Homestays in Gansu, China

The room is great, and the amenities are well worth the price. The cleaning staff (Ayi) is very warm and helpful, accommodating special requests for tidying up. It would be even better if the balcony were cleaner and had outdoor furniture like a table and chairs. The front desk concierge was also quite enthusiastic.

For my trip to Dunhuang, I specifically chose the Shazhou Glamping Camp, and the experience truly exceeded my expectations. I have to praise their service – it's incredibly reliable. Before I even arrived, they sent messages proactively reminding me about the desert's day-night temperature differences, suggesting what to wear, and even provided travel tips based on my itinerary. During check-in and luggage transport, they were always ready to lend a hand. Once settled, they were on call for anything I needed. Whether I wanted hot water in the evening, had questions about camp activities, or needed a car at short notice, their response was always super quick. They were diligent and patient in their work, never just going through the motions. The camp environment is exceptional. You step right out into the vast desert, and the stargazing at night is spectacular. The accommodation itself is clean and comfortable. Overall, my stay was incredibly worry-free and relaxing. For anyone visiting Dunhuang and wanting a desert accommodation experience, I genuinely recommend this place; both the service and the environment are top-notch!

The location is inside Tianshui Ancient City, a bit hard to find. Breakfast is a collaboration with the shop next door, only available from 8 AM, which is different from the information provided here. The room's screen mirroring works fine, but there are constant ads… The room doesn't have a key; it has a combination lock, so you don't have to worry about only having one card for two people. The front desk provides many free small items that you can use. The downsides are that if you stay on the first floor, you'll hear noise from outside, and if no one is at the front desk during check-in, you'll have to wait.

The best aspect of this stay was by far the owner. He was incredibly, incredibly helpful and friendly — from the moment I walked in the door he offered me a cup of tea, then provided tea and bread the next morning for breakfast, offered advice on what to see in the area, arranged a car to take me to Dalzong Lake, and finally even found me a spot on a local minibus going to my next destination. I couldn’t have done half the things I did during my stay in Xiahe without his advice and efforts on my behalf, so that alone made staying here fully worthwhile! It’s worth mentioning that the guesthouse’s architecture is also absolutely beautiful, and everything looks quite new. It’s located down a quiet side alley off of one of the main commercial streets in town, which seems like the ideal placement. On the accommodations: I stayed in one of the two tents erected on the second floor of the guesthouse. This was largely quite a good experience! The bed was very comfortable (with a heated pad), water and towels provided, etc. The tents are not in a closed-off area, but rather on the second floor/balcony area that also is used for sitting, serving tea, etc., so privacy is somewhat limited, but the whole guesthouse is relatively quiet anyway so it doesn’t feel like a public space. My only suggestions for improvement would be related to the bathroom: during my stay, the shared bathroom for the tents was a sort of temporary-style booth installed in the corner of the room with a toilet, sink, and showerhead. The bathroom was very clean and everything inside worked well, but its sliding door separated from the wall enough that there was always a substantial enough space on one side or the other that could be seen through (the door also didn’t lock and slid back and forth easily). The booth was also small enough that, realistically, I think it would be a bit of a challenge to actually use it to shower. If possible it might be worth looking into some simple fixes to improve these situations, but otherwise I have no complaints!

I had a wonderful stay at ******* Family in Labrang. The host is fantastic – he speaks good English, organizes transfers, and even came to pick me up at the station. The location is excellent, just a short walk from the monastery and from a quiet entrance away from the crowds. He gives plenty of useful advice, and the rooms are clean and warm, even in the summer season. Breakfast is simple but good. Everything was positive – the host truly makes the place special

This is a very special place to stay and the best option for visiting the Danxia Park. I visited in April and essentially had the site to ourselves. The staff is incredibly helpful and friendly, the food is also good. The site is ideal to be able to enter the park early to see the sunset as well as spend time close to the formations from the comfort of the camp. Like any camp one has to be prepared for shared bathrooms and showers, but the overall experience makes it totally worth it. At night it does get a bit cold, depending on the season, but with the heaters provided it was fine. I would highly recommend!

A wonderful place This hotel is a real germ. The well looked after house is very clean, airy and nicely decorated and in a quiet neighbourhood. The centre is easily reached by taxi. We got an upgrade to a very spacious room with a very comfortable bed, fluffy towels and a fresh herbal foot bath every day as well as nice local fruit tea. Breakfast was delicious. Above all, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The manageress picked us up from the railway station on arrival, and organised an amazing taxi driver for our tours for a very reasonable price. We highly recommend this hotel.

This entire guesthouse boasts a comfortable Moroccan style, with a courtyard, a pool, and a wall featuring the large characters 'Dunhuang', creating a truly distinctive atmosphere. You don't need to specifically find a good spot; just sitting casually in the courtyard and taking photos will perfectly capture the vibe. Photography enthusiasts will absolutely love it. We brought our child, and there's a sandpit right outside the door, so they can play in the sand as soon as they step out of the room. The guesthouse also provides a complete set of sand-digging tools for free, including buckets and shovels. Our little one could happily play for half a day, giving us a much-needed break and truly freeing up our hands. 😀 The service details really add to the experience. Upon check-in, we were given fresh welcome fruits, and also complimentary lattes and specially crafted cocktails. The minibar in the room is also free to use. All the staff are very enthusiastic and respond quickly to any issues. Breakfast can be delivered to the room, and they thoughtfully provide us with a few bottles of water whenever we head out. You can feel the attentiveness everywhere.

We stayed in two hotels in Zhagana for two nights (the first day was sold out), and this one felt better. The hotelier was very considerate, cleaning the room in the morning and checking us in at 10:00 AM. It was convenient to park our car at the hotel and walk to the Grand Loop Trail. The stewed free-range chicken at the restaurant completely washed away the fatigue of the eight-hour Grand Loop Trail. The view from the room and the hotel restaurant was stunning, overlooking the crowded tourist center and Fairy Beach across the way. The hotel also provided complimentary tea and fruit. It was a wonderful stay.

I originally chose this place because it's within a 15-minute walk to the middle gate of Mingsha Mountain, and for just over 300 yuan a night, you can see the stars. It exceeded my expectations, so I had to write a proper review! P1-3: The room was very clean, with no unpleasant odors. The skylight for stargazing was as big as the bed, and sunlight streamed in when it was open! The TV was a Xiaomi, and the toilet and shower were all in great condition. I saw the Big Dipper from bed at night—absolutely amazing! P4: The guesthouse is family-run. At noon, I heard the owner's mother calling ”Lunch is ready!” Since I was traveling alone, the hospitable owner invited me to join them. So, we all squeezed together at the table, chatting and laughing, and the moment reminded me of many tranquil and beautiful movies. P5-7: Because it was before the May Day holiday, the guesthouse wasn't busy, and I was invited to try the food and have a barbecue at the Western restaurant near the entrance. The owner took me to the market to have freshly cut Aksai lamb! PS: The Western restaurant was delicious!! You can tell from the pictures! P8: After returning from Mingsha Mountain in the evening, seeing the room door was truly therapeutic! INFP understands! I highly recommend this guesthouse. Firstly, the accommodation is very comfortable, and secondly, it was a long-lost relaxing and warm experience for someone like me who's been working like a dog for so long!