If you’re looking for the best family travel near Shanghai, weekend getaways and family-friendly hotels, go for the JW Marriott Anji.
This is an excellent hotel for families.
Rates on their own website start at around ¥1,200 for the smallest room, ¥1,800 for deluxe mountain view with balcony, or ¥2,800 for an executive suite.
There’s an outdoor playground good for ages 2 to 7, and on the weekend they have a few things to do, that are a little tacky yet still very fun for all ages, and even adults get involved.
Here’s lots of pics, followed by more information section by section.
The Rooms:
As you’d expect from a JW Marriott, the rooms are basically faultless. As a family, you should go for the junior suite, so you can have a little more room. An extra bed fits besides the main King bed so that you can all sleep well.
The decoration is considered, as there are hints of bamboo design throughout the room.
Toiletries are from Aromatherapy, which we love – rosemary, lavender and ylang ylang fit the natural environment.
A room with a view is gorgeous. You won’t want to go back to the city once you have these room views.
Everything in the room has been well chosen – even going right down to the details like the toothbrush, it’s top quality.
They also have kids amenities including a kids robe and slippers.
The Food:
The Chinese restaurant is a yummy mix of Cantonese and local dishes.
We went for plenty of bamboo to get the local feel, alongside some of our usual favourites.
The buffet breakfast has everything from local Anji food, Chinese, Western, Fruit, Salad, Meats as in Chinese lunch/meat dishes, and everything else you’d expect. Some other hotels in China have surprised us by having a limited selection of Chinese breakfast food at their buffet, but there are all types here and you will have a huge meal.
At the lobby, there are snacks meant to please kids, like cotton candy and ice cream.
The hotel environment:
You can see greenery from everywhere. Even the car park is beautiful as you have unbroken views of green hills on all sides.
The staff and the hotel GM:
Under GM Alfred Gao, the service is very attentive but also in a friendly style. The staff all communicate well with each other and importantly, are always happy and smiling.
When we played some of the little games in the courtyard, everyone was lost in childish fun and there was no stuffiness or contrived service.
From Shanghai, Alfred Gao has been in Marriott hotels for over a decade, joining the JW Marriott Anji from being the GM of the Marriott Courtyard in Shanghai. He is clearly totally dedicated to the success of the hotel from all angles, and the style of friendly, thoughtful and caring service is clearly passing to staff at all levels of the hotel.
Other features:
There is golf by the hotel, and they have a drone flying experience.
This 30-minute experiential program is held every Saturday from 10am – 4pm
The Drone Experience Program lets you play around with the drone to understand how it works. With the DJI Go app, you can share it to your social media. It costs ¥1259 for workday; ¥1610 for weekend.
If you book this through the hotel’s WeChat, they will upgrade you for free to the next room category.