Introduction: Too Low for a Tulou
Cathay Dragon 602 A320 Economy Class Hong Kong to Xiamen
Barkla Concept Hotel Xiamen
Fuxinglou Tulou Yunshuiyao
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort
Cathay Dragon 603 A320 Economy Class Xiamen to Hong Kong
While I liked the tulou stay, I was really looking forward to staying in a decent hotel in our last night in Fujian. I was thrilled when we pulled into what seemed like a series of small buildings, which I believed was the Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Fujian.
The exterior of the hotel has one of those cheap rolling Chinese signs that I haven’t seen since I stayed at the Jinhong Garden Villa in Lijiang a year and a half prior, but otherwise it looks great and dainty.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Exterior
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Entrance
The hotel’s lobby is stereotypically Chinese – marble, with a light display, and the check-in desks were far to the right. I did love that the hotel had its own Chinese flair and decorations, and couldn’t have been anywhere else in the world.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby
As a Chinese hotel the check-in desk was lined with its own bling.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby Check-in Desk
The lobby lounge was located in the middle of the lobby, and featured a few chairs. I didn’t spend any time there so I don’t know if it’s serviced or not, but it does look like an island in the middle of everything (the lifts, the rooms, the restaurant, the check-in desks, the entrance, etc.).
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby Lounge
(The boxes were there for those of us who bought tea at the tulou to get our tea back, as A De didn’t have time to distribute the tea to us personally so just packed it into a box and placed it onto our bus before it went to pick us up after a hike.)
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Lobby Lounge
My roommate Jenkin and I were assigned room 2516, on the fifth floor of the hotel (near the top) at the end of the hallway. The hallways themselves also stuck to the “modern Chinese business hotel” theme, which this hotel seemed to be really aligned to.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Hallway
The room wasn’t too far from the elevators, as the hotel isn’t huge.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Floorplan
The wood finishes carried on to the door, and the tackiness carried on to the signage that the hotel had. The signage was bright.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Entrance
Really bright.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Entrance Signage
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Xiayang
Check-in: Thursday, November 17, 2016
Room Type: Deluxe Twin
Room Number: 2516
Stay duration: 1 night
Check-out: Friday, November 18, 2016
The room featured an entryway, which went straight into the room with a right fork into the bathroom.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Entryway
My first impression of the room was that it was gorgeous. While it still seemed more like a business hotel than anything resembling a resort, I loved the modern decor in the room. The room featured two comfortable beds, a desk and chair, a chaise longue and a flatscreen TV.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Room
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Beds
The chaise longue was very comfortable and I liked the patterning that added to the modernity of the room.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Chaise Longue
While I’m a bigger fan of square desks, this one was fine for working (though naturally I moved closer and closer to the bed as the day moved on).
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Desk and Chair
It was noticeable that despite still being dirt cheap this hotel was stocked with many more amenities, including some bathrobes and a working safe.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Cupboard
In addition to that, the room also featured bottled water, which we eventually found ourselves needing the next day. There were only two bottles, though, so they could’ve been slightly more generous.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bottled Water
The bathroom was similarly modern and business hotel-like, and featured a toilet, sink and walk-in shower.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom
While the dots for hot and cold water were a little tacky, they were useful.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom Sink
I found it weird that there was a sticker on the toilet sink – it reads “Micky’s Cleaning”, though I’m not sure if it’s just really cheap advertising, or…
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom Toilet Sticker
While the water pressure from the rainforest shower was dreadful, it’s good to have the option, and I’m pretty sure it was just slightly dysfunctional. The shower head was much better and was rather comfortable – a joy after the (understandably) dreadful shower at the tulou.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom Shower
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom Shower Controls
The toiletries were also really tacky, though they weren’t terrible.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Deluxe Twin Bathroom Shower Toiletries
Overall I thought the room was really nicely designed, worth way more than the HK$230 we paid, and was really nice to stay in, even for just a night.
Our rate included breakfast, which was served at the hotel’s restaurant. While the restaurant as such is a little past its prime, the food ranged from pleasant to very good.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
There was even a noodle bar where you could select your own toppings…but you better know Chinese, or else there’s no way you’ll get your order across!
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread
I had handmade noodles with garlic and spring onion, which was delicious and much better than anything else in the spread
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Breakfast Spread Noodles
In terms of the hotel’s facilities, there’s obviously the adjacent hot springs resort, which apparently consists of fourteen small pools each with their own temperatures – nice! However, I wasn’t feeling all that well at night and had a lot to do, so stayed out.
We did end up going to dinner at another of the hotel’s adjacent restaurants, which seems to be a higher class Chinese restaurant. The food there was traditional – while I didn’t like the suan cai at all, everything else was good.
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Dinner
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Dinner
Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort Dinner
In terms of the service we didn’t get much, but I don’t expect too much as I’m not sure how their working conditions are like in one of a small series of townships in China, four hours from Xiamen. It didn’t help that most of the guests were Chinese and were basically clueless about how to stay in a hotel.
WiFi at the hotel ranged from great, to dysfunctional – the speed fluctuated so quickly that I eventually gave up and resorted to using data from my phone, where I’d purchased an unlimited plan.
Bottom Line
While I’m not sure if I’d stay here with family, the Hakka Capital Hot Springs Resort was a great, functioning hotel. While there’s near nothing to do in the surrounding area, it sure is a resort in itself, feels like one, and I’d probably stop by for a night if I were exploring near the area. Due to the sad WiFi situation, though, I don’t think I’d stay here for any longer than that.