Tonglu Senbo Exclusive Resort

This time, it was a family trip with our 5-year-old. We stayed in the Starlight Duplex room, and the experience was fantastic. The butler was also very enthusiastic. The only downside was the quality of the restaurant; the food wasn't as delicious as at some of the other Senbo restaurants. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.

This hotel is nestled in the beautiful Red Lantern Scenic Area of Tonglu Mountain Village, and the surroundings are absolutely stunning. It's a fantastic spot for a family getaway with kids. The hotel boasts excellent facilities, including both an indoor kids' play area and an outdoor leisure camp. You can also head up to the hot springs on the mountainside for a relaxing dip. It's easy to enjoy a two-day, one-night stay here. The staff are warm and attentive, especially our housekeeper Bingbing, who provided incredibly thoughtful service throughout our stay, giving us that high-quality, efficient experience you'd expect from a major hotel brand. I highly recommend it for families with pets, as your furry friends will also experience the joy of a hotel stay.

This place is perfect for family and friends traveling together. They have family rooms with twin beds that fit a family of four, and charming treehouses ideal for friend gatherings. The treehouses even have a huge common room downstairs and bedrooms upstairs (two beds would be even better!) that could serve as a base for three families. The setting is beautiful, with the hotel nestled against mountains and overlooking water, featuring its own attractions. It's a spot even the legendary travel writer Xu Xiake, the 'first travel blogger,' visited! They have a cave cafe, a pink boardwalk, and the 'Grandma's Red Lantern' scenic area just behind the hotel. It's incredibly photogenic, and there's a kids' playground where you can leave the little ones. The staff throughout the resort are super friendly, and the electric carts for getting around are available on-call. Plus, our stay came with a butler service. Our fantastic 'Super Little Flyer' butler even gave us a heads-up about the hotel's activities beforehand. Two days just wasn't enough!

We booked the Stargazer Room, and it was absolutely fantastic with a great view! Everyone at the hotel was so welcoming, and there was a bonfire party and fireworks in the evening. The hotel breakfast was also really good, even our one-year-old baby loved it. Both the outdoor and indoor play areas are perfect for little ones. Plus, they offered three complimentary travel photoshoots, which turned out amazing! The photographer was super helpful and kept making our child laugh. We'll definitely be back!

Overall, the stay was fantastic! The room was clean with no strange odors, and the facilities were complete and easy to use. The service was thoughtful and meticulous, making check-in to check-out very smooth. Highly recommended, definitely worth a return visit!

The duplex star-view room has a great location, halfway up the mountain, making it convenient to go to the hot springs and the hotel front desk. The room was very clean, well-equipped, and the children's play facilities were also excellent. The cave coffee was a pleasant surprise.

The hotel has a great natural environment and plenty of activities for kids, making it perfect for a relaxing getaway.

I brought my family to check out the latest offering from Senbo, and we managed to avoid the New Year's rush a bit. Our 3-day stay was truly fantastic. We bought a grand opening package that included the room, hot spring tickets, drinks at the bar, and a travel photo shoot. A few highlights: 1. The hot spring experience was incredibly comfortable, especially the outdoor pools. It felt like the Tonglu version of "Karuizawa"! 2. The birthday surprise was amazing! As a Senbo member, my sister received a complimentary small cake, balloon decorations in the room, and birthday noodles (which were super, super, super delicious). She was very touched by the subtle surprise for her 21st birthday. Anyone celebrating a birthday should definitely consider Senbo! 3. Every corner is meticulously and thoughtfully designed. You can see handmade art everywhere, like Christmas trees, large trees dressed in cotton, handwritten plant descriptions, and homemade soapberry bracelets… The staff here must truly love this hotel. There were a few minor flaws, such as the hot spring lacking a bit of ambiance (they could add some decor or music) and the signs for the hot springs not being very clear. Also, the small road leading to the hotel could get a bit congested. But these are minor issues; my child even said they want to come back here for the hot springs during the Chinese New Year!

The overall experience was just okay. First, the cons: - The advertised hot spring isn't actually natural. After soaking twice, my skin didn't feel smooth at all, unlike other hot springs I've visited. When I asked the butler, they admitted it wasn't a natural spring but rather a 'soup spring.' I don't understand the point of this wordplay; it feels like false advertising. - The swimming pool was also a case of false advertising. All the promotional materials showed a pool, but when we arrived, we were told it wasn't open yet. Upon inspection, it was clear it hadn't even been built properly. - We booked the 'Starry Sky Duplex,' but the astronomical telescope was purely decorative. Staff said it needed to be placed on the outdoor terrace, which we did, but even after three attempts to adjust it, we couldn't see anything. When we asked, they just said the focal length wasn't enough. - To make matters worse, the room was freezing! Turning the AC to maximum didn't help, and even the electric heater we got from the front desk in the middle of the night didn't fix it. The next morning, we discovered the windows weren't sealing properly and there was a huge draft coming from under the door downstairs! We had to block it with towels. - In all the faucets in the room, both the left and right sides dispensed scalding hot water. Only the middle offered slightly cooler, lukewarm water – it clearly hadn't been adjusted at all! - What I want to complain about most are the 'hot spring' shower and changing room! The shower water was constantly fluctuating between scalding hot and freezing cold, making it impossible to bathe a child! The changing room's floor tiles had no anti-slip properties and were very wet; they clearly weren't worried about guests slipping. There were no staff members present, only one person at the front desk outside. - The breakfast was mediocre and not even worth mentioning. It was the same spread for both days and lacked variety. - As a result of these various issues, my wife and I both caught colds. Thankfully, our child didn't get sick, but we had to go out and find a hospital ourselves the next day when they developed a fever, luckily avoiding the local clinic the butler had casually suggested. The pros are that the place is relatively new, though it's clear it hasn't been fully debugged. Also, the parent-child facilities are decent; there are plenty of things for kids to play with, including indoor and outdoor children's playgrounds. But shouldn't the adults be looked after too?