Breakaway - Want Snow In Your Suit? Ski To China's First Club Med in Heilongjiang

If sand in your suit doesn’t float your boat, how about snow? Club Med Yabuli opens in November, and it’s Club Med's first resort in China. This pretty new property with "Canadian-palatial style architecture" (didn't know there were palaces in Canada!) brings you up the mountains and onto the ski slopes of icy Heilongjiang, and a stunning view of the Yabuli Mountains.  

Ski season here starts mid‐November until early April. With the ski field just outside your door and the longest mountain trail in China, you can slip and slide over 30 km of trails (suitable for all ability levels) with a fun-filled vertical drop of about 530 m – isn't that just cosy?

For newbies like me, Club Med Yabuli has the largest beginner teaching terrain in the country serviced by ski school for all levels of skiiers and non-skiiers, and a network of five ‘magic carpet’ surface lifts. There's also a heated eight‐passenger gondola and six‐passenger chairlift which connect the trails from the resort centre, mid mountain and mountain top. If you’d rather not hurtle down slopes at breakneck speed, there’s also ice skating, tubing and sleigh rides. (I’ll take the latter with a hot mug of something superbly alcoholic, thank you!)

Oh look! Relief! There's a spa!

Fancy a dip? I reeeaaally hope that's heated...!

 

Here I lay me down to sleep, 

Rest, my sore bum and tired feet....

Suitable for all ages, it’s a 4-Trident premium property (which means luxe for your bucks!) with 284 rooms including 27 suites with mountain views, and 22 deluxe rooms, plus three restaurants.

 

Chinois chic and apres 'tea'?

If you fancy a taste of this, there’s a good deal going on - $300 off each adult and $150 off the price per child for their Premium All-Inclusive Snow Package.

So as an example, a 6D/5N do at Yabuli will cost you S$3145 per adult and includes return flights on SIA and China Eastern. The same deal is also available for Club Med Sahoro and will cost S$2700 per adult. You have to book by 29 August and travel between 27 Nov and 6 April 2011, for a minimum of five nights.

Call 1800 CLUB MED (258 2633) or visit www.clubmed.com.sg

- by Ee Waun