Chongqing is a city exceeding 32 million in population, making it a major center in southeast China which is often cited as one of the world’s most populous cities. It is a city full of surprises with many contrasts that never ceases to amaze the intrepid traveller no matter how determined one may be. Our Regent Chongqing journey began at the bustling Chongqing North railway station, being met and greeted by the charming and smartly dressed Andy from the hotel concierge team who immediately engaged us in conversation and his English was commendable. Andy managed to extract us from the maze-like teeming and swarming station to the hotel limousine that was awaiting our presence in the roofed car park.
A refreshing towel and face masks were handed to us by Andy should we be so desirous and the next thing we know was to relax in the competent hospitality while being chauffeured to the luxurious haven of Regent Chongqing in great anticipation. A good 20 minutes smooth ride and we pulled up in the hotel driveway with a phalanx of staff there to greet us, unpretentiously warmth and welcoming.
We met Mr. Li, the well groomed and the most cheerful bellman in his neat and tidy greyish bellhop jacket, suited up with black tie and the REGENT wording pillbox hat, standing in straight posture who greeted us with his generous and kindest smile while he ushered us to the hotel foyer. The hotel arrival experience had certainly made a great impression to the hotel brand image and standard.
Best situated in the heart of Jiangbeizui, Chongqing’s premier modern financial district at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, directly across from the historic Jiefangbei peninsula that blends futuristic skyline with cultural attractions, riverside parks and breathtaking night views, the sophisticated Regent Chongqing is where the Oriental charm meets modern luxury.
Regent Chongqing is designed by the world well-known interior design company LTW, inspired by city’s culture and natural scenery. Elements such as roofing tiles, grass cloth, camellia flower, munitions factory, Chinese chili are turned into elegant wall decorations or exquisite art pieces to be displayed in the hotel. Such profound cultural heritage behind this historical city was brought back to life that inspires and for staying guests to appreciate and experience this incredible sleek modernity that is imbued with a sense of place.
The hotel entrance is luxury personified, the enormous automatic sliding coppered doors adorned with huge hanging pendant lamps welcomes your arrival, unveiling the inner lobby vestibule with two-level high Jingdezhen produced collage ceramic roof tiles wall and antique wooden beams.
The wall art pieces sculpted by the award-winning interior designer team depicts the city’s impressive landscapes and roof ridges that encompasses the country’s Mountains, Cities and Rivers elements of the country all act as main focal points and highlighted with a running water feature that harmonizes the ambience.
The mirrored black metal screens and solid soaring wooden doors to enter the hotel proper gave one a sense of surprise and delight. Once these doors opened, our jaws dropped at the beauty inside, you shall then be led to a foyer divided by Chinese lattice screens.
The concierge to the left is decorated with golden and white tiles to resemble the magnificent rolling hills and the beautiful river views. No matter where our eyes alighted there was beauty and the luxury of space and already the sense of luxury was palpable before we had officially checked in.
As our room booking afforded us access to the Regent Club, we were whisked up to the lounge on the 25th floor and after choosing a welcome drink (French champagne of course) and relaxing after our journey, all the formalities were looked after in a discreet orderly manner.
We were then escorted to our home away from home on the 18th floor and before we had arrived at our room we were marvelling at the lift lobbies with beautiful large lanterns on pedestals and wooden screens – a continuation of the public area design motif and the guest room doors have a finish that blends them into the corridor walls, all of which creates a quiet luxurious zen like ambience that offers a soothing calm for the soul.
#Room 1802. The first impression of our corner Regent Club Room River View was WOW! When the door opened to our room, the tones and design touches continued in a similar vein which had won us over from the get go. The room design is such that the small entrance is a dog leg, so it is not until you enter the living area that the whole stunning view and interior design unfolds before your eyes and you pinch yourself that you are actually there.
It is a very spacious room at some 60sqm with two different views of the river and hillside. Being a corner room the light was flooding in and at night stunning night lights could be viewed of all the tourist precincts including the most sought after top tier view of Hongyadong. The first impression is a nod to modern Oriental style interior design with the use of dark woods, golden crackle lacquer, antiqued red cabinetry for the bedside drawers and TV cabinet, as well as Chinese wooden screens and gold bricks that are used in abundance to create a sophisticated and cozy ambience, not forgetting the Sichuan costume patterns hand knotted carpet for its exquisite craftsmanship which is so soft under foot, all of which was not overly wrought and gracefully executed.
The room layout is spot on. The recessed lighting device evokes a sense of elegance and calm, against the riverside window is a long sofa/window seat with a moveable free standing table. There is a small dining table and two elegant seats on the left below the Chongqing landscape wall painting that is covered with rice paper.
