The pools are set out in a wooded valley, one above another, each one a different temperature, and the arrangement means that at any hour of the evening you can find the one that suits you and sit in it while the hills blacken around you. Steam lifts off the surface and hangs in the trees. Above and behind, the ridge of 罗浮山 Luófú Shān is visible as a darker mass against the last light, and if you walk five minutes up the path from the resort buildings you reach the lower end of the old pilgrimage trail, with stone steps climbing into the forest towards the Taoist halls. This is the hot-spring belt at the foot of Mount Luofu in 博罗县 Bóluó Xiàn, and it works because of an accident of geology: the mountain is a faulted granite massif with deep fractures, and water that has been underground a long time comes back up hot.
Mount Luofu is the most storied mountain in this part of Guangdong. It is traditionally counted among the ten great Taoist mountains of China and described as the seventh of the 洞天 dòngtiān, the grotto-heavens, and its association with 葛洪 Gě Hóng — the fourth-century alchemist and physician who worked here and whose writings on cinnabar and on medicine are still quoted — is what gave the place its standing. Three historic temples remain along the flanks: 冲虚观 Chōngxū Guān at the foot of the 朱明洞 Zhūmíng Dòng valley, 黄龙观 Huánglóng Guān and 酥醪观 Sūláo Guān. The mountain is a national 5A scenic area and a nature reserve, largely forested, and the main summit, 飞云顶 Fēiyúndǐng, is a serious half-day climb rather than a stroll. The springs are the reason people stay overnight.
Practicalities
Price. Rooms in the larger hot-spring resorts at the foot of the mountain run about ¥500 to ¥1,200 in the cooler months, usually including access to the spring pools; smaller guesthouses with a shared pool are around ¥300 to ¥550. Winter and holiday weekends are the peak, and rates can be double the midweek figure. Some properties sell a day pass to the pools for around ¥100 to ¥200 for visitors who are not staying.
Address. The accommodation cluster is around 长宁镇 Chángníng Zhèn and the 罗浮山 Luófú Shān scenic area entrance in 博罗县 Bóluó Xiàn, on the northern approach to the mountain and within a short drive of the 朱明洞 Zhūmíng Dòng valley. There are also springs further south in the county that market themselves under the Luofu name, so check that the property is genuinely on the mountain’s flank if the walking is part of the plan.
Rooms. The better properties are low-rise and spread out rather than towers, because the point is to walk between your room and the water. Expect a comfortable modern room, a kettle, and in the newer places a private tub on a terrace; the classic arrangement is a set of public pools of graduated temperature, some indoor and some out among the trees. Bring sandals and a robe, expect to be wet for most of the evening, and note that many outdoor pools close by ten.
Getting there. By car, roughly 1.5 hours from 广州 Guǎngzhōu and 深圳 Shēnzhèn and about an hour from 惠州 Huìzhōu city, with the final stretch on a signed road into the scenic area. Buses run from Huizhou and Boluo to the mountain gate, and the high-speed rail station at 惠州北 Huìzhōu Běi is around an hour away by taxi. If you are combining the springs with the mountain, stay close enough to walk or drive to the 冲虚观 Chōngxū Guān entrance early in the morning.
flowcloud would say that soaking in hot water at the foot of a mountain that alchemists spent their lives climbing is the most historically appropriate thing a visitor to Huizhou can do, and considerably more comfortable than what they were attempting.
Where to stay: on the northern flank close to the 罗浮山 Luófú Shān gate, in a low-rise property with outdoor pools rather than an indoor bath complex. Ask whether the pools are open in the evening, whether the property is walkable to the scenic area entrance, and whether a visit to 冲虚观 Chōngxū Guān is included or separate. If you want the mountain rather than the water, stay the night before you climb, not after.