walled entrance and immediately the excitement continues for what is to unfold before our eyes. Elegant bamboo tresses frame the House’s entrance, we stepped out of the Limo and through a historic brick arched entrance into an enchanting courtyard strewn with red lanterns that immediately evoked a sense of history and our hearts skipped a beat!

The Swire Group has a habit of knowingly creating a refined and unique destination for luxury boutique design hotel aficionados who seek an alternative, intimate and personalized experience in luxury travel. The House Collective comprises The upper House in Hong Kong, The Middle House in Shanghai as well as The Temple House in Chengdu each of which are uniquely imagined, whether it is old or new, or a combination of both that defy comparison. Each House is a sophisticated, singular piece of design, created by talented architects and designers that reflect the unique qualities of their surroundings.

The Temple House in Chengdu embraces the new while adding a touch of history and offers luxury facilities that celebrates Chengdu’s ancient history. Set on former temple grounds and hidden amongst the laneways of Taikoo Li Chengdu, a vibrant open plan shopping precinct in the heart of the Jinjiang District. As part of the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex comprising six historic buildings, The Temple House is a beautifully restored Qing Dynasty heritage building and now an urban sanctuary with modern amenities as well as endless surprises around every corner.

Delivering such a sophisticated design was the team behind MAKE’s Lead Architect to reflect the hotel’s heritage location by incorporating the original buildings into the design and introducing local themes such as terraced fields which can been seen from the courtyard’s undulating landscape surrounding The Temple House.

The grand staircase connecting the reception area to the courtyard below leading to the locally loved Tivano Italian restaurant also resembles Sichuan’s steep hillsides.

The silk-producing Chengdu region is famous for its brocade weaves and this traditional pattern drew inspiration to create the hotel’s city-facing exterior façade with intricate fretwork interweaving brass elements within the brickwork.

A sense of place was essentially created to integrate the design into the local community and not to isolate it from its context, echoing Chengdu’s landscape and traditional architectural elements such as bamboo, timber brick and stone with an ultra-modern and highly individual aesthetic paying homage to the city’s heritage and cultural touchstones.

The House adheres to a typical siheyuan “courtyard house” design with a sequence of courtyard gardens bordered by two L-shaped medium rise modern buildings. As we stepped into the intimate and inviting lobby, you can look behind and around you at the history of this historical House embracing Chinese architectural traditions and look forward to the new, which is all the guest accommodation among many other facilities and guest experiences and so forth.

The arrival experience was very warm and friendly with a ever-ready team at your service to assist you in all request for a worry free staycation. We were quickly escorted to our room to complete the formalities, which is always a nice personal touch.

Opened in July 2015, The Temple House consists of 100-room and 42-residence serviced apartments that include a separate kitchen. Our room was allocated on the 8^th floor was an unexpected surprise, as we had been upgraded to the Studio 90 room type. The 96sqm room with a huge outdoor balcony and two key views – one looking to Taikoo Li Luxury shopping precinct next door and the other looking out to the front of the hotel and beyond to the wide spread of the city, both were equally captivating.

The look carries through to the room, where the theme is dark and monochrome, which is appealing and encourages a sense of space and belonging and stylish urban retreat. Dark timber finishes and subtle textures add warmth to the entire ambience with custom-made furniture.

The room had so much space with a sleek modern design, showcasing premium finishes, contemporary colour schemes, and the latest appliances together with complimentary high speed internet access complemented by urban resort-quality facilities ensures a sophisticated lifestyle of comfort and luxury.

 A small vestibule leads you through two sets of capacious wardrobes and then to your right a super king bed with luxury down bedding, long desk area, a daily complimentary Maxi bar of beers, soft drinks and snacks and living section in front of the bed looking out to the bustling Taikoo Li.

Then, to your left is the huge separate walk-in rain shower room and toilet and long shelf for spreading out your luggage, as well as plenty of floor space to open multiple suitcases. In between both sections – directly behind the bed – is a walk-through section comprising the double vanity on one side and the huge bathtub on the other, which is separated from the bedroom by a beautiful open wooden oriental Chinese screen enhances the already bespoke aesthetic and running the full length of the room is a spacious outdoor balcony.

A sweet and heart-warming welcome 'Hot-Pot" amenity.

Health and wellness is naturally well covered with a fabulous below ground turquoise indoor pool where you can float beneath sculptural skylights and is quite sizeable and chic in its interior design plus the extra wet areas include steam and sauna rooms.

 Adjacent to the pool is a fitness centre that ticks all the boxes to sweat away the stress of travel.

For a complete holistic journey there is the tranquil Mi Xun Spa in the adjacent building behind the delectable vegetarian Mi Xun Tea House where you can enjoy restorative treatments inspired by ancient Chinese practices and modern Western therapies.

