Finding Yourself
I’m holed up in a 600-year-old Ming Dynasty relic in Anhui as I write this. To be more precise, I’m seated at an ancient window-side desk in a heritage hotel room in what was once an historical building. The bamboo blinds are drawn halfway, showcasing a line-up of pen brushes hanging in front of the window, with a copy of the Heart Sutra on the desk, inviting guests to indulge in the age-old practice of calligraphy.
For the first time in my life, I’m compelled to write this Ed’s Note by hand on an actual piece of paper, just as people did in the days before digital convenience, despite my laptop being an arm’s length away. The reason? The hotel itself seems to encourage it.
Nestled in Chengkan Old Town, the 600-year-old Sunyata Hotel hotel marries history and modernity, where the wealth of Ming furniture and architectural components now mingle in harmony with a modern co ee shop, designer furniture, and even abstract oil paintings.
Coupled with the pleasant, even gentle way the sta serve and speak, the experience ushers you into a state of absolute calm, the kind that calls for the simplicity of pen on paper. And this tactile pleasure, I must say, is as meditative as my yoga routine.
“There are quite a few heritage hotels here,” says a local craftsman, whose wooden handiwork furnishes the hotel. “But some are too modern, erasing the traces of the past; some are not modern enough, a bit too gloomy and scary. This one strikes the best balance between history and modernity.”
Honouring the past is at the heart of the renovation project here, evident in the chic co ee shop, where the raw beauty of the foundation remains exposed and unadorned, and the walls that bear their age are highlighted merely by an artistic vase. Everything here hits the right note, no more, no less.
This spot-on perfection is also reflected in the service – a hot footbath prepared for you after a day’s hike; sta ensuring the right temperature for your shower; others preparing your preferred skim milk just for you, and then insisting you take the rest away with you out of concern that your next hotel may not have it in stock. Such experiences, I must say, surpass even that of international five-star establishments. Luxury isn’t about extravagance; it’s about making you feel understood and cared for.
This travel issue is packed with hotels that check all the boxes. Consider Amanfayun in Hangzhou—a serene invitation to spiritual renewal. Or learn about our cover stars, Jay Leung and Maggie Mo, who are working on alternative mobile travel accommodations that are 3D-printed and can be relocated from town to town. We also reveal our selections for the world’s 10 best designer hotels and resorts. While not all are 5-star, they do more than enchant—they inspire. Just as I was inspired to go back to pen and paper, as these places embody travel’s true values: growth, discovery, and the sheer joy of starting anew. That’s why we should never stop exploring. Now, let the journey begin.
今期編輯的話，寫在安徽一幢600年歷史的明代建築內。更確切地說，是寫在一幢被翻新成古蹟酒店的明代建築內、客房窗伴一張古色古香的木書枱上。竹簾半掩，窗前掛著一架毛筆，案前放有一部《心經》，供住客臨摹。
如此氛圍，讓人有種重拾筆墨的衝動，推使我首次放棄電腦，像數碼時代以前一樣，以紙筆取代鍵盤，一筆一劃寫下這份編輯的話。這個體驗比瑜珈或禪修，更有效帶來內心平靜。
既下山文郁堂酒店坐落於安徽呈坎村。呈為陽，坎為陰，是《易經》陰陽調和的智慧。呈坎村依照八卦佈局建設，至明代鹽業買賣興盛，尤其在徽州，帶動城村經濟發展。當時名為「龍汲」的呈坎村，成為富商雅士的聚居地，大宅林立，屬於明代的古雅建築至今仍然隨處可見。其中一幢，便由一位徽州鹽商所擁有，與旁邊的中醫世家傳人宅第相鄰。如今兩幢相連，成為了這家新舊相融的古蹟酒店。
「村 的古蹟酒店倒也不少。」一位為酒店供應木家具的匠人指。「但有些過分現代，抹去了舊時痕跡；有些又不夠現代，過分陰森。在百年歷史與現代感之間拿捏得最出色的，便是這家。」
尊重舊址是翻新項目的核心價值。所以在酒店的咖啡室，你會看到地基坦然外露，牆上的缺口也不加修飾，僅以花瓶點綴。一切看似隨意，其實每一步都深思熟慮，點到即止。這種剛剛好的藝術，也貫徹於這裡的服務態度。不打擾、不聲張，卻總在你需要時送上窩心。例如行山後為你備好熱水泡腳；晚上提醒你洗澡水還未夠熱；一向沒有供應脫脂奶，但知道你習慣喝，便立即為你搜購；早上備好咖啡等你梳洗後立即享用；轉酒店退房時，擔心下家酒店沒有準備，堅持讓你把脫脂奶一拼拿走。
這家酒店在全國有不少分店，均以服務見稱。但這一家的體驗，隨時比國際五星酒店還要上乘。足見奢華，不一定金碧輝煌雕欄玉砌；反而是一份恰到好處地讓你覺得被懂、被寵的滿足。
今期旅遊特刊介紹的酒店，除了設計一絕，也有著懂你寵你的天份。隱於杭州山水之間的安縵養雲便是例子之一。由隱藏在竹林小徑的酒店入口、質樸無華的夯土製農屋，到屋內的一窗一瓦、一枱一櫈，以至所有酒店員工的服務態度，無一讓住客得嚐返樸歸真的生活方式。而今期封面人物Jay Leung和Maggie Mo亦帶來創新的3D打印流動旅遊住宿選擇，以推動環保建築設計。另外，我們更精選出十大設計師酒店和度假村，它們也許不全是五星級品牌，但所提供的體驗也絕不遜色。一家酒店能讓我重拾紙筆之趣，也能為帶來新的視野、新的成長，這正正是我們需要定期遊歷的原因。