The super king size bed is in the middle with a golden texture bedhead panel to the ceiling and the wall mounted concealed flat screen television behind the panelled doors and the mini bar off to the side of this TV unit are examples of contemporary design. Complimentary minibar with local snacks, soft drinks, wine and beer is replenished daily and a bath menu for your choice. The walk-in robe is off to the right straight after you enter and has one long solid bench running the full length which is large enough for two large suitcases to be opened side by side as well as his and hers hanging space, shelves and drawers that is brilliantly kept separate from the rest of the room. The entire room design and space exquisitely highlights the urban luxury escape.
The bedroom and living are anchored with dark wooden floorboards to absorb all the light from outside and the bathroom was composed of light colours for brightness creating a blissful contrast. Behind the bed is a long marble bathroom consisting of a make-up table and mirror as you first enter, and a separate Japanese bidet toilet with all the bells and whistles. The bright and spacious bathroom has a walk-in shower with a seat features rainfall showerheads, a large free standing bathtub and a long double vanity countertop with a mirror running the full length against the wall. Designer toiletries Frederic Malle Eau de Magnolia and a Dyson hairdryer adds an exclusive touch. The elegant wooden screens strategically placed for decoration, which anchors elements of the room with the overall hotel design concept and we were enthralled with all this elegant aesthetic.
Our room came with Regent Club benefits that opens daily from 8am till 11pm and allowed us to enjoy four complimentary culinary presentations, plus three pieces of laundry per person per day and all in all it is quite a refined offering.
There are beautiful floral displays, elegant furniture and wooden screens that are used to partition off certain sections so that you can find a bit of privacy if needed and is one of serenity with a calm mood created by leaving the windows screened, as it gets very bright when sunny.
The culinary experience begins with a energizing mid-morning refreshments since it does not serve breakfast. The fabulous point of difference for the Regent Club is the traditional Champagne afternoon tea which is available from 2:30 – 7:30pm each day until the end of Happy Hour.
The afternoon tea is a fine repast that is ordered as a set, encompassing Sweets – berry tart, mulberry yoghurt mousse, lemongrass and lemon mousse, matcha white chocolate mousse, Savouries – crispy potato & salmon roe, pita with tuna & smoked beef, and lastly seasonal fruits. A superb forestry theme presentation that had us salivating before we took our first bite was a joy and highlights the exquisite culinary from its delightful presentations and flavours without over indulging.
Happy Hour offers delectable hors d’oevrues with a good selection of Champagne, wines, local crafted beers, liqueurs and cocktails, all of premium quality for a pre and post dinner indulgence. The food served during Happy Hour is not a buffet but you can order as much as you wish from the well crafted mini a-la-carte menu, which makes great sense for a quality culinary delivery.
The food menu changes daily and it takes you through a salad, starters – cheese platter & ham, shrimp balls with wasabi, Japanese teriyaki chicken skewers, Xinjiang beef baked buns and a daily soup. Main Course covers Taiwanese pork rice, laksa seafood noodles, chicken in Huadiao wine & soy sauce with rice, and lastly fruits and desserts. It was generally a good selection and akin to luxury comfort food.
Naturally, a luxury hotel of this stature has wellness covered and we enjoyed our daily swim at the 25m long rectangular infinity pool flooded by natural light, completed with blue shades that creates a quiet and relaxing space to escape the bustling city beneath.
Should you need to burn off some extra calories, the state-of-the art fitness centre is where you have your full-body resistance training.
The onsen, steam and sauna facilities in the change rooms are fabulously clean and tidy and well quipped with quality amenities for the perfect respite after an exhausting day out. It is another oasis within the hotel that you simply must enjoy. Should a spa treatment be needed, they have this covered too.
Given how amazing the experience had been thus far, we had high expectations for breakfast and we were not disappointed. Full breakfast is served daily in the All-day-dining restaurant Yu Kitchen on lobby level which is a completely delightful experience due to the impressive and welcoming space with soaring ceilings and floor to ceiling glass windows flooding the space with light.
Your first look is the bread, pastry and cereal section adorned with elegant floral displays and more breads and pastries than you could ever hope to have and everything looked so inviting from its display such as pastries presented in small numbers, so you knew everything was being carefully monitored. The large expanse of dining tables are broken up by large leather banquette seating and long low-level boxed floral displays, so you could see across the entire airy room and out the windows to the riverside park embankment populated with many trees, as if the outside nature was a part of the breakfast experience.
All the other food sections were to the right framing the open kitchen flowing away from the dining area and it is a continuous flow of fresh produce, well thought through offerings, starting with refrigerated items such as homemade yoghurts and fresh green salad leaves, then a tea and coffee station, followed by cold cuts and cheese section, another huge salad section, and a fresh juice station that allows you to choose your own combination on top of the already made juices in selection.
