Alila Yangshuo (Yangshuo Sugar House)

Alila Yangshuo occupies a former sugar mill on the banks of the Li River near Yangshuo town in Guangxi, retaining the factory's original concrete silos, steel trusses, and brick chimney as centerpieces of its design rather than demolishing them. The 1960s industrial structure was converted by Hong Kong-based architects Vector Architects, whose adaptive reuse work here is well known within Chinese design circles, pairing raw concrete surfaces with warm timber interiors and floor-to-ceiling glass facing the river and karst peaks beyond. Rooms range from Deluxe Rooms to Loft Suites and River View Suites, several retaining exposed structural elements from the original mill within otherwise minimalist, contemporary interiors. The hotel's restaurant serves modern dishes drawing on local Guangxi ingredients, with a riverside terrace used for both dining and evening drinks overlooking the water. An outdoor pool, built partly within the old factory's footprint, is a striking design feature, complemented by a spa offering treatments in a converted section of the mill. Cycling routes from the hotel lead along the Li River and into surrounding rice paddies and villages, and the property's design-forward reputation draws architecture-minded travelers as much as leisure guests.