Live Your Best Lives
This year, for Children's Day, my best friend and I, along with our two families, four adults and two children, traveled to Club Med Joyview Beijing Yanqing Resort for three days and two nights. I remember when I was little, my parents would only take me to the amusement park for a full day on Children's Day. Back then, I wished every day was Children's Day. When I became a mother, I realized that this extravagant wish of mine could really be fulfilled by choosing the right hotel and making every day feel like a holiday~
People often say that my bestie and I look alike. Look at the two little ones, don’t they look like twins?
People often say that my bestie and I look alike. Look at the two little ones, don’t they look like twins?
At dawn, stroll through the idyllic green hills and plains.
As the drizzle falls, immerse yourself in the world of games at the Mini Club.
As the gentle breeze caresses your face, wander through the innocent paradise of the outdoor playground.
As the sky is filled with rosy clouds, lose yourself in the poetic church shrouded in mountain mist.
As the words on the resort wall say, "The best part is savoring every second of your vacation."
Club Med Joyview Beijing Yanqing Resort has 307 rooms. I heard the hotel was fully booked on the Saturday before Children's Day, and I was worried it would be too crowded and ruin the experience. It turned out I was wrong, as the hotel covers an area of approximately 5,500 mu (approximately 1,670 acres), equivalent to the size of 511 football fields! Shocking, I was also impressed. Because the space is spacious and the entertainment facilities are numerous and large, even when fully booked, the crowds are still relatively dispersed. Although it's already post-pandemic, Club Med Joyview Beijing Yanqing Resort still has comprehensive safety measures. The detailed check-in form is very reassuring. GO gave us the green all-inclusive wristbands we needed, allowing us to move freely throughout the resort.
[Room | An unexpected bonus in a Superior Twin Room]
Club Med's quality is always high, and the rooms in Yanqing are also simple and elegant. The main colors are wood and pure white, with bright lemon yellow accents, which puts you in a holiday mood as soon as you enter the room. For families with young children, a double room is of course the most convenient. However, when we booked, there were only twin rooms available. Fortunately, we could add an extra bed for free. This time, I also discovered that Summer, who's not even 4 yet, can already sleep in her crib. As a mother, I'm both relieved and sad to let her go. I'm happy that she's gradually becoming independent, but I also feel a little lost when I think about not being able to cuddle my soft little darling at night.
My room is also very close to my best friend's, so the two kids often visit each other, constantly saying "your house" and "my house." If only our two families lived so close together~
[Environment | Get all the most Instagrammable photo spots]
The main structure of the hotel has a French winery feel. A closer look at the resort's logo reveals that the surrounding mountains and winery are its defining features. The resort's grounds boast 660 acres of vineyards and a winery, showcasing a fine selection of its own wines. Wine tasting courses with professionals are also available for those interested. Before we go play with the kids, of course, we two moms have to take some photos. After three days and two nights of exploring the area, I've found all the perfect photo spots~
1. In front of the hotel lobby
Walk past the fountain and stand in front of the hotel logo—a must-take photo. Behind you are the symmetrical French-style buildings, the blue sky, white clouds, and the lawn—and you're instantly in the mood for vacation!
2. Walk through the hotel's ground-floor corridor to the second-floor "playground." With its glass curtain walls and white frame, simply standing on the colorful floor creates an Instagram-worthy vibe and is a great photo spot. 3. There is a pattern of colorful stones under the corridor, which is very childlike and suitable for children to take pictures here. 4. On the lawn of the outdoor playground, a brick-red mini windmill stood quietly, framed by rolling hills. The clouds that day resembled the sky from a Makoto Shinkai film or a scene from a manga. Seriously, you could take photos anywhere here; it was incredibly photogenic.
5. Beside the lawn of the outdoor playground, a path stretched out, seemingly leading to the endless distance, offering a sense of comfort, escaping the hustle and bustle of the city. This lawn is also a great place to take family photos.
[Environment | A poetic church amidst green mountains and plains]
At Club Med Joyview My favorite feature of Beijing's Yanqing Resort is this church-like building nestled beneath the mountains. Its triangular shape, wooden structure, and openwork design seamlessly blend into the surroundings. Through the cross, the shifting shadows of the sky, clouds, and mountain forests give the church a less religious air and more of a sense of the sacredness of nature's animism. The effect of this shifting light on the church even reminds me of Tadao Ando's Church of the Light.
Next to the church is a small shop called "Miss Meow." A giant tree casts dappled light and shadows on the wooden floor. Just imagining the family enjoying a drink together in such an environment is heart-warming.
