The LUX* Tea Horse Road Hotel series is here, almost bringing the entire series of hotels in the country along, at fantastic prices!
LUX* is a brand from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Entering China in 2014, the first hotel in China opened in Lijiang, Yunnan, setting the stage for the Tea Horse Road LUX* hotel series, which has since opened a series of hotels and retreats.
Actually, I want to say that LUX* has likely been caught up in a competitive wave along with another brand.
What’s on today?
There’s a buy 2 get 1 free promotion for the Tea Horse Road LUX* hotel series, with two nights including breakfast at a LUX* hotel + one night at a LUX* retreat starting from 1,888 yuan; isn’t that an incredible price??? Less than 630 yuan per night inclusive of breakfast at LUX*.
There’s a five-day, four-night Yulong Snow Mountain trekking tour from Tea Horse Road LUX*, priced at 9,900 yuan per person (7,900 yuan for children). This is all-inclusive, covering accommodation, three meals a day, transportation throughout, activities, and the support of local experience guides;
A five-day, four-night acquaintance with Shangri-La trip at Tea Horse Road LUX*, priced at 12,900 yuan per person (10,900 yuan for children);
A seven-day, six-night luxury adventure in Tibetan areas, priced at 14,800 yuan per person (12,800 yuan for children);
One night in the luxury garden sea view room at Guangzhou Nansha Garden Hotel with breakfast + 200 yuan dining credit at Taoyuan Pavilion for 988 yuan; another option for one night in a luxury garden sea view room with breakfast + co-branded afternoon tea for 1,088 yuan;
Two nights in a lake view suite at the Sanya Haitang Bay Mangrove Hotel with breakfast for 2,599 yuan; two nights in a poolside villa with breakfast + one buffet dinner for 2 adults and 2 children for 3,899 yuan; or three nights in a poolside villa with breakfast + one buffet dinner for 2 adults and 2 children + one airport transfer for 5,499 yuan;
Two nights including breakfast in a duplex one-bedroom suite at the Wuyi Mountain Holiday Inn for 999 yuan (899 yuan after coupon);
Two nights’ stay at Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley Hilton Garden Inn with breakfast (can be split) for 699 yuan;
One night at the Chengdu Global Center Intercontinental Hotel with single breakfast for 666 yuan; one night with double breakfast for 777 yuan;
One night at the Changzhou Oriental Salt Lake City camping site with breakfast + entrance ticket for 399 yuan.
Let me explain each item
All products go on sale at 9 am sharp, refundable without booking or expiration, and can be refunded anytime, with support for Huabei for bulk buying with no loss.
LUX* has limited inventory, so you must grab it as soon as possible!
The buy 2 get 1 free promotion for the Tea Horse Road LUX* series starts from 1,888 yuan. So essentially, for 1,888 yuan, you can stay for three nights at LUX*, including breakfast.
Details are as follows:
Two nights at Lijiang LUX* including breakfast and one complimentary night at a LUX* retreat, starting from 1,888 yuan;
Two nights at Benzilan LUX* including breakfast and one complimentary night at a LUX* retreat, starting from 2,288 yuan;
Two nights at Shangri-La LUX* including breakfast and one complimentary night at a LUX* retreat, starting from 2,888 yuan;
Two nights at Lashi Lake LUX* retreat including breakfast and one complimentary night at a LUX* retreat, starting from 2,888 yuan.
The complimentary retreat can be selected from (Tea Horse Road San Valley LUX* Retreat, Tea Horse Road Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat, Tea Horse Road Stone City LUX* Retreat).
Valid until June 30, 2024, with additional surcharges on holidays (details on the page).
This price for Tea Horse Road LUX* is simply amazing!
You should know that LUX* has always been known for being “isolated,” “exclusive,” “niche,” and I have never seen these hotels offer such high cost-performance pricing together.
So, to explore these offerings, we went on a special trip to Yunnan and visited these LUX* properties.
Let me first share a map showing LUX*’s presence in Yunnan.
LUX* is mainly concentrated in Lijiang, Shangri-La, Tiger Leaping Gorge, Benzilan, and along the Jinsha River.
Similar to Songtsam, LUX* promotes routes, offering worry-free all-inclusive packages. The hotel offerings are just part of the deal.
Therefore, I recommend several combinations:
Two nights at Lijiang LUX*, suggest pairing with San Valley LUX* Retreat (for views of the snow-capped mountains along the Jinsha River), or Tea Horse Road Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat (near Tiger Leaping Gorge), or Tea Horse Road Stone City LUX* Retreat (although a bit far, the view is fantastic).
This three-night package is only 1,888 yuan; how cost-effective is that!
The combination of Lashi Lake LUX* Retreat is similar to Lijiang LUX* since these two are quite close to each other.
