9 Xiamen Hotels Facing the Island With No Cars

Gulangyu is an island of about two square kilometres, a few minutes by ferry from Xiamen, and no vehicles are permitted on it. Not cars, not scooters, and by most accounts not bicycles either. Everything moves on foot, and the only wheels you see belong to hand carts and electric buggies for the elderly.

It became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2017 under the name "Gulangyu: a Historic International Settlement," which is the other thing worth knowing. Xiamen was one of five Chinese ports forced open by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, and Gulangyu became an international settlement where more than a dozen foreign consulates, missionaries and merchants built houses. The result is a single small island carrying Victorian, colonial, art deco and Fujianese architecture in close and slightly surreal proximity.

It is also known as Piano Island. Missionary schools left an enthusiasm for the instrument that never faded, the island is said to have the highest piano ownership per head in China, and there is a piano museum to prove the point.

Where you actually stay

Almost nothing on Gulangyu operates at four or five stars — the protected building stock is small guest houses and heritage conversions, and the ferry stops running at night for non-residents.

The hotels are on the mainland side, along the Xiamen waterfront looking across at the island, which is the better arrangement anyway: you take the ferry over in the morning, walk the island, and come back to a city with a serious restaurant scene.

Siming, the old waterfront district, has the ferry terminal, the colonial-era streets and most of the good hotels.

Zengcuoan and the island ring road run round the southeastern coast past Xiamen University, one of the more beautiful campuses in China, with beaches and a coastal path.

Jimei, across the bridge north, has the school village built by the philanthropist Tan Kah Kee in a hybrid Chinese and Western style.

The nine below are grouped that way.

The Siming waterfront

Facing Gulangyu, minutes from the ferry.

The Ritz-Carlton, Xiamen occupies a tower on the waterfront with a spa, a pool and rooms looking directly across the strait at the island. It is the best hotel in the city.

Conrad Xiamen sits on the harbour with a high-floor bar, a pool and a contemporary interior.

Hotel Indigo Xiamen Harbour occupies a position near the ferry terminal with a rooftop pool and the shortest crossing to the island.

InterContinental Xiamen sits in the Siming district with a large spa, several restaurants and full facilities.

Sheraton Xiamen Hotel occupies a waterfront building with a design-led interior, a good bar and rates below the towers.

Zengcuoan and the southeastern coast

Past the university, along the ring road.

Seaview Resort Xiamen occupies a beachfront site on the southeastern coast with gardens, a pool and the coastal path outside.

Sofitel Xiamen Wanda sits near the university with a pool, a spa and a quieter setting than the harbour.

Jimei and the north

Across the bridge.

Wyndham Grand Xiamen Haicang occupies a large property in the Haicang district with a spa, a pool and good value at this standard.

Xiamen Marriott Hotel & Conference Centre sits north of the centre with several restaurants, a pool and conference-scale facilities.

What we have left off

The guest houses on Gulangyu itself are excluded, and they are the only way to be on the island after the day visitors leave, which is the best time to be there. They are guest houses rather than hotels.

What to do

Take the first ferry to Gulangyu and walk it without a map. The island is small enough that you cannot get properly lost, and the pleasure is turning corners into consulates, churches and villas.

Climb Sunlight Rock for the view back at the city, and see the piano museum, which holds a collection of several dozen historic instruments.

Walk or cycle the Xiamen ring road past the university and along the coast, which is one of the more pleasant urban coastal paths in China.

Eat Fujianese and Hokkien food: oyster omelette, peanut soup, satay noodles and the tea culture, which is serious here — Fujian is where oolong comes from.

Go to Nanputuo Temple beneath the hill behind the university, which is a working Buddhist monastery rather than a museum.

Practical notes

Xiamen Gaoqi airport has domestic and regional connections and is thirty minutes from the waterfront. The city is on the high-speed rail network.

October to December is the best window: dry, warm and clear. Spring is wet. Summer is hot, humid and inside typhoon season, which runs roughly July to September.

Ferries to Gulangyu run from two terminals depending on whether you are a resident or a visitor. Buy tickets in advance in season, as the island has a daily visitor cap.

Questions people actually ask

Are there really no vehicles on Gulangyu?

No cars or scooters, and by most accounts no bicycles either. It is a walking island.

Can you stay on the island?

Only in small guest houses. The four and five star hotels are on the mainland facing it.

Is there a visitor cap?

The island limits daily numbers and ferry tickets are best bought ahead in season.

How many nights?

Three. One for Gulangyu, one for the coast and the university, one spare.

If you only book one