Yanqi Hotel by Kempinski — Open the Curtains to a Lake and Mountains at One of the Closest Stays to the Great Wall

Here's what really sets this resort apart from a city hotel — the atmosphere and the space. The buildings are low-rise, arranged around a still reflecting court, with a large glass pavilion at its centre that glows beautifully in the water at dusk. Around it is Yanqi Lake and the mountains, not skyscrapers and traffic. There are only 110 rooms and suites, each starting at 54 sqm and running up to 456 sqm for the biggest suites. Plenty of guests say the rooms are larger than they expected, the beds are comfortable, and the view from the window is the thing they remember longest.

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The big draw is the location near the Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城) — about 25 km away, roughly a 20-minute drive, far closer than staying in the city. If you plan to walk the wall first thing in the morning before the crowds, basing yourself out here saves you an hour or more of round-trip driving. Beyond Mutianyu, the area also has Hongluo Temple and Yanqi Lake itself for a stroll or a paddle. It's a calm, green, semi-rural setting.

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But let's be clear before you book — there's no metro here, and it's a long way from the centre. It's about 60 km from Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, a roughly 1.5-hour drive in normal traffic, while Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) is around 45 km away. The realistic way in and out is driving yourself, a ride-hail (DiDi), or the hotel's transfer service. If your plan is museums, shopping and the old city every day, this isn't the place. But if you're here to relax and see the Great Wall, the location fits that plan perfectly.

On facilities, the resort is set up for full days on site. There's Kempinski The Spa for a recovery massage after a day on the wall, a fitness centre with an indoor swimming pool, plus a separate children's pool, a lakeside marina, tennis courts, and a Kids' Club — which makes it a genuinely good fit for families. For food there are Chinese restaurants and a breakfast buffet on site. The feature guests praise most consistently is the service — attentive, warm, and on top of every detail. It's no surprise the Yanqi Island team has handled banquets at leaders'-summit level.

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The overall picture from real reviews is strong — TripAdvisor rates it 5/5 and ranks it near the top of all Beijing hotels (around #6 of more than 3,500), while Hotels.com runs as high as 9.6 and Booking.com sits around 8.8. Blending those, we land on a realistic 9.0/10. What guests agree on is the calm, the room size, the views and the service. The recurring criticisms are real too: first, the distance and the reliance on a car; and second, the limited choice of restaurants and evening activity nearby, because it's a suburban resort rather than a city district where food is a walk away at any hour.

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On price, a standard room starts at around ~¥3,800 (฿19,000) per night — you may see less on a deal, and clearly more in peak and long-holiday periods. We'd always check the rate for your actual dates, because a resort like this swings a lot with the season. China's Golden Week (October 1–7) and Chinese New Year send prices up and fill rooms fast, so if you're travelling then, book several months ahead and take a free-cancellation rate. The best weather for the Great Wall is spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October).

The honest summary, friend to friend: Yanqi Hotel by Kempinski is for travellers who want a quiet day off by the lake, big rooms, and a base close to the Great Wall. If you split your Beijing trip in two — city hotel for the old town one stretch, suburban resort to wind down another — this is the answer that fits. But if your trip is city sightseeing every day and budget leads the call, look at the Wangfujing or CBD options in our Beijing list first.