On a side note, I really love the Lashi Lake LUX* Retreat.
For two nights at the Benzilan LUX* hotel, I still recommend pairing it with San Valley LUX* Retreat or Tea Horse Road Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat.
But it’s best to book an additional night in Shangri-La, so you can connect Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La – Benzilan together. Visiting Dukezong Old Town, Songzanlin Monastery, Napa Lake, and Meili Snow Mountain will be great.
Two nights at Shangri-La LUX* are similar as well. Pair it with Tea Horse Road Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat, or Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat (for hiking near Tiger Leaping Gorge) or San Valley LUX* Retreat (to experience the rustic life of the ancient villages and adjacent to the Jinsha River); this matches perfectly with the Tiger Leaping Gorge – Shangri-La route.
Next, let me properly introduce these various LUX* Tea Horse Road properties, all fresh photos are included.
LUX* Lijiang Hotel
This hotel is located in the world cultural heritage site of Dali Ancient City, and it is the only hotel within the ancient city that provides electric cart service to and from the hotel. Guests and luggage are taken directly to the hotel entrance, making for an elegant arrival.
Let’s talk about the location of this Tea Horse Road LUX* hotel.
If it’s your first time in Lijiang, this LUX* hotel would be the best choice.
The famous Dali Ancient City is right at your doorstep. Just a short walk will lead you to Zhongyi Market, nestled at the base of the snow mountains. The Yunnan vegetable market is a moving museum filled with many exotic fruits and vegetables.
The architecture of Lijiang LUX* beautifully reflects the Naxi ethnic culture, blending seamlessly with the ancient city.
Every LUX* hotel features a LUX* café, and the café in Lijiang is situated right at the corner of Dali Ancient City. I particularly love the outdoor seating, where I can watch travelers come and go. The indoor courtyard is also wonderful, featuring a mural of the ancient Tea Horse Road taller than a person.
Compared to the coffee machines found in other five-star hotels, LUX* has so much more to offer. Not only is the American coffee brewed without bitter notes, but you can also enjoy many local Yunnan beans brewed to perfection.
Interestingly, the LUX* café operates independently overseas and resembles Starbucks in its operation, so it’s only natural that their standard far exceeds other hotel offerings.
Now, let me share some images of the Lijiang LUX* rooms.
The welcome cards in the room are handwritten, featuring Naxi Dongba script and hand-drawn designs, and the welcome fruits are generously provided.
There’s a copper sink in the bathroom, and all the toiletries are from LUX*’s own line, neatly packaged into a leather storage case.
The breakfast is also quite good.
It’s a zero-point budget buffet, with lots of fruits to choose from, and the tiny pot of rice noodles is a must-try. Believe me, the local flavors from Yunnan cannot be replicated outside; the freshest ingredients create unbelievably delicious dishes with the simplest cooking methods.
Staying at Tea Horse Road Lijiang LUX* is not cheap; it often runs around 1,000 yuan a night. This package at under 630 yuan per night is an amazing bargain.
Shangri-La LUX* Hotel
This one is situated right next to the Indigo Hotel in Shangri-La. Several buildings featuring Tibetan architectural styles are beautifully arranged on the hillside, providing a great view overlooking Dukezong Old Town, with shimmering temples nearby.
Among the LUX* properties on the Yunnan Tea Horse Road, Shangri-La LUX* is the one closest to the concept of “the hotel itself is the destination,” with top-tier amenities compared to other LUX* hotels in Yunnan.
If you’re not following the Tea Horse Road route, lying back and relaxing in this hotel for a couple of days is perfectly fine, and it’s only a ten-minute drive from the Shangri-La High-Speed Railway Station and the airport.
The Shangri-La LUX* is a small-scale hotel with only 18 rooms and six types of room configurations. This time we stayed in a luxury king room, so I only have photos of the luxury room.
The package includes an upscale room, with an area of 35-40 square meters, one level below the luxury room.
Due to the high altitude, each room is equipped with a diffusion oxygen system to ensure a consistent oxygen level. This state-of-the-art system must have been installed before the hotel was even built. It intermittently tests the oxygen concentration in the room and releases oxygen as needed, ensuring there is always enough oxygen in the room without needing to use oxygen tanks. Other hotels might only have this available in their suites.
Additionally, the room has underfloor heating, and the steward will set the temperature in advance, allowing us to feel the warmth as soon as we enter.
Moreover, the room also comes with welcome fruits, exclusive LUX* coffee and tea bags, and a well-stocked minibar.
Notably, the room is equipped with EARTH purified water, which is exceedingly rare in hotels in China.
