LIJIANG JOYFUL BOUTIQUE HOTEL

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.

We reach Lijiang old city at 830am after midnight flight from Malaysia. The inn keeper was there to meet us and take our bags.. Being a ancient city, it's all full of stones stairs and winding small lanes. Need to have a good shoes and grip. After settling down, Xiao Fen, the inn manager recommended us some nice food to eat while the room was being prepared for us. At 11am, our room wa ready and we took a nap before heading for more food. Xiao Fen recommend to us the do and don't, to escape tourist traps. She is so sincere. The room view was excellent, overlooking the old city as its location was slightly uphill area. To get a taxi, it's so easy, just a 5mins walk uphill. This area only Green local taxi are allowed to pick and send customer uphill. And before I end the review, the breakfast was excellent. The noodles was great and lots of other variety of food, like corn, pumpkin porridge, sweet potatoes, yogurt, steamed bao, milk, soya bean drink..

The views at the hotel are amazing and the room is faultless. The real star though is the hotel manager and staff who were so friendly and ensured that we had a great stay. Thank you so much and see you again one day

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.

Very friendly staff and clean room. The view from the terrace of the hotel is amazing, you can overlook the whole city. The manager was very helpful, organizing our trip to Yulong snow mountain for a fair price. Also helped us getting a fair price for presents. We‘ll come again!

Excellent hospitality and services provided by the hotel from first day till the end. Infact they also offered tour services to Jade Snow Mountain and Tiger Leaping Gorge. However the wechat conversation came a bit late as we already book in advance elsewhere. The 270 deg room is the best room with view of Lijiang old town. A bit cold as no heater equipped. But electrical blanket served the purpose. Water with heater. Located on top of the hill. So stepping lots of stairs to reach the hotel from old town. Driver and luggages pickup services provided.