Backpacker Reviews

The place was clean and nice. Comfy. The people were too kind, lovely and helpful. It's also perfectly located to go out early in the morning or come back late at night. The beds were super wide, I wasn't expecting that amount of space! Awesome experience.

The hostel is cool and has a family atmosphere, very near to the city center. The owner is kind and always available to help.

Great location! A bit difficult to find but just follow the signs. The owner and his grandma are very very lovely!

Stayed in the men’s dorm room, just for one night, and really wouldn’t recommend it. Firstly, the shower-toilet was very poorly-designed. You had to really stoop down each time to get in and out. Sure you would remember when you first go in but in the middle of the night when you need to pee and are half-awake, it’s hard to remember to do so. And you end up banging your head. I’m not even that tall - 1.78 m. Secondly, the place is run like a family business. It’s owned or managed by the grandson and the grandma cleans the place and helps out. Which sounds quaint, except that when I went out in the morning at 8 am to look at the old town and came back at 10 am to rest and use the toilet, I got a dirty look from the grandma. All because she had cleaned the room and toilet, but the check-out time was 1 pm. Basically, I got a dirty look for using the room and attached toilet before check-out. And the grandson was hardly there, so when I needed directions, the grumpy grandma was barely any help. When asked for recommendations on what to eat, her reply was “it’s all good here”. Overall, if you’re reading this, don’t bother with Fengjuang, unless you like Chinese tackiness. Neon lights spoiling the waterfront; hordes of Chinese tourists busy with cultural appropriation (dressing up in ethnic costumes and jostling for photo ops), dime a dozen bars with low-rent performers, circa 90s techno discos blasting cheesy mando-techno, seeing the same costume rental-cultural-appropriation-photo shops every few metres and just generally experiencing over-commercialism. Fenghuang has maybe a couple of worthy sights - the houses on stilts and the Hong bridge, but other than that, it’s yet another Chinese ancient town destroyed by over-commercialism, and isn’t worth the day trip. Spend your time at Zhangjiajie national park instead; that is seriously where it’s are

Great hostel for your visit to Fenghuang. Very well located, in an alley just next to the main street. The hostel facilities are simple and the hostel is clean. I spent quite a lot of time in the lounge sharing good times, and the people running the hostel were very helpful and charming

The owner and I are now good friends. The hotel is very clean and the owner and his grandmother are super nice. The grandmother is definitely a plus in my experience, she is incredibly sweet. The owner took me to visit local places and meet other people and we became good friends. He looked after me very well and I ended up staying two extra nights. The room is big and the beds are comfortable, the bathroom is clean. The location is very very central in the ancient city, might have a little trouble finding it at first but once you find it it’s perfect. (It is in one of the side alleys) I am very grateful for the hostel owner and his friends for making me feel very welcomed and having a fun time!

Locations is very good. Cheap accomodation. But could be a little bit cleaner

Owner speaks very little english but the translation app helps out a lot. Great location inside the old town. It's behind the main street. Room was a bit cold, electric blanket was provided. Shower was very hot and good. I had a good stay.

Great hostel right in the heart of the ancient town. Note that that means a taxi won’t be able to arrive close, but it’s a very short walk. Lovely staff!

A truly heartwarming homestay runs by a friendly & talented young guy - Harry with the help of his energetic & bubbly 76-year old granny. We were amazed by the great hospitality of them offering us delicious home-cooked food at cost price and impressed by their sincerity and kindness to their guests. Highly recommended to everyone to experience a memorable stay here where you will be treated like a family member!

Really nice place to stay. The rooms are clean and spacious.

The hostel is right next to the ancient city but also close to the main street to catch a taxi to go back to the train station. The old lady doesn't speak English but she is very nice and welcoming, she offered me food and drinks. The owner, her nephew, speaks English and although he wasn't there when I went he helped me via WeChat. The only problem is that the air conditioning is not available, you have to pay an additional fee per night to turn it on which gets quite expensive and not convenient at all. But they do provide electric blankets for free and they were enough to keep me warm during the night, although the room remained cold.

This hostel was everything I was looking for - run by a very warm and welcoming family who offered me dinner and breakfast for no extra charge. Although they spoke as little English as I do Chinese, they were happy to tolerate my attempts at the language and make conversation through translation apps where the language barrier was too great - the young guy even had some funny banter via WeChat. He recommended a tour of the nearby Miao village of Dehang. While the tour guide did not speak any English, this was very good value even for a non-Chinese speaker, since it included transport, lunch, a tour of the village, several scenic spots, and the Aizhai Bridge. I'd definitely taking this option if it's also offered to you! The only negatives were that the facilities of the hostel itself were fairly basic - it had everything I needed but it's not luxurious if that's what you're after - and that when I asked for a recommendation for a bar the one that I was sent to was a bit overpriced (but then I think this is the case for most places along the river in Fenghuang).

very nice place. recommended :)