Sina Hotel - Lijiang

Comentarios destacados

• chromecranks

  04 noviembre 2014
  Nice hotel in Lijiang old town

  My sister and I recently stayed at Sina hotel in Lijiang old town. First, I have to say that the location is almost perfect. This is because it is relatively close to one of the old town gates. So, if you are coming from the airport, you can take a taxi to the gate, and then let Sina hotel know you are there, and someone will come to meet you with a cart to take your bags to the hotel. This is so helpful of them! You cannot drive inside the old town so it is handy to stay at a hotel close to one of the entryways and not have to drag your bags all over the cobblestone streets. And also, there are MANY little alleyways and backstreets with LOTS of little hotels tucked back in there- being non-Chinese-speaking, if I had to try to find one of those hotels (especially if it was nighttime), I think I could end up very frustrated. It is easy to get turned around amongst all those little alleys if you don't know where you're going. We even saw many Chinese tourists staring confusedly at maps, trying to figure out where they were! So the location of Sina hotel was really great (and also a nice distance away from the mass of tourists). The only reason it was not perfect, however, is because it is across the street from a small bar/cafe/restaurant that had a live music performance every single night. Luckily for us it was an acoustic performance (just one woman and a guitar), and we actually kind of liked the music, but it was EVERY night and it was VERY loud. Honestly, you could not hear it better even if you were right in the venue! If you are a light sleeper you will have a big problem with this, but I don't know if this happens throughout the year or if it is only at certain times (we stayed around Sept. 23-26). Also, the performance did end at about 11pm every night, so that was at least good, but if you want to go to sleep before then you might be out of luck. I liked the style of the room. The beds were kind of hard, but I actually like this, so it was fine for me and I slept well. The shower is large and modern, so that was really nice, but there were some small water drainage problems under the sink that made the floor around the sink a little messy. The whole room was pretty clean. The outdoor hallway was a real treat- comfy and with a nice view. The courtyard area was also very pretty. The people at the reception area did not speak English but they were very nice and quick to call Nick (the owner) if we needed help communicating. Nick was very friendly and high energy, and very helpful when we had different questions about nearby traveling, etc. I would recommend this hotel unreservedly except for the music from the nearby venue. Double-paned glass on the side of the venue might address this issue, so it's something the hotel could consider, but I'm not sure if it's something that would work with the style of the windows.

  

• Bessie F

  07 noviembre 2014
  Just Like In a Period Movie

  The quaint old architecture is what's charming about Sina Hotel in the quiet part of Lijiang old town. The cabbie from the airport called Sina Hotel for directions but still dropped us off at the wrong gate which is at opposite end of the hotel! After calling Sina myself this time, the hotel asst. manager Ms. Yen drove up in a moped which has room only for my mom and her luggage while I had to walk and drag my own luggage along bumpy cobblestone roads. After she let my mom out, she did rush back on foot to help me carry my poor beaten up luggage - thanks. Since the place wasn't fully booked, she upgraded us to a bigger room on the ground floor which is more accessible for my 77-yr old mom - thanks. We liked the courtyard. I agree, the manager Nick was helpful, offering to book a private car with "superb driver/guide Mr. Yang". Next day, Mr. Yang didn't show up due to some appointment. Another driver came. On the 3rd day, Mr. Yang had to take "training classes" and sent someone else. On our last day, still no show for the elusive Mr. Yang when we needed a car to take us straight to Shangrila. The 3 drivers were fine but not in the same caliber as Yang shifu. Disappointing. Reminder: don't share your car with other guests. On our trip to see "Impressions Lijiang" show, Nick made his 2 other guests ride with us in OUR previously booked car. My mom and I thought it'd be ok. Wrong! After the show and sightseeing itinerary I had planned with Nick, the other 2 guests from Northern China suddenly told the driver to go somewhere else, completely out of the way. We were stuck with them and worse, not even stopping for lunch. My mom was so upset and starved. Finally at almost 3pm, the driver found us a roadside shack and got us some local cold noodles with spices. Still, Lijiang Old Town is a must-see, must-go destination.

  

• jenjz

  26 diciembre 2014
  friendly older style accommodation

  The staff is very friendly and helpful but speaks no English. The manager nick speaks English and is always ready to help. I called ahead of time and organised an airport pickup for a reasonable price and it saved me a lot of hassle. The hotel is in a relatively quiet part of lijiang and close enough to the old town gate so you don't need to walk to far to get to transport. Nick organised a driver to take us and for a day tour. This is as much better way to see the sites (e.g. jade mountain) and avoid the tourist groups, but the driver does not speak English. The rooms are nice enough but can be a bit damp and cold in winter. All in all a nice place to stay.

  

• rosemarytraveler

  03 junio 2015
  The Sina Hotel has lost it's charm

  I was not very happy with our stay at the hotel. The manager Nick, who speaks English very well was welcoming and offered us a very good rate. At first glance the room that we took looked OK, but when we actually moved in there is was very apparent that it was in need of a good cleaning. The carpet was stained and dirty and looked as if it had not been vacumed or swept in a long time. The bathroom was large, but there was a water leakage problem and there was always standing water on the floor. The towels were rather thin and grey. The once beautiful grounds were unkempt although there were still vestiges of beautiful flowers and trees. They no longer offer meals, so we had to eat outside on one of the picnic tables in the garden, which should have been very pleasant. But, one morning, the tables were very dirty with empty bottles of beer and dirty glasses all around. The hotel sits in an enviable position, on a beautiful canal. But, since there is no air conditioning, we had to keep our windows open and there was noise and talking until late at night, in addition to the occasional guitar player. We were able to hand wash our light laundry and hang it in the rear of the garden which as nice. Nick is enthusiastic and helpful, offering sound travel advice . He will arrange private drivers for day tours or longer and take time to help his guests. His housekeeping skills are not so great however !

  

• Tim-Cato P

  15 agosto 2015
  Not a nice hotel

  Not a nice hotel. We booked this hotel out from review / pictures at the booking company web side, but the room we was presented upon arrival was not like the pictures at all. The room was dank, damp, full of mosquitos and not clean at all. Staff was not very helpful nor polite and we ended up leaving the place, despite the fact that we already had paid for our five nights and found another hotel. My advice, stay well clear of this hotel