Commune by the Great Wall
Where? A few metres from the Great Wall in Badaling, an hour's drive from Beijing.
Talk about a prime location! Indeed. Surrounded by peaceful green mountains and reached via a Ming dynasty gate topped with a big red star, Commune is China's first concept hotel - merging post-modern architecture with raw capitalism and the odd dab of Maoist ideology.
Sounds ambitious? Comprising 11 ultra-modern villas (designed by 11 Asian architects), the project enables guests to live, breathe and eat the 'designer' experience.
Tell us more? Villas are built of wood, steel, stone, mud, concrete and glass, range from 3,000sqft to 7,000sqft, have at least four bedrooms and feature slick hotel amenities, including a DVD entertainment centre and internet access, not to mention superb views of the Great Wall.
Which villa is best? Design buffs will be impressed by Cantilever House (which does what it says), while mavericks will love Hong Kong architect Gary Chang's surreal Suitcase House, which has floorboards that lift up to reveal bedrooms, bathrooms, a meditation room and sauna in coffin-like containers.
Could it get any more bizarre? Actually, parts of the main Clubhouse are equally peculiar, with the men's lavatory decorated in pink chiffon, the cigar room covered in peacock feathers, and a private dining area lined with rabbit fur, white plaster roses and straw.
Any normal parts? The Olympic-size swimming pool, cinema and art gallery are comparatively run of the mill, as is the fabulous Chinese restaurant, which serves Beijing, Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine and western-style puddings.
Who goes there? Ambassadors, politicians and companies staging corporate events (Audi, Missoni and Louis Vuitton have all exploited Commune's dramatic potential). Fashion designer Vivienne Tam held one of her shows at the hotel to celebrate its opening in 2002.
Anything else we should know? More like an architectural theme park for the super-rich (each villa has a permanent butler on call 24/7) than the hippy hangout its name might suggest, Commune is, however, best suited to larger groups.
US$888 to US$1,288 per house, per night, or 120 yuan per person to visit, if villas are unoccupied. The Great Wall Exit at Shuiguan, Badaling Highway, Beijing 102102, tel: [001] 800 3746 8357 or [86] 10 8118 1888, www.designhotels.com or www.commune.com.cn