Fun | The largest children's playground in Club Med in Asia
At Club Med, the all-inclusive package includes numerous family-friendly activities, which was undoubtedly the highlight of our stay! Not only our two little ones, but our four older children also had a blast. Yanqing Resort's recreational activities are primarily divided into indoor and outdoor areas, with the majority of indoor activities concentrated in this second-floor "playground." The Mini Club offers a variety of themed activities every day, ensuring your child's time is enriched and meaningful. There's a sponge pool, mini trampoline, ball pit and slide, mini castle... and a variety of other play facilities. There's also a kitchen where you can experience family cooking classes, though this will depend on the hotel's availability. Summer also played a fun card game with her older siblings, guided by GO Sisters.
The first floor houses the water park and sports hall, perfect for the whole family. Unfortunately, they're temporarily closed during the pandemic. But we took a quick tour and were truly eager to play. Now that Beijing has downgraded its emergency response to Level 3, we believe these two key facilities will reopen soon. We'll definitely be back for the water park and sports hall.
The indoor children's playground on the second floor is a haven for the little ones! According to the introduction, this is the largest children's playground in any Club Med resort in Asia. It's divided into three areas: a family fun space, a mini club, and a kitchen classroom. A whole day's playtime is truly not enough!
The Game Factory features many high-tech interactive games, including an interactive beach and soccer... The two children's favorite is the interactive ocean ball game. They use the ocean balls as "weapons" to show off their skills in games projected onto the wall. Games like Candy Crush, Whack-A-Mole, and Tetris are so much more fun to play on a small screen!
The "Family Fun Space" is free for both room and breakfast guests and all-inclusive package guests. It's perfect for kids under four years old and features a game wall, climbing area, role-playing zone, and more. There's so much to do and do.
The music academy has a lot of interesting interactive music facilities - piano keys that can be stepped on to make rhythms, a round drum table for playing ensembles, and various percussion instruments... To be honest, adults actually find it fun too~
Actually, except for the rain on Saturday, we spent most of the day at the indoor playground. Most of the time, I prefer to take my kids to the outdoor playground, where I'd rather let them bask in the sunshine, feel the gentle early summer breeze, and appreciate the gifts of nature. I really like the outdoor playground of Club Med Joyview Beijing Yanqing Resort. The sky is vast, the mountains are green and the grass is verdant. The environment is so comfortable. The children love this set of outdoor play facilities the most, including slides, climbing frames, swings... It is another holy place for (semi-)liberating parents and killing time.
Basketball is Summer's dad's strong point. Look at the kids' youthful faces~
It's so rare to play football on a real "green" field~
This almost 4-year-old is still having trouble holding the hula hoop~
Fun | Exciting Nighttime Shows
Every evening at 8 p.m., a different themed show takes place on the stage on the first floor of the "Playground." Friday's theme was Chinese, with lion dances, Tai Chi, and acrobatics, and the children were fascinated.
After the show, all the children were called on stage to dance along with the performers. It wasn’t enough for the kids to have fun alone. A dance teacher from Hawaii and an energetic fitness instructor led the entire audience in moving their bodies. The atmosphere was incredibly lively!
After exercising, I ordered a fine cocktail at the bar next door and watched the kids continue to play. After returning to the room, Summer almost fell asleep on the bed in a second haha
Saturday night's performance was specially designed for Children's Day, with the cast consisting of young guests staying at the hotel that day. The performances were divided into groups based on age and gender, with Summer in the youngest group. After the afternoon celebration, there was a short rehearsal. After the groups were divided, the group's instructors led the children in a dance routine.
Speaking of which, this was probably Summer's first official stage performance. The hotel was really attentive, even having formal makeup and hair after rehearsal. This was especially true for the little girls, as many of them were probably experiencing their first stage makeup. Like all parents and children, they never imagined their holiday would involve a performance! Summer wasn't even four years old yet, and his group was the first to perform, so there were a lot of problems. There was also a little boy who cried the whole time, and followed the GO movements from the audience while crying. It was not easy~
I have to give a shout-out to Summer here After changing into costumes, children had to leave their parents and wait backstage with their fellow actors. We were actually worried he'd have a meltdown after his parents' sudden departure. But he surprised us all by happily waiting to go on stage. Once on stage, he followed the GO routine with utmost dedication. Since we'd only rehearsed it once, he was a little slow at first, but then he got into it. Hearing people around him praise Summer on stage, saying, "What a great guy!" nearly moved his mother to tears.
The children in other groups also performed better and better on stage as they got older. Especially the girls dancing to Wang Xinling's "Love You." It's hard to believe they only had one rehearsal.
