Best Luxury Lakeview Villa 100 Year Old Heritage | Qiu Shui Villa | Small Luxury Hotel in the World
If you could wake up to any view — would you choose a view of a lush, vivid forest, the bustling city skyline or the calming reflections of a lake? Today, we reveal an exclusive destination that offers more than just stunning scenery. Qiu Shui Villa offers quiet pause on the bustle of modern life where rich heritage meets contemporary luxury.
The challenge to the designers was how to breathe new life into a century-old villa situated on the UNESCO world heritage site of West Lake. At its heart, a traditional Jiangnan-style courtyard, breathtaking Buddhist architecture and a striking infinity pool opening up to the magical West lake creates a scene beyond imagination.
It’s no surprise that this hotel is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. And once you step inside, you’ll understand why.
My name is Alex Lee and I’m from Design Seed. Join us as we unveil how this 100 year old villa was thoughtfully restored, transforming from an old relic into a timeless masterpiece.
This time, we are in Hangzhou, China exploring Qiushui Villa that faces the historic West Lake. The villa stands as a quiet sanctuary where the past lingers in the breeze and beauty feels eternal.
Once you step inside, you’re in the private world of Shi Liang Cai, a newspaper tycoon who built this villa in the 1930s for his lover, Shen Qiu Shui.
A small stone bridge leads you over a small pond into a historic building now refurbished as an elegant art gallery. This quiet space sets an artistic yet historic tone for the villa with a discreet lobby tucked away in a corner.
At the heart of the villa, a central courtyard inspired by ancient Jiang Nan architecture connects the four buildings with lush greenery, creating a scenic pathway for visitors. This courtyard has remained nearly unchanged for over a hundred years.
When it was first built, its owner, Shi Liang Cai, designed the courtyard to emulate the style in Dream of the Red Chamber, specifically the Yihong Courtyard, with its distinctive spatial arrangement. But just as you’ve settled into the past, you walk into an adjoining building to find a sleek, futuristic infinity pool perfectly framing the magical West Lake horizon. The design merges interior and exterior, where old meets new. The space feels like poetry in motion.
Xie Tian, the designer who restored this hotel, explained, “And this section is made of colourless transparent glass. So when guests swim, they come from over there and glide this way—they can see the waters of West Lake right before them. It creates the sensation that the pool water and the lake water are seamlessly connected.”
Opposite the swimming pool is the villa’s restaurant, housed in a centuries-old building. With its historic facade, the interior surprises with a bold contrast of modern touches.
“After we took it back in 2019 and redefined its purpose, we positioned this project so that the first floor would become a Western restaurant. That’s how the current Western dining atmosphere came to be,” said Xie Tian.
“What you see here—like the flooring, for instance—is largely original. And then from here, some parts are newly added. In certain areas, you’ll see an interplay between old and new, especially in what we refer to as the original Qiu Shui Villa. It originally had only four rooms. But now we’ve developed Qiu Shui Villa into a branded hotel.”
“So you can now think of Qiu Shui Villa as a hotel brand, comprising of four distinct buildings. There’s the original Qiu Shui, the new Qiushui, Xing Di Ge, and Zhao Xian Shi. Together, these four parts make up the whole.”
Qiushui Villa offers a range of different suites inspired by a historical figure and thoughtfully styled in their spirit. These rooms aren’t just luxurious—they’re literary, artistic, and personal. Staying here feels less like a visit, and more like stepping into someone’s legacy. It is how we preserve and restore heritage.
“How can we repair and preserve the old in the best way? And for the new things, there are many ways. Even when I create something new, it is made in the factory, but then manually using wax and ultra-fine sand to gently work over the tactile surfaces. Then another layer of wax is applied so it feels weathered by time. That’s part of the process—even when we’re reconfiguring the layout and adding new functions. The aim is to make it feel like it has centuries of history and lived-in warmth.”
“This is part of the creative challenge in the design process—how to navigate these. You have to meet the modern user’s aesthetics, their needs and convenience, while imagining what the space felt like a hundred years ago.”
