Staying here was a great opportunity to be right by the wall and explore a wild and silent section. The hotel is a very special place indeed and it is highly unusual to head off into the woodland to a Manchu style hunting lodge for the night. The staff were wonderful and a pleasure to meet. Many were from the owner's Tibetan hotels and were there partially to improve their Chinese language skills. We met a couple of really nice Chinese families, so presumably there was plenty of opportunity for this. Getting there and away: We read in the Lonely Planet that a car ran from Beijing's Red Capital Residence (worth visiting for a drink, even if you are not staying); but this is no longer the case. However, a bus goes directly from Beijing's bus station and the staff were ready and waiting to pick us up at the other end. We were short on time on our return and the staff arranged us a very reasonably priced taxi that took us directly to the Summer Palace in Beijing. Accessibility: I can walk a short way with crutches but often rely on a wheelchair. With the exception of the upstairs restaurant, everything is on the ground floor. Although our hunting lodge was slightly distant, this wasn't a problem as my husband was able to push me along the pathways without too much hassle. The staff were keen to assist us and potentially I would have no qualms in visiting alone, since they were happy to help. They brought us our dinner as room service, so that we wouldn't need to return to our room in the dark. Clearly it was only my husband that went hiking but I had a great view of the wall from the hotel. The rooms: We only saw ours. I was very impressed and felt lucky to be staying in such a beautiful place. We had a veranda and a window view that looked out onto the woods and was very peaceful. The bathroom was well appointed and our room was large and had its own seating area with comfortable cushions and a table, where we ate dinner. It was a great place to spend time together. My husband was less easily pleased and although he loved the place, thought that a little more maintenance could have been done on the hotel in general. We noticed that the owner of the hotel was doing some sterling work with charities he had set up. We were very impressed by this but also wondered if getting everything ship shape in this hotel might allow them to charge the full price and therefore maximise resources available for the charities in the long term? The main area: On our way up we noticed that a lot of new building work was being done in the area but the ranch itself is quiet and is a large estate. Apparently it borders another estate belonging to a high ranking Communist Party official, a very modern looking glass and concrete house. Entering the reception of the hotel is like entering another world. The building is a high ceilinged Manchu (?) style, with many Tibetan items decorating it. There is a friendly bar and reception desk, several comfortable sofas, a fireplace and an interesting library. Past this building is a downstairs restaurant with another above, with open sides that look over the river and up to the Great Wall on the wooded hillsides. Food: A mixture of Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan dishes. All delicious. Thank you very much to everybody at Shambala / Red Capitalist Ranch! (Stayed August 2014, apologies for late review.)…
Perhaps this hotel was deluxe in years past but for $USD 170/night this is outrageously overpriced! The location is phenomenal - you can start your walk up to the wall directly outside the hotel. They boast a walk on the premises on their website, but once there they tell you it's too dangerous to climb. The dinner was delicious, the breakfast really sub-par for the price. Our room's lights didn't all work, the bathroom was dirty and the mattress was essentially a hard mat. If this was less money I would not complain but this is expensive and the hotel is in deep need of repair and renovation. The staff, though very sweet, hardly spoke English and the lobby as well as the staff had a slovenly look of disrepair.
Wow! What an experience! We arrived late at night, not seeing anything on 40 minute drive from Beijing, then woke the next morning to Fantastically reach out and touch the Great Wall views. Inside the grounds of the Ranch, you have everything for a luxury getaway, with the added bonus of being able to climb onto parts of the wall! Our bungalow was set amongst beautiful lush gardens, and the creek running through the grounds. The staff and food were amazing! Loved the experience!
This could be a very nice place. It has a good location with some nice accomodation, but we really had the feeling that the owner had lost interest in the place and that proper management is needed. The good is that the Great Wall is all over the place, including in the backyard of the hotel. It is not the picture perfect, heavily restored, sections of the wall where the buses go, but you really get a feel for the scale of the wall and the massive work that went in to building and not least manning the wall. You also feel like Indiana Jones when you climb around looking for a trail to the wall. Great fun. The decor of the room we had was very charming, Tibetan style, plus modern convenience including aircon which was greatly appreciated as the outdoor temperature was in the upper 30ies. Staff is friendly. The not so good is that the whole thing is overpriced, even with the discount we had (not asked for, so I guess they know they have an image problem). Though friendly, the staff has problems with English language and appears to be sort of drifting. There might be a manager, but it is not obvious. This can be seen in the cleaning standard and the lack of maintenance of the resort grounds . All staff is Tibetan, but I would have preferred any ethnicity able to cook. We had one lunch and decided to go elsewhere for dinner. It was not good. At all. The trail is poorly marked, and absolutely not handicap friendly. Though the location is good, it is not perfect. There is a road passing by with some occasional heavy trucks. There were also quite a few planes passing by. Sort of spoiled the Indiana Jones feeling. All in all, I would love to love this place, but I can't recommend it as it is now. Some real management could get it in to shape, but it is not there.…
Honestly this place will be a good choice for you if you are planning on to visit the section of wall along whose streamline this place is built. The facilities and rooms are in desperate need of service and care and for the available facility they are kind of charging enormous amount. I had trouble with language and found it difficult to interact. But the beauty of the location and the impressive breakfast was enough to please me at the end.
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