Just returned from 12 days in China. Our first stop was lovely Guilin, where we stayed in the Relais & Chateaux Hotel of Modern Art (HOMA) in the Yuzi Paradise sculpture park. An absolute must-see/ must-experience!! Aside from being situated in a breathtakingly gorgeous setting, the hotel itself is wonderful in every way. Each of the 49 rooms is uniquely decorated--whimsical and chic at the same time-- and the original artwork around the hotel is fabulous. We stayed in one of the "Family Rooms"--my husband and I in a king bed downstairs and our daughter in one of the two twin beds upstairs in the spacious loft. Not only stunning, but the linens were exquisite and these were probably the most comfortable beds we'd ever slept in!! The service was excellent--gracious, accommodating and friendly (ask to speak to Ian, the Sales and Marketing Manager, and your experience will be flawless)-- and the food was superb. But grab a Rolls Royce-style golf cart and take off on a tour of the grounds and you will really know you have found paradise....Oh, and just when you think it can't get any better, let the hotel prepare a Cave Hot Pot lunch or dinner for you-- I won't spoil it but saying more!

We stayed at this hotel as part of an extended tour of China booked through a tour operator. We were due to stay at Sheraton but were told after we arrived at the airport that the hotel smelt of paint following renovations and that company had moved us to this hotel. It was the first time the hotel in this resort (Paradise) had been used. We were warned not to compare rooms as each one of the 49 rooms would be very different. We were also told that it was considerably more expensive than the Sheraton. We eventually arrived in the dark and the coach driver had to find a staff member to direct us to the building. It immediately became obvious that we were going to be staying at a special place. We were rapidly given our room key and found our room. On entering my husband and I roared with laughter. Can you imagine a room that looked like a troglodyte cave? This was exactly was our room appeared to be. It had two double beds with moulded built in bedside tables. The desk and seating areas were also moulded and the bathroom efficiently equipped. Breakfast on the first morning was in a slightly crowded room/bar with food individually prepared. On the second morning, breakfast was served buffet style in a newly opened dining room. This resort consists of two hotels and we ate our farewell dinner in the second one which was equally impressive and larger. The grounds of this resort are a huge area of parkland and lakes surrounded by the hills for which Guilin is so famous. The owner invites world famous artists and sculptors etc to visit and create works of art which are then left and sited in and around the buildings and grounds. Staff drove us around in a buggy to view these. A man was working on a huge slab of granite and workshops exist on site for classes in various related subjects. When viewing the hotel from the outside, the shape resembles a pyramid with grass covered roofs to ground level, making it hardly visable in the environment.. This was a wonderful resort and everyone in the part felt they could stayed longer and unwound. Spa, swimming pool and other facilities are on site.

This is not your typical luxury hotel even though it is part of Relais-Chateaux. I agree with other travellers that there are some areas of improvement but hey, this is China and English is not their mother tongue. They really try hard and the location and hotel is stunning. We stayed 4 nights in HOMA 2 which is for sure the funkiest hotel I have ever stayed in. Rooms were great and quiet and the lobby, spa, restaurant were all very nicely designed. We had breakfast every morning on the terrace in the garden and the food was good and you could hear the birds sing their songs. The art park is beautiful and we toured around on our bikes for a morning and even were invited to join some of the artists who were working on clay sculptures. The location is not perfect if the main reason of your stay is to explore Guilin and Yangshuo but it was an easy drive to get there. You will have to barter hard for taxis and the hotel car. We did the Li River cruise one day and walked and cycled around Yangshuo another day. On that day we also went to the Sanjie Liu lightshow which was amazing! So impressive especially knowing that most of the actors are local farmers and fishermen. On the last night we asked the hotel to organise the picnic as recommended by one of the other reviewers. That picnic blew us away! We were driven to our location where they had set up a dining table and two chairs for us and we had the most amazing meal there served by three staff from the hotel. We were overlooking a small lake with the karst mountains in the background. Then at the end of our diner all of a sudden a five minute firework show went off, can you imagine that??? So romantic! I highly recommend this place and with more and more western travellers they will improve their service level immediately. Truly a gem!

As many people say, this place must be seen to be believed. And, even then, you won't quite believe it. I have been to Guilin many times (I have business in nearby Lipu), so I had gone by the sign for this property a few times before and been intrigued. So, I insisted that my local friend take me there. The beauty, layout and architecture are stunning. But, there was something else. As we were sitting at dinner in one of the restaurants, our group realized one thing. The contrast between the ancient and old outside the grounds, the old hills and the utterly modern park and hotel we were in was so great as to move into the sublime--an experience of art (being art) that I have never quite known before. Along the lines of being in a nice warm cabin with a fire going while an intense snow storm raged outside. Unbelievable by itself. Now, I have been to Guilin and Yangshuo many times, so I didn't feel I was missing out on a "Chinese" experience. If your trip includes other Chinese cities and you want something quite different, this is the place to stay. There is nothing like it in China. If you feel you need the quaint Chinese experience, then, you might opt for something else.