Shambhala at the Great Wall

Staying here was a great opportunity to be right by the wall and explore a wild and silent section. The hotel is a very special place indeed and it is highly unusual to head off into the woodland to a Manchu style hunting lodge for the night. The staff were wonderful and a pleasure to meet. Many were from the owner's Tibetan hotels and were there partially to improve their Chinese language skills. We met a couple of really nice Chinese families, so presumably there was plenty of opportunity for this. Getting there and away: We read in the Lonely Planet that a car ran from Beijing's Red Capital Residence (worth visiting for a drink, even if you are not staying); but this is no longer the case. However, a bus goes directly from Beijing's bus station and the staff were ready and waiting to pick us up at the other end. We were short on time on our return and the staff arranged us a very reasonably priced taxi that took us directly to the Summer Palace in Beijing. Accessibility: I can walk a short way with crutches but often rely on a wheelchair. With the exception of the upstairs restaurant, everything is on the ground floor. Although our hunting lodge was slightly distant, this wasn't a problem as my husband was able to push me along the pathways without too much hassle. The staff were keen to assist us and potentially I would have no qualms in visiting alone, since they were happy to help. They brought us our dinner as room service, so that we wouldn't need to return to our room in the dark. Clearly it was only my husband that went hiking but I had a great view of the wall from the hotel. The rooms: We only saw ours. I was very impressed and felt lucky to be staying in such a beautiful place. We had a veranda and a window view that looked out onto the woods and was very peaceful. The bathroom was well appointed and our room was large and had its own seating area with comfortable cushions and a table, where we ate dinner. It was a great place to spend time together. My husband was less easily pleased and although he loved the place, thought that a little more maintenance could have been done on the hotel in general. We noticed that the owner of the hotel was doing some sterling work with charities he had set up. We were very impressed by this but also wondered if getting everything ship shape in this hotel might allow them to charge the full price and therefore maximise resources available for the charities in the long term? The main area: On our way up we noticed that a lot of new building work was being done in the area but the ranch itself is quiet and is a large estate. Apparently it borders another estate belonging to a high ranking Communist Party official, a very modern looking glass and concrete house. Entering the reception of the hotel is like entering another world. The building is a high ceilinged Manchu (?) style, with many Tibetan items decorating it. There is a friendly bar and reception desk, several comfortable sofas, a fireplace and an interesting library. Past this building is a downstairs restaurant with another above, with open sides that look over the river and up to the Great Wall on the wooded hillsides. Food: A mixture of Chinese, Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan dishes. All delicious. Thank you very much to everybody at Shambala / Red Capitalist Ranch! (Stayed August 2014, apologies for late review.)