A design hotel (also known as Yangshuo Sugar House / 阳朔糖舍) woven into a preserved 1960s sugar mill and its industrial cane-transport truss on the Li River, by Vector Architects with interiors by Horizontal Design — walls of some 60,000 hand-cast hollow sandstone bricks echo the old sugar blocks. Its signature is the long cantilevered pool set on the mill's original loading dock, framed by the post-and-beam structure and the karst peaks beyond.
Highlights
- Built into a preserved 1960s Li River sugar mill and its cane-transport truss, reimagined by Vector Architects with interiors by Horizontal Design
- The signature cantilevered pool laid out on the mill's original concrete loading dock, framed by the post-and-beam structure with karst peaks beyond
- Walls of tens of thousands of hand-cast hollow sandstone bricks that echo the old sugar blocks
- Industrial-loft interiors — raw brick and concrete, arched windows and designer furniture inside the old mill
- Karst-peak setting on the Li River, a short drive from Yangshuo's West Street when you want the town
- A brick riverside pavilion framed by bamboo above the water, with the peaks on every side
Inside Alila Yangshuo
Staying at Alila Yangshuo
01 Where is Alila Yangshuo and how do I get there?
It sits on the banks of the Li River near Yangshuo, in the Guilin karst country of Guangxi. The hotel is built into a preserved 1960s sugar mill, a short drive from Yangshuo's famous West Street — close enough for the town when you want it, far enough to keep the river and the peaks all to yourself.
02 What makes this hotel different from a normal resort?
The building is the draw: a working 1960s sugar mill and its old cane-transport truss, reimagined by Vector Architects with interiors by Horizontal Design. Walls are laid up from tens of thousands of hand-cast hollow sandstone bricks that echo the old sugar blocks. It is as much an architecture pilgrimage as a place to sleep.
03 What is the signature spot to experience here?
The long cantilevered pool, set out on the mill's original concrete loading dock and framed by the raw post-and-beam structure, with karst peaks rising beyond. It is the image everyone comes for — best at dusk, when the columns and the water and the mountains all catch the last light.
