Unforgettable Suzhou
Zalina Mohd Som is enthralled with W Suzhou’s interpretation of the city
IEXPECT nothing less from W Suzhou. Especially, not after my two-night stay at W Kuala Lumpur. During that short stay, I saw KL through the eyes of W as it brings the city’s lush green topography, city life and culture indoor and gives it W’s vivacious attitude and personality.
Now, I want to see how W brings in Suzhou, a Chinese city famously known for its beautiful lakes, waterlanes, bridges and gardens.
So, you can imagine my excitement throughout the 90 minute drive from Shanghai. When our SUV finally pulls in the huge driveway, my excitement runs wild.
I try looking for anything similar to the KL hotel but there’s none. Except of course the distinctive big W sign on the wall of the lobby. In fact, there’s nothing outstanding about the driveway — all grey and cold.
But as soon as I step into the lobby, it all comes back to me. Its lobby, called the Living Room, is lively, from the vibrant setting to the heart-pumping music. Now, I am ready to take in W Suzhou!
SUZHOU IN MY ROOM
Everything, well almost everything, here has its own story and meaning, which all beautifully interpret the city’s beauty and heritage through peppy installations of glass, light, steel and other elements.
Suzhou’s beautiful lakes and canals make up the biggest part in the hotel’s modern interpretation of the city. You can see from the huge artpiece in the centre of the driveway to little details on the doors of the meeting rooms.
But what I like most is my room, especially the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. As it is a corner room, I have the lake and the city views from the comfort of the plush bed.
Together with the day’s natural light, the room’s bright colours become brighter and alive. Then when the night falls, the in-room light takes its turn to set the right mood.
With the setting and luxurious fittings, it’s quite hard to leave the room. But, the urge to check out how W Suzhou interprets the city is even stronger.
I am especially curious to see its F&B outlets as typically the restaurants will be given extra attention on ambience and interior designs.
While I can’t see much Spain in Toro Loco except for the hanging hams, Su Yan is not your typical Chinese restaurant. The setting is modern but with strong oriental designs.
Then, my favourite The Kitchen Table (favourite because its buffet breakfast is superb!) looks like something I’ve seen somewhere. But it is here I get to taste the famous Suzhou hairy crab.
OUT ON SUZHOU GROUND
Now, it is time to see Suzhou for what she is. Since the hotel is located in a new CBD — not downtown of Suzhou, I can’t really see her character.
Here, the only opportunity to see the locals is at the adjacent Suzhou Centre Mall, a high-end mega mall that is said to be three times bigger than the Ion Mall in Singapore.
Wanting to see more, especially one of her ancient water towns, I randomly choose to visit Luzhi Water Town, located about 18km east.
I make the journey with zero knowledge on the water town. But when the sight of its arch welcomes me as I step down from the taxi, I know I will have more than a short jalan-jalan.
Measuring at only one square kilometre, the 2,500-year-old water town is easy to tackle on my own. No guide or map is needed.
Besides, the water town only has one canal cutting through it and a few smaller canals flowing into it. The ancient town’s quaint old-style dwellings sit along these waterways.
The atmosphere is peaceful — old stone bridges set across the limpid water of the canals that are lined with big trees that shade the gravel walkways from the hot sun.
Halfway through my walk, I can see the ancient water town in the chic W Suzhou.