Breakfast is located in The Temple Cafe and is a semi-buffet experience. On a quiet day it can be delightful, but on a busy day it was a little frustrating with food order delays and inconsistent quality. Despite some service staff are spot on and some leave you wondering how they deliver on the guest experience, but overall pleasing nonetheless with a few hit-and-miss.

The buffet set up is nicely done and errs on the side of Cantonese flavours rather than a strong Sichuan province bent. The use of Jing branded tea which is of a high premium selection and the coffee is also a good standard quality. From dumplings to noodles and then some of the Asian and Chinese selection to the western dishes were always enjoyable and quality ingredients were used throughout the breakfast menu. There were not any discernible daily specials, but you would be hard pressed to get bored each day unless you were staying for a week or more.

While we did have some ‘lost in translation’ moments, we also had fantastic experiences with many front of the house team members going that extra mile with lots of smiles that made you feel at ease in a foreign environment. Overall it was quite a memorable staycation. The Temple House effortlessly blends essential elements of Chengdu landscape, centuries-old traditions and contemporary lifestyle urban luxury experience. When history meets luxury, it is time to pause and slow down your pace to marvel the marvelous in this distinctive landmark in the heart of Chengdu’s CBD.

Tried & Tested:

Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 5/5

Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Value For Money: 5/5
Experience: 5/5

The Temple House
81, Bitieshi Street,

Jingjiang District,

Chengdu, China

Tel: +86 28 6636 9999

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated. 

MI XUN TEAHOUSE - Reawaken The Pure Taste

What is it like dining in a one Michelin starred Contemporary Sichuan vegetarian restaurant set in an once old silk factory? From Farm-to-Table, Mi Xun Teahouse’s use of fresh, pure and simple ingredients is transforming numerous award winning dishes with elevated flavours to delight you for an alternative dining experience. Not only the food but also its unique dining ambience. mylifestylenews writes.

Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province is known for its spicy hotpot among countless local affluence restaurants and one-of-a-kind street eats beside its rich history. Such a luxuriant melting pot dining culture is so tempting and aplenty and always hard to make up your mind when you dine out, day or night. You need to choose wisely and it is best to have some local (foodie) advice so that you do not fall into the tourist trap. Sometimes, instead of going for the main stream kind of predictable restaurants, an alternative dining experience is always a good find, especially when it is highly recommended by those who opt for something out of the norm. Don’t worry, we are not trying to encourage you to eat some sort of deep fried insects nor some kind of earth living six feet under (that’s boring), yet an elevated classic and modern vegetarian meal can be a breath of fresh air or we rather recognized it as a clear spring from an unpolluted stream.

It is always a joy to see old buildings repurposed and loved for their original architecture that still has a lot of history to tell. The Temple House, a luxury design boutique hotel in the heart of Chengdu is renowned for its urban sanctuary abode with surprises around every corner and celebrates the city’s history through inspired modern design and art. The Temple House has sensibly used a footprint whereby not all amenities are strictly within its walls, so you can have a sense of discovery and as you step out from this luxury boutique design hotel’s cafe into the side laneways heading towards Taikoo Li Chengdu - a luxury and prominent lifestyle shopping precinct set on former temple grounds as part of the Chengdu Daci Temple Cultural and Commercial Complex, Mi Xun Teahouse is hard to be missed for its architectural exterior design re-purposed from an old temple – or the remaining walls thereof – and it has also been once used as an old silk factory to house this one Michelin starred Sichuan vegetarian restaurant.

As Mi Xun is also the name of the hotel’s signature wellness spa, the entrance has an alfresco seating area for good weather. While the locals love to enjoy the elements when not inclement, which is fenced off with some strategic boxed bamboo hedging, as it is on a pretty busy thoroughfare. The restaurant is broken up into different sections due to the house surrounding the main courtyard, and part of it is dedicated for the spa, so you are not able to walk through all the pavilions. Once you enter though, the internal space exudes a serene atmosphere to embrace, with a design that captures the beautiful traditional shiheyuan central courtyard as a point of focus and you feel like you are in an oasis of calm.

The conceptualized design has sensibly kept the front right for a more casual area where tea and snacks can be had, whereas there are dedicated sections on the other side for those who specifically wish to enjoy the Mi Xun Teahouse’s menu. Furniture is all beautiful solid woods in a rich stain with cushion foam covered seating. Wooden tabletops are simple and chic with ceramics in muted tans and browns. Gorgeous pendant lamps are slung from the old wooden beams above each dining table and a wall of traditional medicine cabinet drawers adds an eye-catching design point. Black pillars are the mainstay for the vaulted ceiling and the overall look and feel is one of a ‘ZEN’ like atmosphere.

