China World Summit Wing, Beijing

The well-loved havens that are Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts are flagships of style and design. Start writing your postcards now because a stay in a Shangri-La hotel deserves your full attention once you have arrived. They are not just the best in lodgings, but an addictive pleasure.

The “real” Shangri-La is a mythical place in the vertiginous valleys of the Tibetan Himalyas. Reflecting this concept, the China World Summit Wing, Beijing is a Shangri-La sanctuary located on the uppermost floors of a soaring business tower in central Beijing. Each floor dazzles with bespoke artworks, fabrics and colour schemes worthy of Emperor Pu Yi or his dowager mother. Opulent, lavish and decadent, every truc of the trade has been finessed with impeccable Oriental taste.

Its rooms, restaurants, private dining areas and observation deck sit loftily above the city’s busy streets and Beijing’s highest spa retreat, CHI, sits serenely on the 77th floor. All its therapies are based on Chinese and Asian wellbeing traditions. Moreover, the rituals philosophies and culture of China pervade every atom of this hotel. The concepts of Yin and Yang, heaven and earth, balance and harmony, are the complementary dynamics that link the spa with the health club on 78th floor. Ascend in the bubble lift to a gym and a 25-metre infinity pool that seems, itself, to float in the heavens.

Floors 80 and 79 are a masterful display of this same beguiling philosophy. The elegant Altitude Bar on the 80th floor would not be out of place beneath a real constellation of stars. From the bar guests can descend in a glass lift to the warm and earthy spaces of 79th floor. A wine bar bathed in red hues reminiscent of Chinese lanterns then points the way to Grill 79. Not just one space, the restaurant is two intimate “terraces”, with angled, west-facing windows that allow diners to glimpse Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Similarly, the views from west-facing guestrooms, each with an average floor space of 65 square metres, extend as far as the rooftops of the Forbidden City.

Astute guests rate this hotel a perfect 10 right down to its earthly core. Breathtaking food, comfort, luxury and service all match the lofty place to which guests are elevated.

WORLD SUMMIT PACKAGE INCLUDES: 2 NIGHTS IN A PREMIER KING BEDDED SUITE • FREE INTERNET • CONCIERGE BONUS PRIVILEGES: UPGRADE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY • DAILY AMERICAN BREAKFAST • RMB700 PER ROOM CREDIT FOR EITHER F & B (LIMITED) OR SPA TREATMENT • SPECIAL TURNDOWN AMENITIES • FROM RMB5,168 PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE • VALID UNTIL JUNE 2012

Contact Jan Stanton for more information on 1800 047 047 or email her at: jstanton@conciergetraveller.com