Naked Stables – Moganshan, China

January 31st, 2012

In the Fall of last year I had the opportunity to travel to Naked Stables, a sister property of Naked Retreats, near Moganshan, a few hours outside of Shanghai, China.

And I was blown away.

The folks behind the concept and execution of the resort have created something pretty unique in China – certainly unlike any other properties that I have visited in the country. Some of the Banyan Tree properties in Yun’nan province have a similar feel to them, but this is on a much larger scale, and so close to Shanghai to boot.

The ‘Naked’ bit is to underscore the natural element of the place and ‘Stables’ to let you know that before long there will be horses there that you can take for trail rides through the bamboo forests. There were no horses when I was there but I expect that they can’t be long in arriving. Plus if you go in April you can watch the tea being harvested on the gorgeous manicured hills that surround the resort.

Moganshan has always been a country retreat from Shanghai – in the late 1800s and early 1900s the glitterati of Shanghai would retreat to the air-conditioned shade of the Moganshan bamboo forests. And today is no different.

In any case you can check out the piece in this month’s (Feb 2012) issue of Conde Nast Traveler USA: http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2012/01/eco-resorts-in-moganshan-china-lodge-retreat#slide=1
You can also check out some the same photos below in the gallery. Enjoy!