On this trip to Chongming, I experienced a high-end homestay. Although it is considered high-end, the price is quite affordable at just over 400 RMB per night—basically the same rate as a budget hotel in the city center—yet the experience offers absolutely five-star hardware.
The hotel is located in Jianshe Town, about 2.5 km from Dongping National Forest Park. Given that public transportation on Chongming Island is relatively underdeveloped, driving is essentially the only way to get there. Unlike other farmhouse stays, this is a meticulously designed Japanese-style courtyard. To prevent guests from seeing the farmers’ houses outside the windows, the hotel has also prepared a large lawn at the back; hearing sheep bleating here from time to time is quite amusing.
The main gate is fully automatic and opens with a room key card. Upon entering, a Japanese-style courtyard completely different from the outside world comes into view.
There is a common area that serves multiple purposes, including reception and breakfast dining, with a large lawn right outside the window. The hotel does not have a kitchen and does not offer regular meal services; the only dining option is a complimentary breakfast served from 8:00 to 9:00 AM. Breakfast is offered as a set menu with a wide variety of items. Although most dishes are heated semi-finished products from supermarkets, they taste very good. Brewed black tea is also available, and you can order a bowl of small wontons as a snack. For proper meals, however, you will need to visit nearby farmhouse restaurants.
The entire hotel has only three floors with a total of 10 rooms. Six of these are basic room types, all located on the first floor with garden views; they consist of three tatami rooms and three king-bed rooms, ranging from approximately 20 to 25 square meters, with the tatami rooms being slightly smaller. Two more upscale rooms are located on the second floor: a 30-square-meter twin room with balcony and a double-tatami room, both featuring river views in front and lawn views behind. Additionally, there is one 35-square-meter deluxe king room on the first floor, and one 55-square-meter two-bedroom family room that exclusively occupies the third-floor attic.
All rooms feature private soaking tubs equipped with Tabino-Yado bath salts, and the water has been softened. Every room has central air conditioning, which is kept running prior to check-in, and dehumidifiers are provided in each room. The beds feature King Koil latex mattresses, and the bathrooms are fully fitted with TOTO fixtures, including Washlet bidet seats. Electric toothbrushes are also provided; although not sonic models, they are rarely seen even in five-star hotels. Kung fu tea sets and incense burners are additional thoughtful touches. As for amenities, the hotel provides POLA hand soap, Shiseido-branded shower gel and shampoo, and Lion enzyme toothpaste.
A very Japanese-style rain chain (kusari-doi)
The outdoor tables are also great for families to sit together, though there are quite a few mosquitoes.
There is also a pond with goldfish.
In summary, this is a meticulously designed Japanese-style homestay and the only place I would recommend from this trip to Chongming. It is well worth experiencing for anyone planning a visit to the island. However, due to the limited number of rooms, weekend bookings likely require reservations far in advance.
Photos in this post were taken with a SONY A5100 + 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, post-processed in Lightroom.
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