The monument is in the central portion of a very large pedestrian mall. From the JW Marriott, where I always stay, its a 5 minute walk. There a couple of Starbucks and McDonalds within 2 minutes of the monument. Its a great place to hang out in the morning to see seniors exercising, people going to work, and many tourists. Change is always happening here at the center of downtown.
Great location! After a 17 hour flight and arriving close to midnight, I was cheerfully greeted and quickly checked into my room. Fairly large room, nice and clean, witha free computer and internet service. Breakfast was both western and chinese and very delicious with many varieties. The hotel is connected to a large pedestrian mall which made it very nice to go exploring early in the morning before I met my local guide. Everything that I wanted to see was within walking distance or a short 5 minute taxi ride . The hotel provides a free shuttle to the airport. I had to catch the 6:45 am shuttle to make my early flight. Breakfast starts at 7 so I thought that I would have to buy something at the airport. To my pleasant surprise, when I checked out, they had already prepared a packed breakfast for me to take to the airport. That was really thoughtful! I highly recommend this hotel.
Square Street is a very large area in the center of Old Town where people gather to talk, rest, have some refreshments, dance with the ethnic Naxi ladies, take photos, and even ride a horse.
Due to the very large subway construction project running alongside the hotel, it was a bit inconvenient to get across the street. But in a very short 5 minute walk is a very nice shopping center with KFC and Starbucks. If you go below the road and down the stairs near the KFC you'll find a very large underground shopping center. The river is also a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Saw a very nice fireworks at the river. I actually walked down to cross the overpass to Orange Island. It took about 25 minutes. I had a very nice suite with a living room, walkin closet, tub, shower and king size bed with two TVs and even a bar area. It was quiet at night and everything worked fine. They have a very nice spa and massage center in the hotel. Got a foot massage 2 of the 3 nights I was there. The Bar street and Walmart is within a 15 minute walk of the hotel. Great location.
Ask about the free shuttle service to the airport.
Great location. There is major construction underway of the road next to the hotel. They're building a subway and it will take 2-3 years to complete. Taxi from the airport to the hotel costs me rmb150. I was told that it would be rmb 100, but when I asked 2 taxis they both quoted me rmb 200. I bargained it down to rmb150. Even with the construction my room was pretty nice and quiet in the evening. Service was great, breakfast was pretty good. Lobby and concierge staff spoke pretty good English. If you walk straight down towards the river for about 10 minutes, you can see the senior citizens exercising, singing, playing cards and having a good time. Its another 15 minute walk over the bridge to Orange Island. From the hotel if you walk the opposite way, you'll see a large shopping center with Starbucks and KFC, then if you find your way across the subway construction, you'll find a Walmart and Bar Street. Just ask the concierge, they have a map of the city and they even offer a free shuttle to the airport.
This was was second time visiting Lijiang in 2 years. The first time I didn't spend enough time to enjoy the nightlife in Old Town. There are many restaurants, bars and clubs with fantastic entertainment. You can just walk along the sidewalk and see into each one, listen to the music, check out the entertainment, look at the food and menus and decide where you want to go. The food is delicious. After 9 pm the place really rocks, with everyone having a good time.
Definitely a 5 star hotel with a 5 star location. In addition to the great service and fantastic room, Hunan Road with its restaurants and shops is just a 5 minute walk away. The staff is knowledgeable about the city and I had no trouble exchanging travelers checks. If you need a fast food fix, there are two McDonald's almost across the street and a KFC and Pizza Hut nearby.
