Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai

Alila's first island resort in China is located at the top of the southwest cliff of Dong'ao Island in Zhuhai, a gift from nature, and officially opened on April 15, 2025.

In early spring of 2020, we first set foot on this coastal cliff to conduct a site inspection. The sea breeze, waves, reefs, and rock walls—the raw landscape of Dong'ao Island—left us a deep impression with its raw nature and scenery. The extraordinary natural environment endowed the project with unique charm, leading to key design thinking: how to construct this place with a light touch, achieving a delicate balance between artificial architecture and the environment, while allowing space and nature to mutually enrich one another in an interplay of the real and the ethereal.

During the conceptual design phase, we restructured the hotel's initial functional layout and circulation, relocating the core public areas to the southwest of the cliff, which has the best sea views. We also proposed the idea of a cliffside swimming pool, placing the coastal area at the heart of the public spaces, connecting the hotel's front areas with supporting services. The "Sky Villas" concept was introduced for the guestroom buildings, balancing the number and size of the rooms to make Alila Dong'ao Island a resort hotel with only suite rooms. These two early design decisions laid the strategic foundation for the hotel's overall design.

Arrival experience unfolds the spatial storytelling. The guests’ surprise towards the ocean view may have been diminished during their journey to the island,   Therefore, to rekindle their sense of wonder, we choreographed three sequential spaces: starting with an artificially carved stone array, passing through a tranquil corridor water courtyard and gradually opening up the view, ultimately reaching the lobby, where grand sea vista is fully displayed- reawakening one’s connection to the island.

The hotel's main public areas are concentrated below the lobby along the cliff edge. The all-day dining restaurant in the east greets the first light of morning while the bar in the west captures the last glow of the setting sun, providing a temporal experience from dawn to dusk. The infinity pool in the southwest cliff merges with the sea, creating a floating visual effect.

The Chinese restaurant is located in the northeast, with an inward-facing courtyard. Three dining spaces with distinct atmospheres are linked by a corridor: the main hall with sea view, a private tea room, and a relaxing  book bar, offering a layered dining experience. The distribution of banquet hall, wellness center and spa is integrate with the shape of the architecture. Strategic planning guarantees each functional space  unique sea view.  All public areas of the hotel are placed thoughtfully in harmony with nature. The landscape paths organically extend along the island’s terrain, creating a clear sequence of spaces for guests to immerse themselves in an unforgettable travel experience.

The hotel has 103 suites, with an average room size of 80 square meters. The "Sky Villas" concept is embodied through a two-way spatial narrative:  outward expansion towards natural panorama and inward admiration of  a tranquil in-room waterscape. To separate the guestrooms from the corridors and the main building, we first create a transitional foyer area that balances privacy with a sense of ceremony,  then introduce natural light into the Lingnan-inspired  tea room and the waterscape. The tea room space can be flexibly converted into a Tatami bedroom, catering to the diverse needs of resort guests.

The layout of the hotel emerges from rigorous dialogue between the site and nature. We gently fold the cultural memories of Lingnan culture into the space through interpretations of natural materials, color schemes, and symbolic elements, injecting authentic locality into Alila Dong'ao Island.

Over the past four years, the traces of human intervention have quietly woven into the island’s fabric, accompanying the sea breeze and syncing with the tides. Now, with the completion of Alila, the land has returned to nature. Given time, nature and all its creatures on this land will coexist and thrive in harmony.