…
Club Med opened its first international ski resort in China on 27th November, capping off its 60th birthday year with yet another innovation -the Yabuli Resort will offer Club Med’s 4-Trident guests the refinement of a Premium All-Inclusive ski holiday – for the first time in China.
Club Med Yabuli – located in the North-East of China in Heilongjiang Province, 177km southeast from Harbin, the capital of the province; in the heart of a national park at an altitude of 470 metres – has an excellent reputation as a winter sports destination. Yabuli hosted the 2009 Winter Universiade.
The new Resort will provide guests an All – Inclusive holiday where everything is taken care of. All they need to do is relax, have a good time, and enjoy the spectacular view of the Yabuli Mountains and the winter sport activities.
Families, couples and business groups at the new Yabuli Resort can look forward to a high level of comfort with a host of attractive features, including a fairytale ski location, refined accommodation, a new spa in partnership with leading French skincare brand L’Occitane, and a Chinese restaurant – a first in Club Med Resorts – that offers an "a la carte" menu of specialities from Northeast China. In typical Club Med style, family-friendly facilities are also available, such as the well-known Kid’s Club.
Unique Design
Built in 2008, its strikingly elegant Canadian alpine style architecture gives this ski resort an international ambiance, and the design concept for Club Med’s first Resort in China is based on the nearby “5-flowers mountain.” It is here where elm, oak, walnut, plum and maple trees grow and furnish the landscape with a rich palette of colours all year round. These colours are complemented by wood grains, seeds and fruits that are abundant throughout the Resort. “The colours are dynamic and vibrant, surprising and inviting,” says Margaux Lhermitte, French architect of the new design.
“Club Med Yabuli Resort is set right in the midst of nature. Its interiors are contemporary yet warm and comfortable. The Resort decor reflects that the Resort is a botanical home to a diverse range of Chinese flora, blending exoticism with French flair.”
Premium All Inclusive Holiday
Club Med takes care of every detail for your winter holiday – the Premium All-Inclusive package includes everything – from accommodation, transportation, bar drinks and snacking, food with an indulgent choice of international cuisine, ski passes and ski school from 4 years old upwards, with highly qualified instructors, a wide variety of services, and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere – all without busting your premium holiday budget.
Elegantly appointed, luxurious rooms
The Resort has a total of 283 luxurious and spacious rooms including 1 Presidential Suite of 120 m², 42 Suites with spectacular views of the snowy mountains where guests enjoy room service for breakfast daily; 123 Deluxe Rooms, 117 Superior Rooms and connecting rooms which are ideal for families as they allow time together, while offering privacy too.
These elegantly appointed rooms are fitted with completely modern amenities that include everything from complimentary Internet wi-fi access, to a heated floor in the bathroom and are designed with the guest’s privacy in mind.
A Feast of Fine Cuisine
Club Med is renowned for its fine cuisine created by its team of talented chefs. There are three restaurants – the Apple Garden serves an international buffet with a wide range of cuisine; Mudan, offers Chinese regional specialties while Bianco brings you the best of Italian cuisine.
Yabuli is the first Club Med Resort with a Chinese restaurant (complete with 6 VIP rooms) that offers guests a rich and varied a la carte menu of specialities from Northeast China, prepared by an expert Chinese chef with a long working experience in Club Med Resorts in Asia and his team from the region. Executive Chef Ravindra Balhoo, one of Club Med’s top chefs will ensure that only the best – from Asian fusion to international dishes – are on the menus at all the restaurants.
Throughout the day, guests can also enjoy the ‘Open Bar & Snacking’ at the new Forest Bar, which offers unlimited and complimentary soft drinks, fruit juices, spirits, cocktails, wine and snacks, as and when guests want them.
A Winter Wonderland
Club Med Yabuli Resort is a premium winter wonderland for great skiing and a wide array of outdoor activities such as Alpine skiing and snowboarding, with group lessons for all levels and ice skating activities. The ski season begins in early November and lasts till early April.
Guests are assured of a memorable ski holiday. Yabuli mountain is a sub-range of the Changbai Mountain range. The Resort offers 18 ski runs including 2 green, 11 blue and 5 black, ideal for skiers of all abilities – with a vertical drop of about 530 meters. Guests enjoy easy, direct access to the slopes, via gondola and chairlifts, for a more enjoyable ski experience
Club Med Yabuli also features a host of top-class facilities:
- The largest beginner teaching terrain in the country serviced by a network of five ‘magic carpet’ surface lifts that are easy for first timers and novices.
- Ski school- certified instructors available for group lesson or private lessons *
- An eight-passenger high speed POMA Gondola whisks you up the 530 metre vertical rise to the mountain top in just 7 minutes.
- A rental fleet of ski equipment* from industry leader Atomic skis, boots from Austria and high performance skis and snowboards are available.
Fun for non-skiers too
Non-skiers are not left out at Yabuli Resort. Guests can still enjoy a snow holiday by trying the snow tubing or the longest Alpine slides* in Asia. They can also discover numerous indoor activities and included is an indoor flying trapeze, bungee bounce, yoga, karaoke sessions at three private KTV rooms – a first in Club Med, billiards* and private Mahjong*. Or they can simply relax by reading a book in the new library area while enjoying the fabulous snow view from the windows
For relaxation, they can enjoy a swim at the quiet indoor pool, outdoor jacuzzi or bliss out at the all-new Club Med Spa which is luxuriously appointed with 10 suites and 2 foot reflexology lounges. A wide range of stress-relieving and relaxing treatments – using a pampering range from leading French skincare brand, L’Occitane – promise a blissful experience for the body and all the senses.
Family Fun
This family paradise goes all out to satisfy young and old alike. Club Med Yabuli welcomes children from 2 years old with facilities that cater specially to them.
For children aged between 2-3 years old, there’s the Petit Club Med * ; those from 4-11 years old have a Mini Club Med, while pre-teens and teens from 12 -17 years old can retreat to a Junior Club Med. The Resort also has a Pyjama club* which takes care of young ones while their parents enjoy the evening entertainment.
The new Mini Club Med and Petit Club Med have their specially assigned space that is designed and decorated with colo u rs and fun to appeal to young ones. In keeping with the nature theme of the Resort, the club rooms are decorated with cut-outs of trees and wooden stools. Swing chairs suspended from the ceiling, colo u rful motifs painted on the walls and chalk board-covered walls allow children to give their creativity free rein in a fun space.
Children are in good hands, too, as an international team of G.Os made up of more than 21 nationalities will take good care of them and ensure they have a happy time.
Work and Play
Club Med Yabuli is ideal for corporate and MICE events too, as it offers the perfect combination of work and play – all in one stop. A pioneer and innovator in group travel, Club Med takes pride in ensuring your company’s event is both professional and unique.
Club Med Yabuli has 6 conference rooms and 1 large ballroom for up to 600 persons for conventions, seminars and private dinners. A business centre with 5 working stations, a meeting room and business facilities, keeps you in the loop on work matters
Business travelers will also find the free Internet access in both the public areas and rooms an easy and convenient way to connect to work. Club Med Yabuli will host the China Entrepreneur Forum, an annual event held in February 2011 that brings together 600 senior executives from leading Chinese companies
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
