| Commune |
Guest Rating: 6.7 |
tadeusz R.
|
 New Zealand
Couple
Date of Stay: 25 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
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4/10 |
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| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
6/10 |
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excellent location and great design
good price with agoda no transfers, wall portion in bad shape, undsafe and very difficult to get to...
restaurant and bar staff service very poor and the coctails were half size but full price would recommend some way of transfer from airport or beijing service as quite far from airport (1-2hrs)
Recommend the hotel spend some money making the path to the wall safer and to restore the wall so its not so overgrown and unsafe.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : definitely worth going to the portion of the wall which is on the site. however, bring good shoes and be cafreful as is steep, dusty, dangerous path and wall is overgrown and in dispepair
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| Amazing Architecure, Needs Better Upkeep |
Guest Rating: 7.3 |
jenn K.
|
 United States
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 14 Oct 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
6/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
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6/10 |
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Amazing architecture. Perfect for a private, tranquil getaway surrounded by trees. Needs more upkeep- light sockets, lightbulbs burnt out.
Food is not authentic Chinese - leans more towards Western.
Spa services- need more experienced staff I would definitely stay at the Commune. The grounds are amazing and it is so quiet and relaxing. However, more attention needs to be paid to upkeep. The light sockets and lightbulbs in rooms being burnt out. I went to the spa and my therapist had to leave and come back twice as she forget various items needed for the massage.
Shopping Tip : Boutique inside hotel had some amazing mod terracotta soldiers in bright colors.
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| Peace and Quiet AND the Great Wall |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
janet W.
|
 United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 15 Aug 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
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| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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Beautiful location outside Beijing with private access via a woodland path to a reasonably long and scenic stretch of the unrenovated but walkable section of the Great Wall.
Excellent accomodation (we stayed in the Courtyard and had a bedroom, bathroom and sitting room with balcony) Price of wine/beer - exorbitant!! Jacobs Creek £40 a bottle!!
Price of return to Beijing £50 for a taxi when it only cost £25 to get there. (We had transport to Badaling bus station and caught a bus to Beijing and then a taxi to our next hotel - very easy to do - total cost £15 We had been traveling independently through China and wanted a spot of luxury for a couple of nights before embarking on Beijing.
We also wanted to see the real (not rebuilt) Great Wall without large numbers of tourists and associated hassles but we did not want a major escorted hike.
The hotel fulfilled all our requirements. The setting is beautiful, the Great Wall stunning and the accommodation excellent and very comfortable. There was a very nice under-utilised pool.
The hotel internal transport was fast (the hotel site is vast!) and housekeeping was very quick to respond to requests for more free water
and soft drinks.
But eating and drinking in the hotel is expensive for China (London prices) and there is no alternative. We paid £100 for dinner for two - 2 beers, steak, bottle of red wine, coffee and liqueur. The food however was excellent and beautifully served.
All in all a wonderful two nights as long as you are aware of the extras - check the website for details and prices.
Travel tip : Use the hotel transport to travel in the Commune - excellent.
Phone housekeeping for an unlimited supply of water, coke and sprite.
Bring a bottle of something strong to mix with the free soft drinks.
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| Communal Living Is Super |
Guest Rating: 9.7 |
todd G.
|
United States
Couple
Date of Stay: 08 Aug 2009 |
| Value for Money: |
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10/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
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access to a private section of the Great Wall, Cozy room really weren't any cons, it's a bit pricey but worth it if you factor in the access to the wall The Commune by the Great Wall was a high point of our trip to China. We could not have been more pleased with our stay. We stayed in one of the Bamboo buildings. Our building was designed by a Japanese architect and was quite cozy. The clear highlight for the Commune though is access to a private section of the Great Wall. The staff packed us a picnic complete with champagne and we enjoyed lunch on the wall, alone. Literally, we had the Great Wall to ourselves for the entire day. The public portions of the wall were "shoulder-to-shoulder" crowded. For this reason alone, the Commune an absolute destination when in this area.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Private section of the Great Wall
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| The Cool Commune with a View of the Wall |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
elaine W.
|
United Kingdom
Couple
Date of Stay: 27 Jul 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
|
Private section of the Great Wall to explore
Great Spa Not many other activities, eg. no pool I was most impressed with the Commune-it has a cool design, set in 8 square km of land approx 75km from Beijing. The resort boasted nteresting architecture as well as a section of the Great Wall that was privately owned. The first time we climbed it, we were the only people there-it was a truly awesome experience, and in my eyes, perhaps even better than seeing the restored parts, because it had more character and felt more real. An excellent meal and spa session ended our day. Our only quibble would be that there were not enough other activities available-such as swimming pool etc.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Bring hiking/trail shoes/boots as the unrestored section of the Wall is very wild and it can be dangerous if you are wearing inappropriate footwear.
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| Great location |
Guest Rating: 7.7 |
jo A.
|
 Australia
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 14 Jul 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
8/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
6/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
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Spend 2 days and walk to the wall in sunrise
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Great wall
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| Commune by the Great Wall |
Guest Rating: 9.3 |
jennifer L.
|
 United States of America
Family with older children
Date of Stay: 08 Jul 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
10/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
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For a truly unique experience, I'd highly recommend.
Travel tip : Take a long hike on the wall.
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| Commune by the Great Wall |
Guest Rating: 8.7 |
richard C.
|
 Canada
Business Traveler
Date of Stay: 23 Apr 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
The private access to the Great Wall was truely unique. We had a great hike without seeing anyone, and felt like it was there just for us. Looking back at the hotel from up on the wall, made us feel we had selected a truly special place.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Private access the Great Wall was worth the trip.
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| Modern Feeling and the Great Wall! |
Guest Rating: 8 |
leung C.
|
 China
Couple
Date of Stay: 26 Mar 2008 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
8/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
6/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
8/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
8/10 |
|
Very special experience to stay at such a "hip" place with heavy historic feeling. Dining with a stunning view of great wall is an unforettable experience. Don't miss the Anatara Spa also.
Hotel Feature Tip : I suggest to book pick up transfer with the hotel, though a bit pricy, but it is much more safe and comfort, because taxi drivers may not know the hotel location.
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| We loved the Commune by the Great Wall! |
Guest Rating: 9.3 |
elisabeth W.
|
United States of America
Couple
Date of Stay: 06 Sep 2007 |
| Value for Money: |
|
8/10 |
| Location: |
|
10/10 |
| Staff Performance: |
|
10/10 |
|
| Hotel Condition/Cleanliness: |
|
8/10 |
| Room Comfort/Standard: |
|
10/10 |
| Food/Dining: |
|
10/10 |
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What a wonderful night spent at the Commune! It was a mountain oasis from the ultra-modern Shanghai and Beijing. The staff went out of their way to help us in all aspects, they catered to all of our needs and provided superb service. The restaurants were excellent, we enjoyed a romantic and chic dinner after watching the sun set over the mountains from our deck. Hiking alone on the Great Wall made us feel like we were in another world. An unforgettable experience, a not-to-miss.
Sightseeing/Attractions Tip : Certainly hike up to the private section of the Great Wall (at dawn or dusk) and take the villa tour.
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