9 Best Hotels in Hangzhou, Eastern China

Surrounded by tea fields, forests, and romantic courtyards, Amanfuyan tastefully re-creates the feel of a traditional Chinese village, with buildings that incorporate lots of stone, clay, and brick, and rooms decked out in earth tones. The grounds—peaceful thanks to a location far from the tourist droves, about 6 km (3.7 miles) west of West Lake—also have a sumptuous spa, a 20-meter outdoor pool, and several restaurants.

Branches of this quirky, beloved, boutique-hotel chain have popped up in other Chinese cities, but the Hangzhou location is a step up from the rest, with an airy, artful lobby decorated with Andy Warhol's pop art; a glass elevator that gives you a bird's-eye view; and clean, quiet rooms. Be sure to request one facing outward for a better view.

Under a pagoda-style roof, contemporary Chinese decor and modern amenities combine with superlative service to create a luxurious retreat with plush, spacious rooms—some with private terraces that have excellent views, all with bathrooms that have soaking tubs and separate showers. Dizzying corridors lead to the opulent Jin Sha Chinese restaurant, where garden lagoon views complement tasty dishes such as Hangzhou-style braised fish maw with goose web in abalone sauce.

Hangzhou's most recognizable and centrally located hotel offers attentive service and comfortable, sleekly furnished rooms; be sure to ask for one on an upper floor for unobstructed views. A large indoor swimming pool, adjacent to the spa, overlooks West Lake. The hotel is home to excellent Chinese and Western restaurants, and breakfast can be enjoyed on a quiet lake-side terrace. About two blocks north is the Hubin Yi Park Dock, where you can catch boats that ply the lake.

On the site of an ancient temple, amid 40 acres of camphor and bamboo trees that merge seamlessly into the gardens and walkways of surrounding West Lake, this historic landmark hotel has two wings of rooms with high ceilings and heavy damask fabrics.

Thoughtfully designed rooms—with sleek desks, soothing beige palettes, and big bathrooms—and a distinctive lobby with grand columns and gauzy curtains distinguish this hotel, which is set amid a lively neighborhood just a block north of West Lake's Orioles Singing in the Willows. A Roman-style pool overcomes its drab basement location, and there is a lovely terrace on the sixth floor with views of the lake.

Named after Memories of the South, a famous Tang Dynasty poem by Bai Ju Yi, this luxury property incorporates shades of blue throughout, and its big windows give you front row seats for the tidal bore. It also has a spa and restaurants.

Guest rooms have earthy interiors with lots of wood at this massive hotel, whose five towers are set amid peaceful courtyards dotted with ponds, a small waterfall, and a gazebo—all within walking distance of Diamond Hill and Yellow Dragon Cave. It also has one female-only floor.

This spaceship-shaped hotel just steps from West Lake offers excellent customer service and spacious rooms with big balconies and ergonomic furniture. Don't hesitate to ask the hotel's army of guest-service "ambassadors" questions; they know the city and can give good insider recommendations. The hotel's authentic Thai restaurant is hands-down the best in town.