Shangri-La Xiamen
A heated pool, sauna and steam room by the metro
About this hotel
Shangri-La Xiamen is the one Xiamen hotel that keeps its pool warm regardless of season, an indoor heated pool run alongside a state-of-the-art gym, sauna and steam room, with spa treatments booked through the same wing. Every room carries floor-to-ceiling windows with a city or sea view, and bathrobes, slippers, free toiletries and an electric kettle come standard rather than as an upgrade. The property sits in what it describes as an emerging international business district on Xiamen's east coast, 500 metres from Guanyinshan Metro Station and a 15-minute walk from the beach and a nearby amusement park. A 530-square-metre indoor kids' club runs movie screening rooms, handicraft workshops and mini restaurants, with theme parties and family classes on a regular schedule. Wanda Shopping Mall sits five minutes away by car, and Xiamen International Conference Centre a ten-minute drive.
- Indoor heated pool
- Sauna and steam room
- Indoor kids' club
- Floor-to-ceiling sea views
Our take
This suits travellers planning a cold-season Xiamen trip around a warm-water swim, since the heated pool works regardless of what the weather outside is doing, and families thanks to the sizeable indoor kids' club. It rates slightly lower than several other five-star properties on this list at 8.9, worth weighing against its unmatched heated-pool status. It works less well for anyone chasing a resort-style outdoor pool, this is an indoor, business-district property first.
- ✓Book specifically for a December to February trip if the heated pool is the priority, it is the one confirmed option in the city.
- ✓Use the 530-square-metre indoor kids' club if travelling with children, it runs scheduled activities rather than just a play corner.
- ✓Take the five-minute drive to Wanda Shopping Mall for an evening out rather than staying entirely on-property.
Why we love it
- An indoor pool that stays heated year-round
- Sauna and steam room in the same wing
- 500 metres from Guanyinshan Metro Station
- A genuinely large indoor kids' club
Why guests love itWe booked Shangri-La specifically because the heated pool meant a January trip did not have to mean skipping the water entirely, and it delivered exactly that across two cold, drizzly days. The kids' club kept the youngest occupied with a handicraft workshop while the adults rotated through the sauna and steam room. Floor-to-ceiling windows meant the sea view was there even on the days we did not make it outside. Guanyinshan Metro Station, five hundred metres away, made getting into the rest of Xiamen easy despite the weather.