Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Features

The best of Guangzhou China

By

Guangzhou, the capital of the Guangdong province in South China, has become one of China’s fastest growing cities, thanks to its bustling textile and manufacturing trade. In recent years the city has been making the transformation into a global destination, remodeling its airport, hiring architect Zaha Hadid to design its opera house and several luxury shopping destinations popping up. From the city’s coolest hotel, to its best Cantonese restaurant, The Manual gives you travel tips in case you ever find yourself in this part of the world.

Related: The Manual’s guide to Baijiu

Recommended Videos

PLAY

Kui Yuan

IMG_3268
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tucked away in one of Guangzhou’s most historical neighborhoods, this charming gallery offers affordable art and a café with the sweetest tiled balcony. This spot is a great date destination where you can check out some culture and sit in a beautiful setting.

SHOP

The Fashion Door

Okay, so they sell womenswear here as well, but The Fashion Door also has what has got to be some of the coolest men’s threads in the city. Find up and coming labels like May J, Manmade Natural, Three Society and Ricostru. You can be the coolest guy on your block once you put on clothes from The Fashion Door.

EAT & DRINK

Beiyuan Cuisine

Red Rice Rolls at Beiyuan Cuisine
Red Rice Rolls at Beiyuan Cuisine Image used with permission by copyright holder

Yeah, you think you’ve tasted Chinese food, but the General Tso’s chicken and lo mein you get from your neighborhood take-out joint is nothing compared to this place. A throwback to 1928, the year this restaurant opened, Beiyuan Cuisine is one of the best Cantonese restaurants in Guangzhou. Housed in a lovely building that is a prime example of traditional Chinese architecture and was once a private villa, the dining rooms surround a quaint courtyard. Make sure to try the succulent roast meats, the coriander dried tangerine peel beef rice rolls, and the red rice rolls.

Fei Ultralounge

This multi-level nightclub features several bars, a super cool lighting system, large dance floor and several tables for a multi-sensory experience filled with music and fun. It’s no wonder why all of Guangzhou’s cool kids go to Fei Ultralounge to party.

SLEEP

W Guangzhou

The W Guangzhou
Image used with permission by copyright holder

We couldn’t help but be awed by the magnificence of the W Ghangzhou. With a sleek black exterior designed by architect Rocco Yim, and interiors by agency Yabu Pushelberg, everything in this hotel is impeccably designed. Go to buffet heaven at The Kitchen Table, which has a selection of Asian and western food, and a mad scientist-like ice cream station.  Then after relaxing in your luxurious room head to the Wet indoor pool, where you can enjoy the lush wall of greenery and soaring ceilings located high above on the 38th floor.

Ann Binlot
Ann Binlot
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle… Read Full Bio
Travel
Thompson Austin review: Two hotels, one building, and the best salad of my life
thompson austin review austh exterior angle alargueta4 21

Austin is a city that really wants you to leave your hotel. There’s live music spilling out of every other doorway, a brisket line with your name on it, and a whole street of bungalow bars on Rainey begging for your attention. So naturally, on my most recent trip, my friend and I did the opposite. We checked into Thompson Austin, by Hyatt, and treated it less like a home base and more like a destination.

No regrets. Here’s why.

Read more
Travel
A morgue, a ship, and 1,500 creepy dolls: Spooky trips worth taking
spooky trip ideas edinburgh underground vaults min 1

Look, we have nothing against a good pumpkin patch. But if your version of spooky season goes beyond hayrides and a cider donut, the world has some genuinely creepy places you can visit, and a few you can even sleep in. Some come with ghost stories attached, and others come with actual human bones. Either way, a haunted corn maze is going to feel like a petting zoo afterward.

Here are our favorite spooky destinations for travelers who like a little fear with their vacation.

Read more
Travel
Away teams up with DJ John Summit to launch revamped aluminum luggage line
Away

Away and DJ/producer John Summit have debuted a special partnership, naming him the brand’s Chief Destruction Officer! The campaign debuts an exciting refresh of Away’s Aluminum luggage collection, including new colorways, Arctic Steel and Bronze. This partnership marks the first update to Away’s premium Aluminum collection in six years; it introduces new colors across both Aluminum and Aluminum Edge, along with the debut of the Aluminum Mini Crossbody.

This exciting new campaign tests Away’s durability, with Summit putting its Aluminum luggage through a series of outrageous trials, from dragging and torching to tarring. Built to take the blow so your belongings don’t have to, Aluminum undergoes rigorous testing, including over 900 hours of shell testing, to ensure it can withstand the demands of travel. What you can find in this durable new collection includes:

Read more