Breakfast is once again a zero-point budget buffet, with all kinds of Tibetan delicacies available, such as buttered tea, barley pancakes, beef rice noodles, yak cheese… a special treat is the Tibetan Benedict, where the poached egg is served on a barley pancake, maximizing the sweetness.
I must point out that the coffee served at the Shangri-La LUX* is hand’s down the best coffee shop in all of Shangri-La; that’s what I truly believe.
The calendar pricing for Shangri-La LUX* is the highest, nearing 1,500 yuan a night.
Benzilan LUX* Hotel
Benzilan is an essential stop for those traveling from Shangri-La to Meili, and it’s also the first stop for entering Tibet from Yunnan. Interestingly, just across the Jinsha River is Sichuan.
Honestly, if you do not have a fixation on the sunny golden mountain of Meili, staying in Benzilan is far more comfortable than staying in Meili. Benzilan is located in a dry and hot valley area, with a relatively lower altitude, therefore avoiding altitude sickness, and the temperature here is nowhere near as harsh as in Meili.
You can spend the daytime exploring the beautiful sites in Meili, which is what we did on this trip.
Nights in Benzilan are also warm, and the hotel has a scenic pool, where lazy sofas are set up at night for outdoor films under the starry sky. Remember to look up, as the starry nights in Benzilan are spectacular.
The hotel rooms have a rustic charm, and each evening the turndown service includes surprises like Tibetan fragrant bags or trinkets. The minibar has juice sourced from local Yunnan farms.
Breakfast offers authentic tomato and pork sauce rice noodles.
Yunnan food has a very high baseline; the local ingredients are so abundant, even the basic corn tastes sweet and juicy.
Now, about several retreats.
LUX* refers to those properties with a relatively higher number of rooms and more complete facilities as hotels. Those with fewer rooms are termed retreats.
While LUX* retreats generally require nearby activities to keep guests engaged, LUX* hotels allow you to simply relax and enjoy your vacation.
Lashi Lake LUX* Retreat
Yunnan may not have seas, but they enjoy naming their lakes after the sea. For instance, Lashi Lake, which is much less popular than Yulong Snow Mountain and Dali Ancient City. Although it’s not a real sea, it beats the seas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai in its blueness and vastness.
This LUX* retreat is located by Lashi Lake, where there’s a dire need for quality hotels in the vicinity.
This is our favorite retreat in the entire itinerary, located right by Lashi Lake, harmoniously integrated with surrounding Naxi villages, combining earthy tones with fresh whites.
The café and restaurant provide unobstructed views of the lake. Honestly, life should be wasted in environments like this.
There’s also an open area nearby, to enjoy the “sea breeze” while sipping coffee and watching people cycling around the lake.
The little courtyard in the center of the hotel is a real-life “Where the Wild Things Are,” filled with low-saturation green plants that look very upscale.
The hotel features only nine rooms, and the sea-view rooms on the second floor are simply stunning.
While the first-floor rooms lack a sea view, they have excellently designed interiors you’d want to replicate at home. The bathroom features a unique island sink—very stylish!
This is the most expensive retreat in the LUX* series.
San Valley LUX* Retreat
This retreat’s biggest highlight is its accessibility to the Jinsha River while also offering views of Yulong Snow Mountain.
It features a blend of natural sceneries including mountains, canyons, and fields along with cultural landscapes such as the Tea Horse Ancient Street and Naxi villages.
For centuries, caravans from different ethnic groups have been stopping here.
The beauty of LUX* is that even a small retreat like this may have exclusive LUX coffee.
If you stay here, I highly recommend hiking to the Jinsha River—it provides a travel experience completely different from that of Lijiang or Shangri-La.
San Valley LUX* Retreat has only 15 rooms, with basic rooms ranging from 25-30 square meters.
This retreat isn’t cheap either, typically running over 1,300 yuan per night. Because on the Tea Horse Road, if you want to stay at San Valley, aside from LUX*, there aren’t many other good options available.
Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat
Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat is located in Daju Township, Yulong County, Lijiang, with Yulong Snow Mountain on one side and Haba Snow Mountain on the other. Tiger Leaping Gorge is also nearby.
This retreat offers views of the sun shining on golden mountains, which we captured beautifully on this trip.
Staying here, the main activity revolves around hiking in Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The full trail for hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge is 27 kilometers, but I recommend the most picturesque 13 kilometers (the Highway trail), where magnificent Haba Snow Mountain and Yulong Snow Mountain tower above, with the grand Jinsha River running at the valley’s base.
You really can’t express the immersive feeling through words or photos.
Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat is also a small-scale visitor facility, with just 18 rooms available.
The basic rooms range from 25-35 square meters.
Prices here also typically hover around 1,300+ yuan a night.