Adjourned further, a station dedicated for just congee comes with so many condiments. The popular Chongqing spicy noodle and hand-made wanton station is one of the most frequented by guests for the a-la-minute Chongqing noodles with MALA flavour order which is a daily morning ritual for the locals.
Steamed buns and Dim Sum; sauteed vegetables; fried-rice and noodles; beancurd jelly; deep fried dough; hot and cold soy bean; hot and sour seafood soup; Mapo tofu; braised beef; heart warming Chinese soup in selection; pan-fried dumplings; a western section for eggs made to you liking and even grilled fish among many other local savouries; side dishes and small bites that never seem to have an end. Utterly mind-blowing with such a phenomenal feast just for breakfast.
There was an incredible array of food and just about everything we tried was delicious. Nothing we disliked and only wish that we have the cow’s stomach to take it in. You could see chefs constantly checking their sections and the floor team were keeping a close eye on each guest to clear the tables and offer assistance. The service from Chiara and Ham was friendly, prompt and very efficient, they ensured our tea and coffee was remembered each morning, along with our soup noodle preference. The dedication and amazing attention to detail is quite impressive.
The hotel’s culinary team knows how to please their guests by bringing such a gastronomy feast to impress with the attractive food displays and presentation that is so inviting. Beside the elegant chinaware used and if we were to pick on the flaw, the banqueting like cutlery design could do with an upgrade; the industrial packaged butter was a negative for us and the croissants could be a better standard despite even being reheated and yet to get its right fluffy and flaky texture. Over our three day stay we could not detect any menu change, although an enormous range to choose from as it would be nice to have one or two surprise alternatives each morning.
The hotel is not short of other food and beverage options, with an elegant Chinese restaurant Li Jing Shuen, which is a must go to for a refined Sichuan and Cantonese inspired cuisine; Robin’s Grill and Teppanyaki which we have yet to experience; Ba Lounge for light bites and beverages and the stunning River Terrace for bar food and drinks.
We booked a table at River Terrace for an after-dinner tipple and what a magnificent hotel bar this is. Located on the 7th floor, this would have to be the best view in Chongqing, looking back to the highly sought after night view of the dazzling Hongyadong, the famous riverside 11-story complex that is a major tourist drawcard alongside with the dazzling cyberpunk skyline with millions of lights cascading down cliffs and crawl up skyscrapers in three-dimensional energy. Simply breathtaking!
Inspired by the traditional Chinese pavilions, the outdoor rooftop bar River Terrace is equipped with dim lighting while you can still capture the fascinating river views during the night which was made all the more enjoyable by the warm weather and a clear sky after dark which is also enlightened by a soft jazz trio that further enhanced the evening mood.
The list of signature cocktails were referencing the local region, so we took a leap of faith and ordered a Nanyang Celadon – beefeater gin, yuzu syrup, osmanthus, pandan leaf & tonic water – and a Two Rivers Tide – Absolut vodka, red bean, fermented rice wine, juicy peach, lychee and lemon. They were both very refreshing and not too strong on the spirits – at least not that we noticed – and were the perfect tonic to watch the world go by. The bar snack menu also has local flavours to enjoy, especially the Braised Meat Platter in Chongqing Flavoured that goes quite well with the cocktails.
The River Terrace can deliver on all fronts with sensational views and a great chill soundtrack in between the break of the Jazz trio. The terrace is quite expansive and beautifully fitted out with shrubbery to break up the seating and some pavilion style sunken lounges for special occasions and groups. This would have to be one of the best elevated rooftop bars in Chongqing with a chic sophistication design.
Chongqing rewards those who explore this magical city on foot especially with so many historical and narrow hill-steps and lane-ways to discover.The electricity of this port city buzzes below, with a vista of skyscrapers, avenue of trees and so much more to explore the unknown.
We walked the sights, we travelled beyond with the well connected metro and we were always delighted to be backed in the creature comforts of this elegant hotel. The serenity of the hotel is the perfect tonic for tired travellers, whether just arriving or after a fulfilling day of business or leisure.
The Regent Chongqing surpassed our expectations on so many levels and our stay was too brief, because by the time we had settled into the rhythm of this urban luxury escape, it was time to leave. We marvelled at the stunning interiors; the incredible culinary feast; the luxurious haven of the spacious corner Regent Club River View room and the intimate Regent Club. The dedicated and passionate hospitality that we experienced during our stay was more than memorable and being able to discover the delights of this luxurious oasis must be the top of your accommodation list when you are visiting this vibrant and fascinating city.
Location: 5/5
Design & Decor: 5/5
Housekeeping: 5/5
Food & Beverage: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Value For Money: 5/5
Experience: 5/5
66, Jinshamen Road,
Jiangbei District,
Chongqing, China
Tel: +86 23 8908 8888
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.
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