The sinuous seats inside Orange Cinemas Photo: Li Hao/GT

Beijing's rise as an international city is one of the recent success stories of our time. The great transformation from austere communist capital to one of the world's fastest growing metropolises is truly something to marvel at.

As foreign companies scamper to get their slice of the "China dream" pie, affluent Beijing lifestyles continue to soar into the upper echelons of opulence - an inevitable symptom of any economic boom.

Perhaps the city's exclusive private clubs best exemplify the widening gulf between those who can and those who cannot. I had the pleasure to experience three of the best high-end, hobby-centric clubs in Beijing and discovered along the way that living life in the fast lane is well worth the price of admission.

Beijing is expading its luxury offerings in cigars, movies and adventurous rides. Photos: Courtesy of Bombardier Recreational Products, the Ritz-Carlton Beijing and Li Hao/GT

Orange Cinemas

The delectably named Orange Cinemas, located in Sanlitun, was established in 2010 and is at the higher end of "high-end" if pushed for a description. Hong Kong's esteemed Orange Sky Golden Harvest  Entertainment Ltd. owns the 1,300-square-meter space, which is the creative brainchild of award-winning Polish designer Robert Majkut. The interior is decked out in a tasteful black, pink and orange color scheme with buxom, reclining couches occupying corner spaces as well as VIP rooms.

In the center of the room, a retro-styled bar gives off the feeling that you've stepped right into a scene from a 1970s sci-fi flick. On top of all that, there is a cigar room and a stage with a baby grand piano.

"We have a band playing here every weekend," says Qiao Wei, 31, the venue's director of sales. Qiao lists celebrity actors such as Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Fan Bingbing (Iron Man 3) and Tong Dawei (Lost in Beijing) as regulars, going as far as to reveal that Zhang comes in to watch her own movies from time to time.

There are three screening halls in total, each the size of an average cinema and furnished with couches and lazy boys generously spaced apart, ready to accommodate up to its capacity of 83.

Each auditorium has its own name and color scheme. There is Pink Sky ("People choose this room to propose," Qiao says), Orange Garden and, finally, the Black Room, the largest of all with 31 seats (the others have 26).

"If you don't want to watch movies, you can play video games," Qiao says as he pushes a button on one of the lazy boys to demonstrate its reclining capabilities.

This being Beijing of course, it's also possible to do karaoke. "The movie stars love KTV," Qiao says.

Thanks to a state-of-the-art digital cinema system courtesy of Sony, members can order any classic movie, new blockbuster or even art house film, provided they book in advance. Other than that, the movie house operates much like any other cinema, with a steady screening schedule.

In addition, the venue provides members with tailored services - private parties, business events and special menus all available upon request.

Qiao says that there is no membership discrimination policy. Seemingly, any foreigner or Chinese can join if they can afford the 100,000 yuan ($16,315) fee.

The club currently has 160 members with full membership at 200. That means there are currently 40 places left. So, is the overall experience worth the money it's printed on?

At 480 yuan ($78) per ticket, it should be (all expenses are from the membership fee, ostensibly a deposit to encourage usage). Kicking back in the comforting arms of a lazy boy watching Superman: Man of Steel on the big screen alone in the dark is quite the experience.

Club soda in hand, an attentive waitress comes in and addresses the problem of popcorn and fruit platter. A few minutes later, I notice a smudge on my 3D glasses. I start to wipe them myself. But then remember where I am, and press the call button instead.

Davidoff Lounge

A massive oversized log of a cigar in a display case is what greets you as you enter the Davidoff Lounge in a basement room in the bowels of the Ritz-Carlton Beijing.

"You can actually smoke that," says manager Bruce Li, 30, from Shandong Province. With restrained excitability, Li tells Metropolitan that Jackie Chan will be coming in the evening. In fact, Chan has booked out the whole place.

Li says that stars and high-level business people frequent the lounge cum cigar club, which is available daily from 7 pm to 2 am. There are no membership requirements, but it's generally more popular with a middle-aged demographic who has acquired a taste for the finer things in life.

"We see about 30 people come through everyday," says Li. The average check is about 300 yuan per head, with an added 15-percent service charge.

From Tuesdays to Saturdays, live traditional Chinese music plays from the small stage to accompany the chugging of cigars with top-notch liquors.

The main attraction is the small cigar room, kept at a steady 20.7 degrees for optimum tobacco preservation. Davidoff cigars from the Dominican Republic are the order of the day, but upon closer inspection, there are other brands, too, including a box of Cuban Cohiba cigars.

The cheapest cigar will set you back 200 yuan, the highest a cool 600 yuan. You could of course opt for the Super Star Jackie Chan's Private Cigar (possibly the ones he smokes) for 588 yuan.

Downstairs, there are four VIP rooms that have top-of-the-line KTV facilities.

Li says that each karaoke machine has more than 80,000 songs in a variety of languages including English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

As you go along, the rooms increase with luxuriousness until you reach the fourth and final pièce de résistance of KTV rooms, the Winston Churchill Room.

For 3,888 yuan ($634) the Churchill room is yours for the whole night with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label, one fruit platter and 10 tins of soft drink thrown in for good measure. To top it all off, there's even a copy of a book written by Churchill on the glass coffee table.

Bombardier Recreational Products Beijing flagship store

The Can-Am Spyder Roadster is the latest luxury motorcycle offering from Bombardier Recreational Products. The sturdy, three-wheeled motorcycle or "trike" is truly part machine, part wild imaginings of a futuristic Japanese anime flick.

The best thing about these roadster arachnids is the fact that you don't have to worry about balance, ostensibly appealing to would-be-riders who might balk at speed on two wheels.

With a 106 horsepower, 998-cc, V-twin engine and five gears (automatic optional) - the Spyder does a relatively easy job of propelling you into the distance managing 96 kilometers an hour in a lean 4.5 seconds.

Song Jingchun, manager of the Bombardier Recreational Products Beijing flagship store says that the Chinese market for Spyders is primarily for the young and rich.

"It's a unique feeling to ride one and I think they can have more fun when they [customers] go on holiday with family members," says Song of the variety of Spyders on the market, ranging from 278,000 yuan up to 398,000 yuan.

As you can imagine, getting on a Spyder is very different from getting on a typical motorcycle. The wide seat has the substantiality of a Harley Davidson, but the body is sleek and sporty. It's a comfy ride until you push the Spyder to its limits - then things get intense, but never like you're losing control. The handling is nothing short of sublime.

The club at the Beijing Bombardier store organizes regular mountain trips where Spyder enthusiasts can really test the machine's capabilities.

"The members love this," Song remarked. 

Orange Cinemas

Contact: 8571-5566

Address: Pacific Century Place Tower B 4/F, A2, Gongti Beilu, Changyang district

www.osghcinemas.com

Davidoff Lounge

Contact: 5908-8070

Address: No.83 China Central Place, 83A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang district

Bombardier Recreational Products Beijing flagship store

Contact: 6736-0088

Address: FD001, No.1 Jinchan Xilu, Changyang district

www.brp-china.com