LIJIANG JOYFUL BOUTIQUE HOTEL

Las vistas del hotel son increíbles y la habitación es impecable. Sin embargo, la verdadera estrella es el gerente y el personal del hotel, quienes fueron muy amables y se aseguraron de que tuviéramos una estancia estupenda. Muchas gracias y nos vemos pronto.

Tuvimos una buena estancia de dos noches. El jefe y el personal fueron muy amables y serviciales. El servicio fue excelente. Como tenemos más de sesenta y cinco años y nos alojamos aquí, no tuvimos ningún problema. Recomendado.

I had an amazing experience at Lijiang Joyful Boutique Hotel! From the moment I arrived, the staff was warm, welcoming, and incredibly helpful — they made me feel right at home. The hotel is beautifully designed with charming Naxi-style architecture and tasteful modern touches, creating a peaceful and authentic atmosphere. My room was spacious and comfortable, with thoughtful amenities and a lovely view of the courtyard. I especially appreciated the quiet location — just a short walk to Lijiang Old Town but tucked away enough to enjoy restful nights. The daily breakfast was delicious. The staff also helped arrange transportation and gave great recommendations for places to explore around Lijiang. Overall, staying at Joyful Boutique Hotel truly enhanced my time in Lijiang. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy, friendly, and authentic place to stay!

Our experience at Joyful Hotel in the old town of Lijiang is best described as “Over promise, under deliver”. We only occasionally write reviews, but this one is important as ones expectations of the accommodation is central to the experience of that accommodation, and often the place one is visiting more broadly. Where expectations align, the experience is positive. Where they diverge, the experience can be negative, especially when high expectations are met with poor quality and performance in reality. Firstly, the reviews which say that the accommodation is very easy to find could NOT BE MORE FALSE. The “hotel” (so called), being in the old city, is accessible only on foot. Carrying luggage across cobblestone paths in the rain (the rain was not the hotel’s fault 😊) was extremely difficult. The hotel was at the top of a steep set of stairs. And when you finally arrived, there were still more stairs to get to one’s room. The address itself was difficult to locate (as they can be in China when you’re relying on Google maps) as no one in the vicinity seemed to have heard of the place, and we had asked 4 different people! So something in the reviews that prepared us for the difficultly we were likely to experience finding the hotel would have helped deal with the difficulty of the situation. The hotel itself was not in fact a hotel at all. It turns out the hotel was actually a hostel, but we only discovered this in passing as we were leaving! Had we known it was a hostel, our expectations of the quality of the rooms and the location would have been quite different. In terms of location, the Joyful Hotel (so called) was surround by a series of taverns where live music played from 10.30 am to midnight most days. The same songs played on rotation and you could not avoid hearing them when relaxing in your room. This most likely accounts for the numerous packets of ear plugs in the drawer. Again. Expectations and actuality. If we had know that this accommodation was in a busy entertainment area, we would have made our decision accordingly. If, knowing it’s noisy location, had still decided to stay there, then any discomfort would be on us. Finally, the hotel seems to be rated by users as 5 Star. It was so far below 5 star that it was laughable. It was clearly in dire need of maintenance. There was no bathroom door, just an old curtain. The furniture had long seen better days. The mould in the bathroom needed a good scrub. And the electricals seemed like they were done by a home handyman who was learning on the job. It was more like one or two star than 5 Star. Pictures below demonstrate our point. Overall, the “hotel” was worth closer to $30 night than the $79 we paid. To their credit, they gave us back the payment we made for the second night when we decided we couldn’t stay on, despite having paid in advance under “no refund” conditions. I guess they were hoping for a good review. But as we said, it is important for fellow travellers to tell the truth to one another, so expectations meet actuality. When there is such a large disparity, it does feel like you’ve been duped. And that never feels good. The previous reviews were so extraordinarily positive and unlike the place we visited, that we felt the record needed to be corrected. But more importantly, as a traveller, your enjoyment of any particular hostel, homestay or hotel depends almost entirely to the travellers expectations about the place.

This is the place to stay in old city Lijiang. 90m walk to the 四方街，where one can enjoy the vibes, eateries and services. Going up 200m will be the Lion Hill observatory and 万古楼，here one can call taxi to other parts of Lijiang. The hotel services is excellent and very friendly. They will assist in trips booking and also luggage services on the stone road. This hotel is at an elevated position where one can have meals or coffee overseeing the roofs of other buildings and unblocked views to the mountains. Will certainly recommend this place for anyone who seek good location, services, access to amenities, and unique experiences of living in an ancient city.

I highly recommend this accommodation, which offers excellent service and very clean rooms. The room views are stunning, and you can clearly see the ancient old town of Lijiang from your balcony. The staff is warm and friendly, making you feel welcome. The accommodation is in an excellent location. It is also home to one of the most beautiful-view cafés in Lijiang. The surrounding area is filled with restaurants and shopping spots, providing great convenience. Despite its central location, the rooms are quiet, ensuring a peaceful stay. They respond to messages very quickly, and you can communicate any requests during your stay in Lijiang. They provide free pick-up and drop-off service at the high-speed railway station. Additionally, they assist with handling all your luggage from check-in to check-out, which is especially helpful since Lijiang’s stone-paved streets make rolling suitcases inconvenient. They also arrange airport transfers and a one-day tour to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, including a show, at a reasonable price. The vehicles used for transportation are of high quality. Especially Xiao Su and Xiao Yang, who provided us with professional service and excellent arrangements, making our vacation in Lijiang absolutely perfect. We received service beyond our expectations in every aspect. The internet connection was highly efficient, allowing my husband to work seamlessly while staying here. On the day we checked out, we had the opportunity to take a photo with Xiao Su. She and her team warmly saw us off to our car, making our departure just as memorable as our stay.