Aman Summer Palace 頤和安縵
Add: 1 Gongmenqian Street, Summer Palace, Beijing / 北京颐和园宫门前街1号
Tel: 10 5987 9999
Website: www.aman.com
Price: 3000 RMB+/night
Visited: Sep 2016
Aman somehow always manages to snag the most extraordinary sites as its resort grounds – a private island in the Philippines, the valleys of Bhutan, or here in Beijing, a wall apart from Empress Dowager Cixi’s garden. Set in elegant pavilions that were once imperial waiting rooms, Aman Summer Palace offers a collection of peaceful courtyards and heritage-imbued dwellings…as well as a secret direct access to the imperial garden.
北京之行的最後一天，入住頤和安缦。朋友們提醒我 － 那裡很遠哦，市區打車過去可能要一個小時呢。我說 － 完美，正好想要到安靜的地方放空一下。
This was my first time staying at an Aman, so naturally I was excited to experience this resort brand that I’ve heard so much about. “Aman” is the word for peace and protection in Sanskrit, and the characteristic of Aman Resorts is exactly that – quietude, harmony, and privacy. Opened in 2008, Aman Summer Palace is the first Aman resort in China, followed by Amanfayun (set amid forests and Buddhist temples near West Lake in Hangzhou) and Amandayan (located beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the hillside city of Lijiang).
從市區出發，加上北京果然名不虛傳的堵車盛況，真的快一個小時才抵達頤和安缦。這是我第一次入住安缦系列的酒店，對這個久仰的品牌自然有不少期待。”Aman” 是梵語裏和平、庇護的意思，而安缦酒店的特征，就是對和諧、私密的注重，選址多在文化和曆史結合的地方，如改造于杭州古村落法雲村的法雲安缦、坐落于麗江古鎮的大研安缦，還有這次我入住，與頤和園一牆之隔的頤和安缦。
From city center, it took me almost an hour to get to Aman Summer Palace with the infamous Beijing traffic. Magically, my frustration with the ride was immediately soothed upon stepping into the resort entrance and its calming ambiance – it was almost like entering another world.
2008年開業的頤和安缦是中國的第一家安缦酒店，據說是清朝時到頤和園參見慈禧太後的官員們住的地方，在安缦開業前是不對外開放的區域。爲了和周邊園景與建築相融，頤和安缦在設計時保留了傳統明清建築和四合院布局，用 “修舊如舊” 的方式改造而成。
There are many small details in the service designed to give guests a most relaxing experience, such as sitting instead of standing during the check-in process.
進入頤和安缦，映入眼簾的是舒服的深木色調，靜谧沈穩的風華，讓人心自然而然的沈靜下來。這裡有許多貼心的小細節，比如 check-in 時不像一般酒店讓客人站在前台，而是請客人舒服的坐在椅子上辦理手續。
A chilled drink, most welcome after a long ride in the taxi.
並附上一杯沁涼的迎賓飲品。
Another detail: the staff kneels as she speaks to the guest, so as to not give any pressure from the height difference.
另外，服務人員在和客人說話時是蹲著的，不會讓自己的高度給客人帶來任何壓力。
Nespresso machine for the guests.
大堂裡供客人使用的濃縮咖啡機。
To be in sync with the resort surroundings, traditional building structures of the Ming & Qing dynasties have been kept, and modern comforts were added on without disrupting the the historical heritages. There are only 51 rooms/suites at the resort, and the small number of guests allows for a very quiet space. Walking through the courtyards, you can hear rustling leaves with the wind, disrupted only by the occasional staff who walks by, greeting you warmly with a smile and simple hello.
酒店只有51個房間/套房，客人的數量自然不多，庭院裏安靜的可以聽到隨風而起、樹葉悉悉簇簇聽的聲音。偶而遇到的工作人員，都會主動和客人微笑問好。
Cute tricycles for transporting luggages.
用來載行李的可愛人力車。
The resort hosts cultural experience classes like calligraphy, paper art, kite-making, tea ceremony etc., free for all guests staying at the resort.
穿過庭院，來到頤和安缦的文化館。這裡有不少免費的文化體驗課程，如書法、剪紙，泥人、茶藝表演等。
Dotted across the property, a range of restaurants serves up traditional Cantonese cuisine and imperial dishes, western dishes and Japanese-French kaiseki fare.
餐廳的部份，有提供粵菜以及宮廷料理的 “安缦館”、法式懷石料理 “直樹” 、和西式的 “綠盎扒房”。
Among the 51 rooms/suites at Aman Summer Palace, 32 of them are located inside original buildings that date back over a century, though the guest room I was staying at is in a new building modeled after the old structures. If you are intent on staying in hundred-year-old buildings, be sure to book a suite. Upon entering the room, I was surprised to see how small it is – I was by myself and the space is plenty for sleeping, though if two people were staying in the room it would appear to be quite cramped. If you would like more living space, do choose a suite.
