I’m sharing my honest feedback in the hope the owners find this useful and can use this to improve. I am coming with good intentions and wish the owners the best!
If you are just looking for somewhere to lay your head after a long day of hiking and are a good sleeper, this place will suit you fine.
The beds are large and comfortable. The bed heater comes in very handy and the showers are hot. The wifi signal is good. The dogs and cats are cute.
With regards to where to improve, my suggestions below:
1. It is quite hard to find the place - the name is slightly different on Amap compared to Trip.com and as it’s a small village the roads don’t exactly match up with the map. Some signage would really help as other hotels have done. When you’ve been hiking for 5 hours and are tired you need some clear direction!
2. The owners have quite a relaxed and casual attitude to hospitality and I think they could do more to make you feel welcome. It is more of a homestay than a hotel - the common area doubles as the owners living space, and while the owners go about their day (eating, playing on phone, de-fleaing their cats) it can on occasion feel like you are intruding upon their space. A little hospitality would go a long way - a smile or acknowledgment when you enter the room, the offer of a hot drink on arrival or a warm welcome after your long hike to the village for example.
3. I think the above is especially true for foreign guests- I can speak and read some Mandarin so was able to get by, but it would be difficult if you had no understanding of the language and the hosts are not particularly forthcoming with help or information. This stands out as everywhere else we have been in China hosts have been so hospitable and willing to help - translation apps are so useful here. Just a simple one pager of what you offer, the menu, kitchen hours etc translated into English is my suggestion!
4. There is absolutely no soundproofing in the room. You can hear every footstep, whisper and noise from the adjoining rooms - if you are a light sleeper you will wake up. I would really recommend that this is addressed for guests’ peace!
5. Install one non-squat toilet in the shared bathroom area, so guests who aren’t used to these can use another type of toilet!
Unfortunately, there is still quite a bit of construction going on around but there’s nothing that the hosts can do about that - it is everywhere in the village.
We weren’t lucky enough to experience good weather while we were there but I have no doubt the views would have been incredible!