Stone City LUX* Retreat
We could not visit the Stone City or Peach Blossom Valley retreats on this trip and could only obtain some information from the Tea Horse Road LUX*.
The Stone City is notoriously hard to book due to its extremely limited number of rooms.
The hotel is located in Stone City, which is a nationally protected cultural heritage site. I’ll share a picture with you. It is a tranquil village constructed along a sheer cliff and overlooking the river.
Similar to Benzilan, this region is also an excellent stargazing spot.
Stone City LUX* Retreat is the most challenging LUX* property to book, featuring only six rooms.
Peach Blossom Valley LUX* Retreat
Nestled within a 200-acre peach blossom forest, is a modern version of the Peach Blossom Spring, completely isolated from the world. The best time to go is from March to April, which is the prime blooming season for the peach blossoms, showcasing the retreat at its most beautiful state.
However, this package does not include Peach Blossom Valley LUX* Retreat; I just wanted to introduce it.
Peach Blossom Valley LUX* Retreat is also small, with 17 rooms.
It also has a LUX* café on site.
Next, let’s talk about pricing.
As I’ve presented, I’ve shared the calendar prices for each LUX* hotel and LUX* retreat, and this buy 2 get 1 deal is super worthwhile.
Purchase link: 38￥ CZ0016 hevaWnn91KN￥ https://m.tb.cn/h.5DoYX4J/
Refunds without bookings, expiration refunds, or refunds anytime. Surely, stock is limited, so I advise everyone to purchase according to their needs and leave the inventory for actual visitors.
Also, for this buy 2 get 1 promotion, it’s advisable to use it all at once. These four packages are all combinable.
In addition to the hotel packages, LUX* also has promotions on their packages.
LUX* packages rarely go on promotion; they differ from Songtsam’s private groups (which only cover hotels, cars, and drivers) as LUX* provides a fully all-inclusive experience!
So!!! Super cost-effective!!! LUX* packages used to sell for a premium.
LUX* offers a five-day, four-night Yulong Snow Mountain Trekking journey at 9,900 yuan per person (7,900 yuan for children aged 4-12).
Two nights at Lijiang LUX*, one night at Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat, and one night at San Valley LUX* Retreat are included, with all meals covered for the five days and four nights (dinner on the first day and breakfast on the last day, with all meals included in between), along with transportation (including airport transfers) and all experiential courses throughout the trip.
Valid until June 30, 2024, with additional surcharges on holidays.
This itinerary focuses on trekking around Yulong Snow Mountain, allowing you to view the mountain from various angles.
LUX* provides a car, and local experience guides join you throughout, helping organize your itinerary, activities, and meals—LUX* coffee is even available for unlimited enjoyment.
Let me share a few examples; during the hike in Tiger Leaping Gorge, LUX* specifically arranged outdoor tables and chairs in the most scenic parts for guests and set up a champagne popping ceremony.
In Shangri-La, they also arranged outdoor coffee services where LUX* coffee staff prepared brews for guests.
This specific coffee service is part of another itinerary.
In the LUX* private tour, there’s a local experience guide at each hotel, typically from local ethnic minorities. They will lead the group and share insights about local customs and culture.
Moreover, LUX* hosts exceptionally anticipated dinners every evening. I’d say that every night at LUX* could be considered a banquet, each themed differently.
Let me show you a few pictures.
This type of group is a fully inclusive package with detailed itineraries. For example:
Day 1: Arrive in Lijiang
Airport pickup and dinner; overnight at Lijiang LUX*
Day 2: Riverside Living
Breakfast at the hotel; visit Zhiyun Temple.
Lunch at Lashi Lake LUX* Retreat, enjoying views of Lashi Lake while sipping LUX* lakeside coffee.
In the afternoon, a scenic walk to San Valley, learn to make Naxi red pancakes, and enjoy charcoal-baked dishes.
Dinner by the river.
Overnight at San Valley LUX* Retreat.
Day 3: Conquer the Tiger Leaping Gorge
Breakfast at the hotel; mild trek along the high path of the Tiger Leaping Gorge with high mountain tea breaks.
Lunch from “farm to table.”
Afternoon experiences include rural picking and exploring Lower Tiger Leaping Gorge.
Dinner features Naxi Eight Bowls.
Overnight at Xiaomi Field LUX* Retreat.
Day 4: Snow Mountain Crossing
Breakfast at the retreat; seeing Yulong Snow Mountain from Yak Flat, take a vehicle to cross Yulong Snow Mountain.
Lunch showcasing local flavors in Baisha.
In the afternoon, explore Baisha Ancient Town before a rest with LUX* afternoon tea.
Dinner consists of traditional caravan dishes.
Overnight at Lijiang LUX*.
Day 5: Return