隨後，工作人員帶我到了房間。頤和安缦的51個房間/套房內，有32個是在百年老房子裏，不過我住的普通客房是新蓋的仿古建築，有點可惜 － 如果想要住到老房子裏，請記得要選擇套房或以上的房間。進入房間後我有點訝異空間之小，當然用來睡覺是綽綽有余了，不過如果你想要寬敞點的活動空間，最好選擇大一點的套房。
House-made Chinese pastries and fruits.
中式小點心以及水果。
The room is not as luxuriously equipped as other five star hotels or resorts, though I personally don’t much mind the simplicity. On the desk are tea and calligraphy sets for those who’d like to experience a little bit of Chinese culture.
房間裡的設備不是一般五星級酒店或著度假旅館的奢華風格，不過簡潔這點我倒是挺喜歡的。桌上有茶，還有毛筆和硯台…果然是修身養性的地方啊。
Polished to a deep luster, floors in the original structure are finished in Jin clay tiles, the same tiles used in The Forbidden City. In the new building where I was staying in, the tiles were also modeled after the Jin clay tiles, each taking over a month to finish. There’s floor heating beneath the tiles, which must be amazing during Beijing’s bitter winter.
老建築裡的地磚都是和紫禁城裏一樣的 “金磚”，而我住的新區用的是的仿制金磚，每塊也都經過一個多月的燒制以及20多道工序，成品質感非常漂亮。更棒的是設有地暖，冬天想必非常舒服。
Bathroom area. Can’t say I’m a fan of the white lighting, but the double wash basin comes in handy when there are two people staying in the room.
不特別喜歡浴室用的偏冷白光。有雙洗臉台，兩個人入住的話倒是挺方便的。
After checking in, I headed over to the Chinese restaurant for dinner. Since I was by myself, I took the restaurant’s advice and tried their small hot pots designed for individual diners. Clear and flavorful chicken soup with the freshest vegetables and meat (plus excellent wontons), this was just what my stomach needed after two days of feasting on Peking ducks.
晚餐，去了中餐廳。這裡比較出名的應該是粵菜和宮廷料理，不過由于一個人點菜不方便，所以選擇了小火鍋，剛好讓前兩天吃了太多北京烤鴨等胃稍微休息下。清淡的雞湯底，搭配上好的食材，正是我所需要的。
After dinner, many guests sat around the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening breeze with a quiet drink, but I went back to my room as I planned to get up very early the next morning…
飯後，看到不少客人在庭院裏安靜的聊天、喝著小酒。我惦記著第二天要早起，先回房間休息了（房間雖小，床倒是頗爲舒服呀）。
…And as to why I wanted to get up early – there is a secret pathway connecting Aman with The Summer Palace, and guests have the privilege of going into the imperial garden whenever they desire. Naturally one does not need to buy tickets, but the best is to be able to enjoy the beautiful garden before all the tourists crowd in.
至于爲何要早起呢，是因爲頤和安缦有一扇小門直通頤和園，可以在大門開放給遊客之前就先入園，門票什麽自然也是不需要再購買的。爲了能在清靜之中享受一下頤和園的皇家園林，我六點就起來了。
Armed with a map of The Summer Palace (it’s a huge place…) and a bottle of water prepared for me by the staff, I ventured into the garden. Other than one other guest from Aman, I didn’t see any other tourists in the vicinity. What a true luxury to be able to enjoy all this in peace.
拿著服務人員貼心的爲我准備的頤和園地圖以及水，入了園。大清早，除了另一個安縵的客人之外果然沒有其他遊客，能夠在安靜中慢慢的遊逛平時人滿爲患的頤和園，實在太幸運了。
The tourists started to crowd in around 8am, and that’s when I quickly retreated back to Aman. The resort staff who came to open the door for me considerately prepared a chilled tower, much appreciated after a two-hour walk in the gardens.
八點多遊客多了起來，我也順勢離開。回到酒店，爲我開門的服務人員准備了冰涼的毛巾，非常周到。
Then, breakfast time!
接著，到了令人開心的早餐時間。
Breakfast is served at The Grill, and with the perfect weather in September, one cannot resist but take advantage of the outdoor seating.
早餐在酒店的西餐廳，室內是挺美的，不過北京九月的天氣正好，適合坐在外面。
There’s a buffet section, and a la carte/set menus are also available. Since this is Beijing, I went for the traditional Beijing style soft bean curd served with wood ear mushrooms, egg, and soy sauce, and included in the set are freshly squeezed juice, soy milk or warm milk, two types of dim sum, fried dough sticks, and stir-fried vegetables. A delicious set, and I polished off every last bit of it.
