Shanheli Chaji Natural Wind Hotel Chenghai Branch
An outdoor pool with a garden view and sun terrace
About this hotel
The pool sits outdoors and is framed by an actual garden rather than a bare concrete surround, which is the detail that separates this from the indoor tanks common in downtown Shantou hotels. A sun terrace runs alongside it, useful for drying off between laps without heading straight back inside to a room, and the hot tub covers the evenings once the outdoor temperature drops enough to make a swim less appealing. Being in Chenghai, well outside central Shantou, means the pool and garden setting has to compensate for the distance from the Seaside Corridor and other downtown attractions most visitors come for. A daily à la carte breakfast and family rooms round out a stay built around the garden and the pool itself rather than city sightseeing from a downtown base.
- Outdoor pool with garden view
- Sun terrace
- Hot tub
- Family rooms
Our take
This suits travellers who value an outdoor pool with real garden surroundings over a downtown location, and who don't mind Chenghai's distance from central Shantou's sights. It suits families reasonably well given the family rooms and garden space, though anyone wanting to be near Jinsha Park or the Seaside Corridor should look downtown instead. The hot tub extends the pool's usefulness into cooler evenings.
- ✓Swim in the late afternoon when the garden light is best and the pool has emptied out a little.
- ✓Use the sun terrace to dry off rather than tracking water through the room, it's right beside the pool.
- ✓Plan for extra travel time to central Shantou attractions, Chenghai sits well outside the downtown core.
Why we love it
- Outdoor pool set in an actual garden
- Sun terrace right beside the water
- Hot tub for cooler evenings
- Free on-site parking for drivers
Why guests love itThe garden setting is what makes this outdoor pool worth choosing over a downtown indoor one, since the sun terrace and greenery around the water make it a place to linger rather than just swim laps and leave. Evenings shift to the hot tub once the outdoor air cools, which extends the pool routine well past sunset. Chenghai's distance from the Seaside Corridor is the trade-off, so this suits a stay built around the property itself.