Rather than just playing and enjoying the show, perhaps the best Children's Day gift is to strive for excellence on stage and break through all your "firsts."
Fun | A Lively Children's Day Celebration
We chose this time to give the children a truly ceremonial Children's Day celebration in the Club Med atmosphere. The Children's Day celebration officially began at 3:00 PM on Saturday. Although the event had to be moved from the outdoors to the first floor of the playground due to poor weather, the lively atmosphere was unaffected. During the parent-child DIY session, the two children completed the bling bling masks with the help of their mother (mostly). The children painted the paintings while their mothers helped apply the sparkling gemstone stickers. I think the mothers actually had more fun—parent-child activities are so easy for adults to reconnect with their inner child.
The venue was dotted with various inflatable rides, each transformed into a festive cartoon character. It truly felt like I was transported back to my childhood.
Fun | Fairytale Train Ride
One day, while aimlessly strolling around the resort, we suddenly stumbled upon a fairytale-like train.
The maroon train, festooned with rainbow-colored ribbons, floated in the breeze alongside a crystal-clear wishing bottle. The kids said it looked like Thomas the Tank Engine! The train journey loops around the resort, offering stunning views and two stops perfect for kids. The first is the adorable mini-zoo, where kids can feed rabbits, ponies, and sika deer, and observe the majestic white geese and peacocks.
Food & Drink | A buffet restaurant where you won't get tired of eating six meals a day
Club Med Joyview Beijing Yanqing Resort offers a total of six restaurants and bars. Currently open are Xunwei Restaurant, Yi Bar, and the Lobby Bar. Xunwei Restaurant is the resort's main restaurant and serves buffet-style meals. We enjoyed six buffet meals during our three-day, two-night stay and never tire of them—a testament to the quality.
For breakfast, I think the highlight is the noodle stall and the freshly made pancakes, which have a bit of a street food feel. Compared to Western breakfasts, the pancakes, fried dough sticks, and noodle soup make me feel more homely.
The Chinese food is even more diverse. Just like in the morning, there are also snacks such as freshly made cold noodles and jelly. It’s more appetizing to eat it with a big meal~
The desserts were especially adorable!
I was particularly impressed that lunch coincided with a guest's birthday, and GO performed in costume and joined everyone in singing happy birthday for him. I was truly envious. What a thoughtful hotel!
Food & Drink | Unlimited Happy Otaku Water
With the all-inclusive package, you can enjoy unlimited drinks throughout the resort, including a variety of hot and cold beverages and alcoholic beverages (a quick look at the beverage menu shows around a hundred options, with about two-thirds included in the all-inclusive package, meaning free, which was more than enough for us). Whether you're working up a sweat at the outdoor playground, exhausted at the mini club, or enjoying the evening shows, you can always order a drink at the lobby bar or the Yi Bar.
The kids' favorite juice—it was so satisfying!
The perfect vacation is one with unlimited Happy Otaku Water! Tips | Should I choose an all-inclusive package or room with breakfast?
Personally, I think the all-inclusive package is the best choice, as it's one of the essences of Club Med and offers exceptional value.
Exclusive benefits for all-inclusive guests:
Includes access to resort facilities after 3 PM on the day of check-in, meals at all restaurants and bars, and breakfast and lunch on the day of check-out. Drinks only include the first two pages of the wine list.
Check-out is by 11 AM, and after check-out, you can use the wristband to continue using the resort facilities until 5 PM on the day of check-out.
Many attractions are only available with the all-inclusive package. I still remember when Summer was younger, he would cry and refuse to leave at the end of every trip. But this time, although he was deeply reluctant to leave—reluctant to leave his friends, the playground, the stunning scenery at the foot of the mountains, and the sweet juice that was always available on demand—he finally stopped crying and refusing to go home. Perhaps it's because he's vaguely understood that the end of a trip isn't the end; there's always the next beginning.
Summer's dad said he feels like Summer grows up a lot after each trip. Yes, I've always felt that for children, travel is the most gentle and powerful way to grow. I'm looking forward to my next trip to Club Med. I wonder what will linger in Summer's memories~
Number of days：3 days, Average cost: 220 yuan,
Number of days:4 days, Average cost:1600 yuan,
Number of days：5 days, , Updated: 2023.04.06
Number of days: 2 days, Average cost: 500 yuan, Updated: 2020.04.23
Number of days：9 days, Average cost: 3000 yuan, Updated: 2021.08.16
Number of days：4 days, Average cost: 1500 yuan,
