What are your favorite relaxing or refreshing places for getting out of the "city"?

Which places are good for a short trip ( 4 hours or less by bus or train)?

There is Anning hot water spa village just west of Anning. Thermal baths, some hotels not too expensive for a communal hot spring. Or more expensive if you want a spa bath in your room.

Very quiet mid week and some hill walking.

I've lived and worked in Anning for a year. Not much to do there. Well, except the hot springs that is. For that, you have to take a taxi, or a bus, about 30 minutes from Anning's center. There's one hotspring that's famed to be the best in Wenshan, run by Japanese folks I heard. .. I don't know the name, never been to a hotspring, but now I feel i need it. Search GK might help.
There are two buses to Anning from Kunming. The more comfortable and cleaner bus is run by KISCO. It won't stop on the way, and will take you all the way to Kungang, the town near the steel mill. Sorry, I don't know where to take the KISCO bus. But the other bus run by Kunming bus company starts from Xiaoximen.. Bus fare was 6 rmb last time I used the bus... about 16 months ago.

What could one expect to pay for a room with a private spa? Interested as well in other recommendations!

i would recommend yuxi as a great night or two away - also has some pretty hotsprings (cheap one - 64 yuan total got us, for two hours, a private hotspring for two and use of the giant outdoor pool - only one other person in it! expensive one - 120 for full day use of a whooole lotta hotsprings with all different kinds of things in them.. flowers.. milk..fish whatever). yuxi also has some fabulous, fresh food, a great expat bar/restaurant in an old courtyard house called dutch cafe and had really big, clean, quiet streets and lots of interesting nooks and crannies to check out. i'd recommend staying at hotel evride - really new, super clean and a steal at 128 (on elong) a night for a double room.

sorry - to get to yuxi head to the new south bus station, busses leave every hour and a bit, 18 kuai.. about one hour ride. drops you off in the center of town.

Cheery Family Ecotours arranging all kind of private tours start from Kunming, Itinerary as: Shudu lake trekking to Lugu lake