In contrast to the other rooms, the Wan Qing Shi loft features a simpler, more rustic charm. What’s unique about this room’s layout is how the living room is located upstairs with the best views of the West Lake. The minimalist living room stages the windows to frame the scenery like moving paintings.
A simple bedroom sits on the ground floor with a dining area and a bar. The dining area opens into a secluded garden where the gentle sounds of the pond anchor the space, creating unique sceneries across every length of the suite.
“Originally, the courtyard here was flat. We intentionally raised it. The reason for raising it was—for example, from here you can see West Lake. Even sitting down here, right? You can still see it. Otherwise, if it were the same level as before, the perimeter wall would block the view entirely.”
“So we gradually elevated sections of the inner courtyard bit by bit, across simple Taihu stones. We let it evolve naturally, with minimal intervention. The result feels much more organic. So by lifting it up, you create this quiet space and even the sound of water helps dampen outside noise. That rush of water softens the noise of passing cars.”
“I ran into someone familiar—he’s from Shanghai. He stayed in that room last night. It’s called “Wan Qing Shi.” I asked him, “Why here?” He said, “I wanted to experience it—to feel what it was like in Master Hongyi’s room.” Because he’s a great admirer of Mr. Li Shu Tong. He reveres Master Hongyi. So he wanted to be in that space to feel the energy Master Hongyi once felt. To experience the atmosphere the room creates. That very feeling.”
“So today, people aren’t just here to spend the night—it’s not about simply staying in a room. They come to experience what the space itself has to offer—the atmosphere it holds.”
Another suite that stands out is the Mei Gui Qing loft, inspired by the famous Chinese writer Zhang Ailing. The design reflects her literary elegance with accents of red, creating romantic nostalgia.
This luxurious suite was inspired by its owner, Shi Liangcai. Located on the first floor, the suite features a study, a spacious living room, and a balcony overlooking the scenic West Lake. Next to it, a minimalist bedroom with a masculine aesthetic completes the space.
“The Shi Liang Cai Room, in contrast, feels more solemn—with a sense of gravity and presence. Why? Because after all, Qiushui Villa originated from him—it was his creation. He personally oversaw its construction.
So for guests, it evokes two kinds of impressions. One is awe—from the scale of the space and from stepping in to see West Lake’s beauty and how it interacts with the room. The other impression is from the service.”
“So when you first enter, the doors open—you’re greeted by a grand living room, a formal sitting area. It carries that deep sense of history, the atmosphere of a century-old structure. You can feel its aura and temperament.”
“And then you move toward what we call the tea area—the balcony space. When we came in earlier, the door was closed, right? But when that door opens—say, when a staff member opens it for you—all of a sudden, you’re struck by the real-life view, a scene straight out of a classical painting of paradise.
So in that sense, this building follows a kind of ‘one-two-three’ rhythm. It suddenly hits you—’Oh wow!’ You realize it opens up to all this beauty.”
“There’s no such thing as a space being ‘well designed’ or ‘poorly designed.’ I believe it’s simply a matter of whether it’s appropriate or not. Given the site of this project—its positioning, its historical context—it can only be this way. Only then is it truly suitable.”
“Sure, you could make it more visually striking, but then it wouldn’t belong to this place. So to me, suitability comes first. And second, I think that for people, space shouldn’t be overly emphasized in terms of sculptural form or aesthetics. It’s more important to leave room—let it breathe and open up. People can have more of that kind of quiet pleasure and contemplative comfort that comes from scale.”
“But more importantly, it should help release and reveal the surrounding beauty. Because nature, 24 hours a day, is always the most beautiful. It’s nature that truly nourishes the body, mind, and spirit.”
The story behind Qiu Shui Villa is not just a romance between a scholar and a beautiful woman, but a dialogue between East and West, history and modernity. This is more than architecture—it is a threshold between eras where Chinese heritage meets Western function.
This isn’t just a hotel. It’s a tribute to the art of living—the way it used to be, and perhaps, the way it should be.
If you enjoyed this article, don’t miss this Zen family home designed for serene living by Nu Infinity!
Thank you for taking the time to read this Article. Stay tuned for more updates!