早餐有自助餐的部份，也可以單點或點套餐。既然在北京，我選了以老北京豆腐腦爲主食的套餐，裡面含了鮮榨果汁、豆漿、點心、油條、蔬菜、新鮮水果等。老實說還是人生第一次一大早就吃豆腐腦，令人意外的美味豐盛，一點不剩的吃乾淨了。
Located within the resort is also a 300 sqm gym well-equipped with all sorts of machines. Private lessons in pilates, yoga, and taichi are also available.
隨後到處閑逛，來到健身房。300平米，裡面似乎器材非常全，還能預約普拉提、瑜伽和太極私人課程。
Not to mention the pool, the steam rooms, and the massage pools…
來泳池的時候可能因爲是中午時間吧，只有我一個人，很開心的獨享了這個鏡面泳池。更衣室裡另有蒸氣浴室、桑拿房、按摩池和冷水池，也都去玩了一圈。
…and the most spacious resting area.
…還有這個無比寬敞的休息室。
And they’ve got their own cinema! There are public screenings everyday, and you can also book it for a private session.
而且，居然有自己的電影院啊。有定時的public screening，也可以私人預約時間播放自己想看的電影。
Just before leaving for the airport, I tried the afternoon tea service at Aman. It’s set in the lovely space right near the pond, and even if you are not staying at the resort, you can come for an afternoon tea – sounds like an excellent idea especially after a long and rigorous walk in The Summer Palace, no?
最後在離開去機場之前，喝了個下午茶。環境非常的舒服，不住酒店的人也可以來試試（上午逛頤和園，下午來安缦喝茶休息，似乎是個不錯的主意？）
Aman’s afternoon tea set (298 RMB) includes 9 pastries and 5 mini sandwiches, tea or coffee, and if you tag on 90 RMB you can enjoy a glass of champagne or champagne cocktail. I love its presentation of this afternoon tea, which differs from the normal three-tier affair and fits in perfectly with the vibe of Aman Summer Palace.
下午茶套餐 268 元，包括九種甜點和五款迷你三明治、茶或咖啡，＋90元則可以再搭配香槟或香槟雞尾酒。很喜歡這個下午茶的呈現方式，盛裝的容器不同于一般的三層下午茶，中式的設計更符合頤和安缦的風格。
Pastries: mango panna cotta, chocolate brownie, salted caramel eclair, lemon tart, litchi and rose tart, mine macaron, raison scones, and lemon cake.
甜點：意式芒果布丁、巧克力慕斯、焦糖手指泡芙、蛋白霜檸檬塔、荔枝玫瑰塔、薄荷馬卡龍、檸檬蛋糕、葡萄干司康餅…
Sandwiches: English mustard chicken sandwich on rosemary garlic bread, Norwegian smoked salmon on beetroot bread, bacon-sweet corn & mayo sandwich, grilled Mediterranean vegetable wrap with guacamole sauce, crab with pickled cucumber sandwich on pesto bread.
三明治：英式芥末雞肉迷叠香蒜蓉面包、煙熏挪威鲑魚紅菜頭面包、培根甜玉米蛋黃醬三明治、蔬菜牛油果卷、蟹肉腌黃瓜香草面包三明治…
A small bar next door, open till late.
還有個小酒吧。
Outdoor seating.
也有室外的座位。
This cute little pavilion that seems to be very popular, be sure to reserve it specifically if you’d like to dine here.
可愛的小亭子，似乎非常搶手的位子，建議先訂位。
Last stroll in the courtyards before leaving, and saw this cat dozing off at on a doormat…that’s how calm this place is.
離開前，最後在安靜的庭院裏逛了一圈，遇見打盹兒的喵星人。
Aman Summer Palace is the ideal place for a quiet retreat. The only thing I did not like, as mentioned earlier, is how small the regular guest room is, so be sure to get a suite if you would like bigger space. Otherwise you can wake up early like I did to enjoy The Summer Palace, and utilize the public areas to the max (if you fancy having a whole cinema to yourself, this is where you could do it).
喜歡頤和安缦簡潔優雅，古香四溢的風格，是一個人也適合來放空的舒適地方。唯一我覺得不滿的是入住的客房比較小，如果想要寬敞一點，可以考慮預訂套房。不然就像我一樣，早起入頤和園逛逛，然後再好好的利用各個美麗寬敞的公共空間（試試一下獨自將影院包下來的感覺吧。）
頤和安缦
地址：北京頤和園宮門前街1號
電話：10 5987 9999
網站：www.aman.com
價位：每晚 3000 人民幣起
造訪日期：2016年9月
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