Alila Anji
Refined lakeside quietude
Situated some 2 hours drive from the nearest urban centre of Hangzhou, the Alila Anji lies amid the rolling green hills of Zhejiang province and its thousands of hectares of bamboo groves. A peaceful village arrangement that offers 74 lake-facing stately villas – spacious, neat and contemporary rooms enriched with native wood furnishings and exposed stone – the emphasis here is on fostering a sense of peace, quiet and isolation (no roads or developments can be found for kilometres in any direction). Natural treatments at the Spa Alila draw upon ancient Asian healing techniques, while dining at the main restaurant takes both and Asian and Western direction, albeit using the best of the local bounty on offer. The Anji’s second eatery, the Hidden Dragon, takes thematic cues from the artful cinematic masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which made use of the surrounding bamboo groves for its setting.
