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NYT Not Particularly Impressed by China's Commune by the Great Wall

Where: Badaling Highway, JUYONGGUAN, China, 102102

Sometimes a view is so awe-inspiring, we’ll admit we can’t be bothered caring quite so much about creature comfort details. At China’s Commune by the Great Wall, though, not only do some guests nab views of the Great Wall, but the collection of vacation homes is an architectural marvel in its own right too, or so says the New York Times.

Designed by 12 Asian architects as a “retreat from the urban sprawl of Beijing,” the collection of homes is a mix of originals and more recent copies, the most popular apparently being the Cantilever House and Bamboo House. Sitting in the valley at the food of a “wild section” of the Great Wall, the homes are a steep 10-minute hike from the “ancient ramparts.”

Highlights: Original homes have views of the Great Wall. Enough said.

Lowlights: Though the bedrooms are comfortable, one of the NYT writer’s friends complained of a “toilet smell.” Um, ew. And the kitchens are functional but include rental fees for any supplies, from plates to cutlery to wineglasses (“very chintzy,” says the NYT). The food was “mediocre” and “overpriced,” and the restaurant charges a pesky corkage fee.

Bottom line: “Being able to see both the Great Wall and creative modern architecture in a short trip is a huge plus,” admits the NYT, but “the service and the food could have been better.” Plus, nickel and diming for every item? Not cool.

[Photo: Gilles Sabrie for the New York Times]