Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain

There are the ordinary five senses: hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste. And then there’s the sixth sense. Perceiving the imperceptible is a tantalizingly mysterious concept: it’s no wonder that it’s inspired filmmakers, poets, musicians, and even hoteliers, like those behind the Six Senses hotels, resorts, and spas. Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain is one of the brand’s newest offerings, and its first in China, strategically located outside Chengdu, near two cultural attractions that bring a steady stream of visitors to the region: the ancient Dujiangyan irrigation system, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right, and Mount Qing Cheng, better known as the birthplace of Taoism.

The Six Senses ethos is all about responsible luxury, so the hotel was built with an eye towards traditional Chinese architecture and landscaping. The resort is set on a piece of land that looks like a watercolor painting: all lush greenery, water lilies floating on ponds, elegant pergolas and wooden huts. Guest rooms, of course, are far from basic. The smallest of the suites clocks in at a spacious 850 square feet — the high ceilings and separate living and sleeping areas make them feel even larger. Don’t let the natural wood bathrooms and Chinese antique-inspired decor fool you: everything in the Six Senses’ suites is controlled by a high-tech smartphone app. Each suite comes outfitted with organic cotton bed linens, a rain shower and a separate bathtub with views of the garden, and a private balcony or veranda with a daybed. 40-inch flat-screen TVs, custom-made bath products, and tea stations are complimentary, too.

If sipping green tea in the bathtub while staring at a sacred mountain isn’t quite enough relaxation for your taste, there’s the state-of-the-art Six Senses Spa, specializing in ancient Chinese treatments updated for modern travelers. Two swimming pools, an old-fashioned teahouse, two cocktail bars, and three restaurants — all focused on local ingredients, some sourced from the resort’s organic gardens — await guests around the property, and just beyond it, the 36 peaks of Qing Cheng Mountains. China is huge, but this is a special part of it. And as the name promises, Six Senses is a resort that helps you decompress from the moment you arrive, to get into the rhythm of your surroundings. What more can we really ask of a resort?

How to get there: Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain is an hour drive from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.