Somerset Yangtze River Chongqing — Spacious Apartments with Full Kitchens and Yangtze Views, Made for Families and Long Stays
Picture spending several days in Chongqing and wanting a place that's genuinely roomy — a separate living area, a kitchen so you can cook for yourself — and a window that opens onto the Yangtze flowing past. That's what guests get at Somerset Yangtze River Chongqing (重庆长江盛捷服务公寓). This is a 4-star serviced apartment under the Somerset (The Ascott) brand, sitting on the Yangtze riverside of the Yuzhong (渝中) peninsula at No.151 Changjiang Binjiang Road, just a short hop from the Jiefangbei CBD. Score 9.3/10 from around 1,213 real guest reviews. The selling point is clear: apartment-style units with full kitchens and plenty of space. Honestly, if you're staying multiple nights, travelling as a family, or tired of cramped hotel rooms, this is a different proposition altogether — more like having a small home by the river.
Here's what sets Somerset Yangtze River Chongqing apart from a regular hotel — it's a serviced apartment, not a standard hotel room. It's part of the Somerset brand within The Ascott group, opened back in 2016, with around 180 units. They range from a studio of about 38 square metres up to 1- and 2-bedroom apartments as large as ~100 square metres, and nearly all of them come with a fully equipped kitchen, separate living and dining areas, and an in-unit washer/dryer. What guests mention most often is the sheer size of the living room and kitchen — if you've ever felt boxed in by a small hotel room, this feels properly open by comparison.
One guest recalls: "The room was huge — the living room and kitchen were big enough to cook in properly. Four of us stayed and it never felt cramped. The staff were polite and looked after us, even upgraded our room, and the Yangtze river view was lovely. Perfect for a longer stay of several nights."
There's a thing about the location to understand before you book — Somerset sits on the Yangtze riverside of the Yuzhong (渝中) peninsula, along Changjiang Binjiang Road, a riverside stretch that's noticeably quieter than the middle of Jiefangbei. The upside is the river view and the calm; the trade-off is that you're not right next to the big shopping streets or supermarkets. A few guests note the location is a little removed from the main food and shopping, with some up-and-down hill walking in classic Chongqing mountain-city style, though there's enough to eat nearby that it's no real hardship. If you'd rather have riverside quiet than downtown bustle, this address works in your favour.
Getting around: Jiaochangkou station (Lines 1/2) is about 1 km away, roughly a 15-minute walk, with Linjiangmen station a bit further (~1.3 km). Chongqing is the famous 8D mountain city, with roads stacked over roads, so the walk to the metro can involve some steps or ramps — allow a little extra time and energy. From here the Jiefangbei (解放碑) CBD is very close, and Hongyadong (洪崖洞), the Chaotianmen (朝天门) confluence and the Shibati Old Street (十八梯) stepped lanes are all easy onward trips. Jiangbei (CKG) airport is about 22 km away, reachable by taxi or metro.
For a serviced apartment the facilities are generous. There's an indoor swimming pool, a gym, an all-day dining restaurant, a reading lounge and free parking. The feature most people single out is the in-unit kitchen, which saves a lot on food — especially for groups or longer stays, you can pick up groceries to cook, or reheat takeaway back in the apartment. Add the in-unit washer/dryer and you can pack lighter and skip the bulky suitcase, which makes it genuinely suited to longer trips.
A score of 9.3/10 from around 1,213 real reviews shows most guests come away happy — the recurring praise is for the spacious rooms, the big kitchens, the river views, and the polite, helpful staff, with several guests getting room upgrades. The criticisms are real and worth knowing first: some reviews note that parts of the furniture and fittings are starting to show their age, and ask for better cleaning and upkeep, while a few feel the breakfast could improve. That's fairly typical of a building that's been open for several years. If your focus is on space and the kitchen, these are easy to live with — but if you expect everything to feel brand new, temper your expectations a touch.
Standard rates start at around ~¥420 (฿2,100) per night for a studio, with a typical range of about ฿2,000–4,000 depending on season and unit size; the larger 1- and 2-bedroom apartments and full river-view units climb from there. China's long holidays — Golden Week (October 1–7), Chinese New Year, and Labour Day (May 1–5) — see rates spike and rooms fill fast, so book ahead and take a free-cancellation rate to be safe. Set against the city's 5-star river-view hotels that run several thousand a night, a serviced apartment that gives you the space, a kitchen and a river view at this level is good value for anyone settling in for a while.
The honest summary, friend to friend: Somerset Yangtze River Chongqing is for travellers who are staying several nights, travelling as a family, or who want a spacious apartment with a kitchen by the river — rather than those who want to sleep in the busy tourist heart and walk straight to Hongyadong. If you value space, a homely feel, and saving on meals with an in-unit kitchen, this is great value. But if you'd rather step out of the lobby and be at Hongyadong and Jiefangbei right away, compare it against the Crystal Orange Jiefangbei Hongyadong in our list first.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Spacious apartment-style units with separate living areas — great for groups
- ✓ Full kitchens + washer/dryer — cook and do laundry yourself, ideal for long stays
- ✓ Yangtze river views on the quiet Yuzhong side, close to the Jiefangbei CBD
- ✓ Polite, helpful staff, with several guests reporting room upgrades
- ! Location is removed from the big shopping streets and supermarkets
- ! Some furniture and fittings are showing their age; cleaning could be sharper in places
- ✓ Roomy living areas and kitchens, made for long stays and families
- ✓ Indoor pool, gym and free parking — well rounded for a serviced apartment
- ✓ Somerset (The Ascott) brand with international standards, accepts foreign passports
- ✓ Lovely, calm Yangtze river views from the river-view units
- ! Some up-and-down hill walking to the metro about 1 km away, mountain-city style
- ! Breakfast and a few service touches could still improve, per reviews
- 💡If you want to sleep in the tourist heart, walking distance to Hongyadong · Somerset is on the quieter Yangtze riverside in Yuzhong — you'll travel a little further to Hongyadong and Jiefangbei · Fix → look at the Crystal Orange Jiefangbei Hongyadong or Atour S Hongyadong, a 5-minute walk to Hongyadong, in our Chongqing hotels list
- 💡If you need everything to feel brand new · The building opened in 2016 and some furniture and fittings are showing their age, with a few reviews asking for sharper cleaning · Fix → if newness is the priority, choose a recently opened design hotel in Jiefangbei, or see other options in our Chongqing hotels list
- 💡If you're only staying 1–2 nights and won't cook · The real value here is the kitchen and space for longer trips; on a short stay you may not use them fully · Fix → central Jiefangbei hotels like the JI or Vienna pedestrian-street branches sit more centrally and cost less for a short stay — see our Chongqing hotels list