The guiding principle for the food is sustainability and culinary excellence incorporating seasonal and regionally sourced produce to craft vegetarian dishes. This approach has also given them the honour of receiving Chengdu’s first Michelin Green Star for putting eco-responsibility at the heart of its culinary operations. Back in 2023, the Temple House hosted an “Gifts From The Nature” event on International Panda Day in collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and featured a special menu inspired by eco-friendly ingredients from communities around giant panda habitats. To continue the good cause, the talented Mi Xun Teahouse culinary team have carefully selected ingredients from these areas and crafted this seasonal “Farm-to-Table” Michelin tasting sharing menu.

The food was accompanied with some excellent high quality organic green tea, but should your palate wish to match the food with wine, a small but expertly selected wine list will pique your interest. We must say that the tea was a great match! Our vegetarian experience kicked off with an amuse bouche of Red Nut Cake and Pumpkin Cheese Nutcake and such piquant delicaies that were rich in flavour and a delicious start together with the house brand Mi Xun Tea.

<Yellow Auricularia, Porcini & Dendrobium Soup>
Essentially a clear consommé with fungus, mushroom and Chinese herbs. The taste gave you a very healthy and hearty feeling, as well as that soothing feeling on the palate. A simple soup elevated with premium ingredients that warm your heart. 
 

<Farm Radish & Pumpkin Sauce>
Radish takes centre place surrounded by sweet peas and then pumpkin radish sauce is poured over the root vegetables. This seasonal special was so far our least favourite dish, as all you could taste was the bland radish as the dominating flavour with the sauce adding no value to the palate. Not too impressed!
 

<Braised Ma Po Tofu in Wild Mushroom Sauce>
Being one of the signature dishes on the tasting sharing menu, the Ma Po Tofu was best accompanied by crispy wild rice from Canada and fragrant jasmine rice from Yunnan, topped with wild mushroom and garlic from near the border of Yunnan Province as well. The light and soft tofu was silken, with a light yet pungent Sichuan peppery taste that excited the palate. The rice and tofu were the perfect yin & yang combination and spices created some numbness that was not overpowering. The accompanying crispy rice was superb and it is such a winning dish!

<Handmade Spinach Noodle with Dan Dan Sauce>
Another signature dish with spinach noodle served with sweet sesame and peanut sauce on the side that was utterly delicious, the unique topping came with the unexpected black bean sprouts and pistachio nuts that brings the classic Sichuan Dan Dan to a different perspective to enjoy such a harmonious flavour and texture that had us wanting more!

 

<Wok-fried Broccolini with Sichuan Pickles>
This extra order from the main menu was quite well executed. Young and tender broccolini are used that had a crunch on the bite and nicely wok-fried. The Sichuan pickles added a little extra punch to the palate without dominating, as it was light and a tasty delight.

<Kung Pao White Button Mushrooms>
Another extra order for such an unexpected delicious dish that surprised us. The smokey high heat stir-fried white button mushroom texture was very meaty and fully absorbing the aromatic Kung Pao sauce in Sichuan pepper to give it a bit of a kick which we loved. It also offered a starchy texture with a hint of sweetness and a full flavour profile with each mouth full.

<Red Rice Noodle Sour Soup with Black Bean Sprouts & Spicy Oil>
The noodle was more like a smooth angel hair and had delicious crunchy mushrooms in it, plus the hot and sour soup, which overall created a great depth of flavour and texture. Another real find from the main menu. So enjoyable!

<Sweet Potato with Apple Sauce, Sago & Diced Fruit>
This fruity and unctuous dessert was very cooling and pleasing on the palate – what you may call a soother or palate cleanser after the powering peppery flavours from the main dishes that we had enjoyed.
 
<Rose & Peach Tree Sap Sweet Soup>
This was served warm and had some honey syrup on the side should you want it sweeter. A very enjoyable dessert that erred on the side of subtlety with a pleasant and delightful end to the entire evening.
 

It is clear to see why Mi Xun Teahouse has garnered recognition as the first Michelin Green Star in Chengdu. Quality ingredients are a given and hand-picked and the sustainability focus for all the produce means that the menu manages to capture your attention from beginning to end with a purity and organic, natural approach, paying homage to Mother Nature. Plating is superb with hand-made ceramics tailor-made for the restaurant, which adds to the minimalistic ‘ZEN’ design approach.

The service was discreet and attentive – they want to maintain the oasis of calm so not speaking too loudly is a good thing for such a graceful ambience, with the team ensuring that we understood every detail for each dish and its provenance, as that is such an important part of understanding how seriously they approach the simplest of ingredients and ensuring you enjoy the menu with all the knowledge at hand (some ingredients were not familiar to all of us, so this helped).

Sometimes we have forgotten how natural and basic food tastes like, because we are bombarded by the daily consumption of processed food, so Mi Xun Teahouse dining experience was a timely reminder that simplicity of ingredients that are handled with honesty can enliven the palate and reawaken interest in a simple yet palatable vegetable among many other roots, herbs and edible plants used and transformed into such a fascinating curated meal by some pairs of thoughtful good hands from the passionate culinary team. Simply remarkable!

