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SEPTEMBER 2022
Don’t get me wrong, city life is great. There are always things happening in Shanghai from brunches and networking events to performances and sports activities. But sometimes you just need a quiet, weekend getaway and a change in scenery. ClubMed Joyview Anji resorts offers just that! In just a 3-hour drive from Shanghai, you can be surrounded by bamboo forests, rolling mountains and picturesque fields of tea!
Getting to Anji
You can find just about anything on Taobao – including a private driver. Because of COVID restrictions and rules changing at a moment’s notice, we booked our driver one day before we left for Anji. In total, we paid ¥1,600 ($220) for a round trip journey, including tolls, gas, and bathroom breaks. Honestly, I felt that was a great deal considering how late we left the booking and the fact it was a holiday.
We left Shanghai at 7am sharp. The driver had confirmed his phone number and license plate the night before via WeChat. The car was clean, we felt safe, and got us from point A to point B in the most direct manner. At 10am, we arrived at the resort!
What To Do
Answer: there’s SO MUCH to do! If you don’t know where to start, here’s a list of activities we tried during our time at ClubMed Joyview.
1. Tennis. Racquets and balls are included in the price of the room. We didn’t need to reserve a court time and was the perfect way to start our day!
2. Swing suite. This was a surprise, as this was a newer addition to the resort. A 30-minute session is included in the price of the room and was enough time to drive some balls.
3. Horseback riding. This was the one thing that we paid extra for during our stay. Admittedly, it’s expensive for what the experience was, but I hadn’t been horseback riding in the longest time, so it was worth it for me. Be prepared to pay ¥100 ($15) for about 20 minutes on their field.
4. Archery. This activity is right next to the tennis courts. It’s included in the price of your room, so it’s worth trying out. Equipment was gently used, but in overall good condition. It was a fun activity, so we ended up going twice in the two days we were at the resort.
5. Kayaking. I spent 10 minutes on the water, but my husband could have spent much longer. Deep and dark water are personal fears of mine, and the seaweed-filled lake was no exception. Being so low freaked me out, so a short paddle out and back fulfilled my wish list.
6. Walk in the tea fields. Take a leisurely walk on the resort’s grounds and you’ll find winding pathways in between their well-kept tea fields. There are also many photo ops, so be sure to look out for those spots.
7. Billiards. There are three tables are adjacent to the Joy Bar. Free flow drinks are included in the all-inclusive package, so we took advantage of that while playing multiple games of pool!
Some things we didn’t take get a chance to enjoy were the indoor swimming pool (because we wanted to be outside as much as we could), the KTV room, ping pong, use the basketball courts or borrow bikes to ride on their trail.
All Inclusive Meals
To take the guess work out of our vacation, we opted for the all-inclusive package of food and drinks at all their on-site restaurants and bars. One of my favorites was The Noodle Bar, a modern and quaint venue for (surprise, surprise) noodles and quick bites. It was underrated, quiet, and was the perfect pick for your noodle cravings!
In total, we spent ¥6,176 ($940) for two nights. It’s about 2/3 of the price if you don’t include the food & drink package. It made sense and was better value if we added it in the end.
Getting Back To Shanghai
Returning to Shanghai was as easy as it would have been pre-Covid. Our driver that we hired from Taobao messaged us on WeChat the day before with the license plate and photo of the car (it was a different to the one we took the first time) and confirmed the pickup time. He got us back to Shanghai in exactly 3 hours.
Upon arrival, nobody asked for our health codes, travel codes or PCR test results. All we needed to do was inform our compound where we had traveled to, but that was it. We immediately went to our neighborhood testing site, got a COVID test and carried on the following work week like normal.
Happy traveling,
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