InterContinental Shenzhen Dameisha Resort by IHG

Excellent service , food is to die for , the view is unbelievable. This was my 5th time we go to Intercontinental Dameisha and we always have fun as a family , i like the relaxation on my balcony with the nice view , my wife loves the beach, the clean golden sand and my daughter loved to play at the kids section.. will go there again again and again

The crown jewel of Shenzhen’s Kingkey Group on the Dameisha beach in the Yantian district of Shenzhen is now managed by the InterContinental Group, having taken over from Sheraton at the start of 2020. Having visited over a Chinese public holiday long weekend, the hotel was very crowded and well-subscribed – as to be expected. On the surface, Covid-19 definitely doesn’t seem to have made a dent in occupancy at this well-known hotel. Despite the large number of visitors checking in at the front lobby, hotel staff were generally efficient at managing the queues and directing the numerous procedures one had to go through to register themselves for epidemiological prevention measures. However, as expected, all the interfaces (whether filling up an online form or paper form) were in Chinese, so it wasn’t too handy for foreign guests. However, someone who introduced himself as the Director of Rooms did come up to us to specially assist is in filling up some forms in Chinese. So, all in all – a generally well-managed check-in experience, despite the longer than expected wait times. Guests are, for the day, given access to the pool areas and private beachfront before and after their respective check-in and check-out times. This was a welcome service – with a beach access card, you are can get beach towels and access the well-fitted changing rooms and indoor jacuzzi and sauna. What stood out for this hotel was its excellent and direct access to its own private beachfront, with plenty of both pool and beach loungers available. Chinese guests tend to avoid the pool and beach during hottest hours of the day (between 11 AM and 4 PM), so there was ample space in the pools and on the private beach. The rooms themselves were well-appointed, with a very spacious bathroom, private balcony, a freestanding bath and a commanding view of the South China Sea. What really stood out were the views – the hotel appears to have be designed so that the large majority of rooms all enjoy excellent views. A definite let-down, however, were the F&B and in-room dining options at the hotel. The Italian restaurant, Capri, was closed, leaving two in-house dining options – a Chinese restaurant on the first floor and an all-day, general dining restaurant by the pool. My partner was unable to order a salmon & avocado sandwich as the hotel was “out of salmon” – something which was unfortunately communicated to her 20 minutes after the order was placed. We were also somewhat disappointed that the Italian restaurant, Capri, was closed. While we weren’t told why, we thought it might be because their Italian chef was unable to return to China due to the ongoing arrival ban on foreigners. However, having subsequently read (the somewhat negative) reviews of Capri on TripAdvisor, perhaps it would have been a stretch to make the assumption that their chef was Italian – either way, it seems like they might need to rethink their Italian dining concept if they want to go ahead with it at all. Breakfast was a very crowded affair, and on one occasion we had to wait to be allowed in the restaurant – not unexpected, but it would have been ideal if they cleared the tables quicker to facilities a turnover of dining guests more quickly, or extended the breakfast hours. Even close to 10.30 AM (when breakfast stopped serving), the restaurant was still rather full. Breakfast options were somewhat limited for a five-star hotel, with most dishes catering to Chinese tastes – that itself is not a problem, but this seems to not align with the InterContinental’s more diverse and international brand. In fairness, only less than 5% of the guests were foreigners, but it would have been nice to see a more even balance being struck between catering to local guests and maintaining an international outlook in its management style (as one would expect from an InterContinental hotel), especially with regard to F&B and dining options. All in all, this is still the best option if you’re looking for a luxury getaway on Dameisha beach – so, worth a shot and, enjoy the view!