Xiamen Riyuegu Hot Spring Resort Communities, Fujian, China

5Mokkey8 5:00 PM Dec 25, 2013

Awesome - relaxation heaven. A must do in Xiamen
This was pure bliss and much needed to recharge the body (from the walking up Nanputuo Temple and trek around Gulangyu Island). If you come to Xiamen, do not miss this. This should really be higher on the attraction list in Xiamen as it beats the other places hands down. Tips: - If possible get a Chinese friend/local to purchase the tickets on Taobao (an online market) which has reduced prices. Not sure if there were cheaper deals but I paid RMB 238 per ticket which included the return shuttle bus (normally RMB 30), entrance fee and buffet dinner (normally RMB 138) - Even if you do not manage to buy this on taobao, still try and take the shuttle bus to the resort as the ride is around 40mins and will cost at least RMB 100 each way (I'm guessing but was told it was around RMB 150 - 200). Regardless, the shuttle bus is cheap and convenient - Shuttle Bus is on the same side of the road as Lundu Ferry Pier (about 50m further up). Best landmark which others have mentioned is the two tall buildings on the other side of the road, one is CCB (China Construction Bank) with a big CCB sign at the top and the next one along is brownish in colour (no sign that I could see at the top) with ABC (Agricultural Bank of China) branch at the bottom. - If you get a bus here (various buses from my hotel - Tegoo Hotel, next to Millennium Harbour View Hotel) you can get off at the ferry stop. Walk towards the two buildings above (you can't miss them as they are the tallest buildings around) and you will see an underpassage to go opposite the road. The shuttle bus leaves every hour on the hour and is gold in colour - Riyuegu Hotel Resorts is on the side. Just in case, it will be parked outside a seafood restaurant called "Lucky Full City Seafood Ltd". - Either show the SMS to verify the bus is included in your deal or pay (I assume it is RMB 30 as everyone has said this) - Once you get there, just try out all the springs, pools and saunas - if you want to splash out/pay extra try the fish spa and the various spas/massages. You are given a bracelet that acts as your credit - you swipe your bracelet to pay for food, massages etc - Bring swimming costume and cap (you will need to wear a cap in a number of pools/springs) - Bring a waterproof zip bag (to carry your valuables) - otherwise, use the lockers - On leaving, your total cost is calculated from your bracelet - they will give you a card to exit the resort as well as a pass for the shuttle bus back to town Positives: - Very professional throughout (from boarding the shuttle bus, arriving at reception and leaving the resort) - I speak ok Chinese so I'm not sure the staffs level of English - Clean: I was actually surprised had well kept this was - Free fruit (10am - 12pm) - didn't try as went to the Moonlight Pavilion restaurant to have breakfast as I was starving - food was okay and not expensive - The hot springs/pools - had various pools with different 'ingredients' from beer, wine, lavender, roses etc - just try them all! - Very good buffet dinner - fresh seafood (oysters and prawns), good selection of Chinese food and also had turkey and roast pork (not sure the norm but I guess as it was Christmas) - Safe for the whole family, young and old Negatives: - Gowns require a fee of RMB 10 (whole day) - it was cold and the towels were not abundant (you had to go back to the changing rooms to replace your wet towels) - Can see this place getting very crowded on weekends (I went on a Tuesday - Christmas Eve so it was not busy) - A few guys were smoking in public areas (I didn't see any No Smoking signs so I didn't complain) but I guess expected in China. It didn't ruin the day at all so not a big issue - would be if more people were doing it though Overall: 100% would go again if ever I go to Xiamen. I spent over 8hrs at the resort and enjoyed every minute. Not to be missed.

5toby M 5:00 PM Jan 29, 2017

The best place to visit in Xiamen -- hands down~
First of all lets clear one thing up: This place is not called the Riyuegu Aquatic Park. I don't know how Trip Advisor could get this wrong. It's the Riyuegu Hotsprings Resort. You can go to riyuegu.com to see for yourself. Simply scroll to the bottom of the page. This review is for someone who is already familiar with the pitfalls of Chinese culture. If you aren't used to rowdy kids who yell all the time, men smoking every chance they get, and men and women constantly spitting, I would say you might not enjoy this spa as much as I did -- because all of the above happen all the time pretty much everywhere in China, and a hot springs resort here or anywhere is no different. Ok the resort itself is fairly expensive unless you are ok with attending the resort when its 40 degrees outside in the heat of the summer. That time of year they are begging people to attend. But this time of year, its much different. Likes: The spa itself is very creative in both its design and ergonomic flow compared to many of the hot springs I have been too (mostly in the US where I am from). 25 or so recipes make up the various pools. Everything from coffee to beer is presented here. There are free tea stations everywhere and it's bottomless. Not once was a tea station out of tea. And your choices included black, green, ginger and just hot water. Two huge pools are also present (but are mostly empty this time of year); so if you like to swim now is a perfect time to attend. Unlike most Chinese spas, this one is entirely co-ed. So bring your own swimsuit. The lockers are well appointed with electronic locks on a wristband they give you. (This wrist band also acts as your tally. You can order food with it, do a spa package -- an just settle up at the end of the day. Towels are plush and comfortable and renting a robe is only 10rmb. There are also free hot stone beds and even a sand therapy station for a 15rmb fee (both can be used for an unlimited amount of time). Dislikes: 1) The sauna is way too cold to be a sauna.The Chinese don't get behind saunas like what most Eastern Europeans do -- so if you're looking for a great sauna or steam room -- this isn't your place. 2) Very few cold water pools or shower nozzles. If you are someone who enjoys the 'therapy' of hot springs then you will likely be like me in that you enjoy a nice cool down everytime your body temperature raises beyond comfortable levels beyond a period of time. Well as far as I could tell there were only 2 places one could get cold water. One is a cold water pool near the tea pools, and the other was a chill room near the saunas. A top notch hot springs will have shower nozzles everywhere to let interested people cool down rapidly. 3) With as many pools as they have it sure would be nice if they would designate certain areas to be off limits to children. Perhaps the ones that promote alcohol for starters. 4) Smoking is huuuuge problem when you can smoke just about anywhere in a place where you go to relax and take in a relaxed and non-polluted atmosphere. 5) Restaurant is deplorable for it being a part of a 5 star hotel -- and also expensive. Bring lots of food with and hope it will be enough. Xiamen as a whole is a developing city with not a ton to do. The HotSprings is an absolute must for any traveler to this area.