Xi Wu Bar & Café (Xi Wu Jiu Ba 隙屋酒吧)

💙💙💙 This indoor-outdoor café-bar in Jing’s childhood neighborhood had been around for more than eight years when we first stumbled across it. The shaded hipster garden is a work of outsider art. Hanging lanterns, spinning pinwheels, bric-a-brac, and eclectic music give the place a French-Corner-of-Kulangsu feel. Drinks are expensive, but there’s a full range of designer whiskies and Goose Island IPA. There’s cool vintage jewelry and home-made souvenirs at reasonable prices at the shop in the garden, where the young geniuses who run the establishment also live.

For more Kulangsu travel ideas, see the new Kulangsu Island Visitor’s Guide.

💙 Marine Garden Hotel (Hai Shang Hua Yuan Jiu Dian 海上花园酒店)

Red turrets cap this giant hotel, which is strategically situated near to the entrances to Sunlight Rock and the Piano Museum. Facilities are fancy, as the property is tailored to special groups and official visitors. Marine Garden is a sprawling landmark on the island’s southern shore, visible in every aerial shot of Kulangsu.

The large fine-dining restaurant sports luxury delicacies prepared with skill and care. A new buffet lures in non-hotel guests by offering a taste of this quality food—an unlimited selection of a wide variety of dishes—for just 68 元/person, a bargain.

For more Kulangsu (Gulangyu) travel ideas, see the new Kulangsu Island Visitor’s Guide.