Tried & Tested:

Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 4.5/5
Food & Beverage: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 4.5/5
Experience: 4.5/5

MI XUN Teahouse
81, Bitieshi Street,

Jingjiang District,

Chengdu, China

Tel: +86 28 6297 4193

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated. 

AURIGA SPA Capella Shanghai - Unlock Your Inner Sense

Named after the constellation in which the Capella star sits, the award winning Auriga Spa at Capella Shanghai offers a world class conceptualized health and wellness for an unique and ultimate luxury spa to remember. mylifestylenews writes.

A good spa is hard to find, especially when you are looking for an ultimate indulgence as some of those wellness centres over promise and do not deliver. The Capella Hotel brand has garnered accolades as one of the pre-eminent boutique brands that truly delivers on personalized service. With the establishment of their in-house spas under the Auriga brand, signature treatments as well as bespoke specially-curated menu of treatments exclusive to Capella Shanghai make this wellness experience even more admirable.

Set in a type of dwelling with a courtyard surrounded by building, almost a siheyuan architectural design in a smaller scale that is commonly found throughout China, this Shanghai courtyard house urban sanctuary is a wellness centre with a difference, as its location is nestled in one of Xuhui District’s last remaining clusters of Shikumen architecture tucked away on one of the historic clustered laneways which is also the entrance next to the hotel reception that make the arrival experience even more charming and memorable.

Subsequently, there is a charm about the building and interior design that sets it apart from many other luxurious spas in new build properties, so we knew we were in for a treat. The interior is more like a classic residential old-world mix of wood panelling, Chinese wooden screens and plush furnishings that exuded a sense of warmth and comfort (a nice counterpoint to the winter temperatures outside).

As they could not build upwards due to the restrictions in the historic district, it goes down, so the space is far more voluminous than you would have first thought and encompasses a lot of amenities: 7 treatment suites; luxuriously appointed separate male and female change rooms; a relaxation lounge; sauna and steam room; vitality pool; movement studio; flotation tanks; a salt room; and a fully equipped gym.

In keeping with all of these facilities, each treatment room embodies the Auriga spirit,   marrying soothing simplicity and pure indulgence delivered with a tailored, holistic approach to your form, mood and senses incorporating traditional techniques and organic, natural ingredients. Luxury indulging is also aided by the use of the luxury skincare brand CARITA from Paris, so who could ask for anything more?

We were a little time poor, so we opted for the true Signature relaxation Massage. Auriga Therapists are champions of nature and we were escorted by our two warm and welcoming therapists to a couples suite, which we must say was quite a luxurious indulgence.

The couple suite is larger than we were expecting and you truly felt cocooned in this wellness retreat. Needless to say all the amenities are well thought through and tailored for, from cushion slippers to fluffy bathrobes and shower amenities which were such a delight to enjoy – not one detail had been missed and simply alluring.

Most importantly though, was the whole massage sequence, which they managed with aplomb. The aroma oil was duly selected to maximize the benefits followed by a foot cleansing ritual. As always, they asked about the ambience - the background music, temperature and lighting – and we were slowly slipping into relaxation heaven. We had each given instructions as to how soft/hard the pressure should be and we both agreed after wards that this had been followed meticulously. The long flowing strokes did wonders for our jet-lagged muscles and after some initial kinks being ironed out with some serious thumb/palm work, we slowly slipped into a semi-slumber for some much needed relaxation.

The 90-minutes spa treatment seemed like a blink of the eyes especially when you are indulged and being pampered in all senses. We were then adjourned to the graceful and cozy relaxation lounge to sip a cup of hot herbal tea to further sooth our bodies and calm our mind.

The Auriga Spa in Capella Shanghai is a destination that we think would be unrivalled for its ambience and thoughtful touches as well as its historic location. If the signature spa treatments not enough to satisfy your spa craving, the Auriga Detox Day would be another level of indulgence that offers a bespoke Sleep Therapy and Qi programme featuring Guasha and Tuina massage focusing on renewal and retrospection, tapping into celestial rhythm, marrying soothing simplicity and pure indulgence to unlock your inner sense and embody the true Auriga spirit.

Tried & Tested:
Location: 5/5

Design & Decor: 5/5

Amenities: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Value For Money: 5/5

Experience: 5/5

 
Auriga Spa Capella Shanghai 

480, Jianguo Road (W), Xuhui District, 
Shanghai, China
Tel: +86 21 5466 6688

Reviews are based on actual day of visit and experience. mylifestylenews reserves the right of final decision in case of any disputes. All images are photographed by mylifestylenews team without any photoshop enhancement and are the property owned by mylifestylenews unless otherwise stated.