Voyage 2004-07

Wild Wood

Imagine staying in a Manchurian hunting lodge nestled beside the Great Wall of China. No need for time travel, now you can. Nearly two years in the making the Red Capital Ranch – built by the man behind Red Capital Residence and Club in Beijing – is a collection of ten luxury stone villas plus two lounges – the Tibetan Tiger's and the Warlord's – constructed on the site of a Qing Dynasty hunting lodge, using ancient building materials and relics from around China. Being on the 'other' side of the wall, the focus is on all things 'barbaric' with a restaurant serving up feasts such as Mongolian lamb roasted over an open fire and mountain pheasant cooked Manchurian-style with chestnuts. A spa is set to be built early next year; in the meantime hearty walks are the order of the day. Surrounding buildings currently nibble away at the lodge's widerness appeal but the with the owners looking to expand the property, thoughts of an autumnal evening curled up beside a huge stone fireplace looking out across the Great Wall give barbarianism a cosy new appeal.

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