We stayed for one night at the Garden Panorama Suite with Soaking Tub at Dali Yunying Chunxiao Shuiyuan Scenic Hotel. This is a small boutique hotel, and while there are some things worth improving, the views and overall atmosphere were truly memorable.
The first thing that struck us when we arrived was the view of Erhai Lake. It was absolutely exquisite and looked almost exactly like the photos online. Every corner of the hotel was incredibly photogenic, and the whole place had a very calm, peaceful and almost surreal atmosphere. The hotel itself is quite small, with a compact lobby that also serves as the breakfast area, but the incredible lake view more than made up for the limited space.
The hotel is located along a cobbled street with no direct car access. The hotel contacted us beforehand to ask about our arrival time, which was appreciated, and their staff met us to collect our luggage and transported it to the hotel by motorbike. However, we initially thought someone would escort or pick us up, but instead we were given a location to follow on foot. The route was a little confusing and we got slightly lost, particularly because the final stretch goes through a very quiet back street that doesn’t really look like it leads to a hotel. It was also raining when we arrived and when we left, so we really appreciated that the hotel lent us umbrellas.
The location itself is convenient, with plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance. However, one important point for future guests is that the streets leading back to the hotel are completely dark at night, with no street lights at all. We found this quite scary and felt it could be unsafe, especially for families with young children or anyone returning after dark.
Our room had a beautiful view of Erhai Lake, but unfortunately the upkeep and cleanliness did not quite match what we expected for the price. There were quite a few dead fish and pieces of rubbish visible around the water when looking over the ledge, both from our room and from the lobby area. The balcony also had a hammock, but it did not look particularly safe to use, and there were plants growing out from the lake and into the hammock area. The room itself was also relatively small for the price, and the cleanliness could have been better.
That said, there were some really lovely inclusions with our room, including afternoon tea, a photoshoot, goodnight dessert and breakfast. Breakfast was not buffet-style, but we were given a choice of mains along with some sides and a drink. The portions were on the smaller side, but everything we had was good.
The photoshoot was a particularly nice touch and something we really appreciated. Three photos were included with our stay, and we actually enjoyed the experience enough to purchase additional photos beyond the included three. It was a lovely way to capture our time in Dali.
We were also celebrating our child’s birthday during our stay, and the hotel went above and beyond by preparing a very cute birthday cake for him. It was such a thoughtful gesture and genuinely made the stay more special❤️
Overall, this hotel has an incredibly beautiful setting and a very unique atmosphere. The views are genuinely stunning and the photography opportunities are fantastic. The thoughtful extras, especially the photoshoot and birthday cake, were also highlights of our stay. However, for the price, we felt the room upkeep, cleanliness and accessibility could be improved, and the completely unlit walk back to the hotel at night is something future guests should be aware of.
If the hotel were to improve the maintenance and cleanliness while addressing the nighttime access issue, it could be an exceptional boutique stay because the location and views are truly special.
