Angsana Xi'an Lintong — Soak in the Same Spring Yang Guifei Once Bathed In, Then Drive 15 Minutes to the Terracotta Army
Picture this: after a long day on your feet among the Terracotta Warriors, you come back to soak in a steaming outdoor mineral pool under the shadow of Mount Li — and that water is drawn from the same thermal spring that feeds the Huaqing Palace pools, where Yang Guifei is said to have bathed more than a thousand years ago. That's the appeal of Angsana Xi'an Lintong (西安临潼悦椿温泉酒店), a 5-star hot-spring resort from the Banyan Group set out in the Lintong district, east of central Xi'an. Score 9.6/10 from around 5,773 real guest reviews, and ranked the No. 1 family resort in Shaanxi. Let's be clear from the start: this is not a city hotel you can walk to the Bell Tower or City Wall from — it's a base for travellers who want to see the Terracotta Army at an easy pace and soak in the hot springs. Understand that going in, and you'll fall for it.
Honestly, the thing that sets Angsana Xi'an Lintong apart from every other hotel in our Xi'an list is the hot springs. The resort has as many as 26 outdoor mineral pools, arranged into themed zones — a family pool, a hot-spring swimming pool, separate dry saunas for men and women, plus separate nude-bathing areas with four pools on each side. The detail guests keep coming back to is that the water comes from the same thermal source as the Huaqing Pool, the ancient bath tied to the legend of Emperor Tang Xuanzong and Yang Guifei. The system circulates fresh water around the clock, and a lot of people say an evening soak after a full day of sightseeing is the best part of the whole trip.
One family recalls: "Brought the whole family and the kids were obsessed with the mineral pools — they'd happily soak all day. Rooms were big and clean, the staff looked after us well and spoke English, and the Terracotta Army was barely fifteen minutes away by car, so we'd go and then come back to the hot springs. Wonderful. Just be aware it's a fair way from the city centre, there's no metro, and you have to call a car to go anywhere."
The location needs to be spelled out clearly. The resort sits at No. 8 Yuechun East Road, Lintong District, east of Xi'an at the foot of Mount Li, a good distance from the old-town Bell Tower and City Wall. The upside is that it's right by Xi'an's most important historic sites — about a 15-minute drive to the Terracotta Army, and only around 5 minutes to the Huaqing Palace pools at the foot of the mountain. If you're planning a full day with the Warriors and would rather not drive back into the city in the evening, staying out here makes real sense: you can set off early, ahead of the tour groups, and skip the mid-morning crush with ease.
The point we have to stress, though, is that there is no metro here. Unlike city hotels such as the Sofitel Legend or the Atour by the South Gate, which are a walk from a station, getting in and out of the resort relies mainly on taxis, DiDi, or the resort's own shuttle. If you want to wander the Bell Tower, the Muslim Quarter, or the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in town, allow 40 minutes to an hour each way depending on traffic. On airports: Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY) is about a 40-minute drive, which isn't far if you head straight to the resort on arrival. So the smartest plan is to use this as your base for the eastern sights, then move into a city hotel for the days you want to explore the old town on foot.
The rooms and facilities suit a slow, restful stay. The resort has around 400 rooms in several categories, designed in a contemporary Tang style that blends into the gardens and Mount Li around it. Most rooms are spacious, and guests often praise the cleanliness and the sheer amount of room for a family. There's the signature Angsana Spa, an indoor pool, a gym, saunas, a children's pool and a playground. Several restaurants serve Cantonese, Sichuanese and general Chinese cuisine, and the breakfast scores well in reviews. The resort also has a large ballroom of more than 1,200 square metres, so it takes tour groups and corporate events too.
A score of 9.6/10 from around 5,773 real reviews shows guests come away delighted almost across the board — the recurring praise is for the hot springs, the family-friendly setup, the big clean rooms, and the quick run out to the Terracotta Army. The criticisms are real and worth weighing first. The first: rates are fairly high for a hotel outside the city, because you're paying for the hot springs and the resort experience. The second: it's a long way from the city-centre sights — if your trip is mostly about the Bell Tower, Muslim Quarter and City Wall, you'll lose a lot of time on the drive in and out. Some reviews also note that the pools get crowded over the long holidays.
Standard rates start at around ~¥1,100 (฿5,500) per night, with a typical range of ฿5,500–10,000 depending on season and room type. Some packages bundle in hot-spring entry or breakfast, which works out better value than booking a room alone. China's long holidays — Golden Week (October 1–7), Chinese New Year and Labour Day (May 1–5) — are when rates jump and rooms fill very fast, since hot-spring trips are a winter favourite for domestic travellers, so book several weeks ahead for those dates. On the whole, if you want a relaxed Xi'an trip — the Terracotta Army without the rush, and a warm mineral soak to end each day — Angsana Xi'an Lintong delivers something a city hotel simply can't.
The honest summary, friend to friend: Angsana Xi'an Lintong is for travellers who want a hot-spring trip paired with the Terracotta Army, families bringing kids to splash about, and anyone who'd rather relax resort-style than pound the city pavements. If you're fine with driving into town and don't mind the lack of a metro, it's great value and genuinely special. But if your trip is mainly about exploring central Xi'an's old quarter on foot, or you want to be near a metro line, compare it against the Sofitel Legend or the Atour by the South Gate in our list first.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ 26 outdoor hot-spring pools fed by the same source as Huaqing Palace
- ✓ A 15-minute drive to the Terracotta Army, 5 minutes to Huaqing Palace
- ✓ Big, clean rooms ideal for families, with a children's pool and playground
- ✓ Attentive, English-speaking staff and a relaxed resort atmosphere
- ! No metro — you rely on taxis, DiDi, or the resort shuttle
- ! A long way from the city-centre sights (Bell Tower / Muslim Quarter)
- ✓ Contemporary Tang-style setting that blends into Mount Li and the gardens
- ✓ Angsana Spa, indoor pool, gym and saunas all on site
- ✓ Highly rated breakfast, with Cantonese, Sichuanese and Chinese restaurants
- ✓ Some packages bundle hot-spring entry or breakfast — better value than a room alone
- ! Rates are fairly high for a hotel outside the city
- ! Pools get crowded over the Chinese long holidays
- 💡If your trip is mainly about exploring the old town on foot · This is out in Lintong with no metro, so it's a 40-minute-to-1-hour ride to the Bell Tower / Muslim Quarter each way · Fix → for city walking, look at the Sofitel Legend or the Atour by the South Gate in our list, and make the Terracotta Army a day trip
- 💡If budget is tight but you want to see the Terracotta Army · Rates run ¥1,100+/night with the resort and hot springs built in, and climb over holidays · Fix → stay at a cheaper city hotel and take a car or tour out to the Warriors for a morning, or pick a package that bundles in hot-spring entry for better value
- 💡If you're visiting over a Chinese long holiday · Golden Week / Chinese New Year / Labour Day draw winter hot-spring crowds, so rates spike and the pools get busy · Fix → book several weeks ahead, take a free-cancellation rate, and soak early morning or late at night to dodge the busiest hours