A Day of Leisure in Jinling: Nanjing Yihe Jiezi Garden

Located near the Confucius Temple, this hotel is built around a traditional Chinese garden. The garden is quite spacious, with ancient architecture surrounding a central lake, adorned with rockeries and lush greenery. The hotel itself is small in scale, with its highlights being the garden and prime location. The Chinese restaurant is nestled within the garden, where the mural at the end of the corridor and the opera melodies playing in the courtyard create a charming ambiance. The design has its merits and flaws. The bedside and wall lamps are subtle and elegant, but the outdated dark red TV feature wall gives off a strong vibe of an old-fashioned hotel or guesthouse, which is a pity. The bathtub is positioned a bit low, making it feel slightly oppressive as it doesn’t offer a view outside, so I didn’t use it. Otherwise, the design is quite reasonable, though some aging parts seem not meticulously maintained (e.g., minor wall cracks around the faucet—a common issue with domestic brands). Still, you can sense the effort put into making this flagship room type stand out. The hotel offers a semi-buffet breakfast, where you can effortlessly enjoy a steaming bowl of duck blood and vermicelli soup made fresh at the live station. The service is impeccable, with warm and responsive staff—mostly gentle ladies or young women—who are very helpful. I encountered no difficulties during my stay. The biggest selling point is the view of Jiezi Garden right outside this room. The garden itself is quite small, taking no more than 15 minutes to explore, but guests have 24-hour access. I heard there are Kunqu opera performances on weekends. This allows you to quietly savor the exquisite world crafted by Li Yu, a renowned scholar of the Qing Dynasty, adding a unique flavor and insight to the experience.