Guilin Dongjiang Golf Resort Hotel

What a shame. If you go onto the website of this hotel it promises three things: an 18 hole golf course, a Chinese and Western restaurant and a swimming pool. Sounds too good to be true for the price? There is a simple reason for that: it is too good to be true! There is no 18 hole golf course, just a driving range; the restaurant is only open for breakfast, and is solely Chinese, You can't even get a beer in the evening, and the swimming pool? Well I am sure that newts and frogs would enjoy it given the mouldy green stuff floating on the surface, but being neither, we didn't. Worst aspect: when we did raise these issues with them (and yes, a few do speak basic English, but our miming skills were developed to expert levels!) they just said it wasn't their fault what agents and web sites said - this is what they did. Requests to speak to the manager/owner - anybody, brushed off. No attempt to do anything with our feedback. Saddest aspect: we have been in China for nearly a year so are very used to Chinese hotels and are not making these comments lightly. Even sadder, most of the staff try to be helpful, and if the hotel told the truth: that it is actually a pleasant get away from it all b&b, a kind of peaceful haven with nice grounds and good rooms outside the hustle and bustle of Guilin itself, then we would rated it higher. Say even a 4. But rated against what it says about itself on the website, a 1 is about right. In England it would be a prosecution under the trades description act.

I stayed in this “resort” hotel (桂林東江高爾夫度假酒店) for 2 nights, not of my choosing, but from a lodging arrangement for a Guilin guided tour operated by Wing On Travel in Hong Kong. My room is in building 4, at the back of the lot. The buildings in this hotel are 2-story high, with room doors facing the outdoor directly. Perhaps this can explain the swarm of mosquitoes that rushed inside the room as soon as I opened the door. I had to spend at least 20 minutes to find and smash them one by one everywhere, including the bathroom. There is an electric mosquito repellent that I plugged in afterwards. But I doubt if it was effective since the bugs were inside the room already. During the night I covered my body from head to toes with the blanket during sleep. Another annoying thing was the shower stall curtain. The cloth curtain was short of several inches on both sides and the bottom, so creating huge gaps that cannot block any splashing water. The floor was wet naturally after showering as a result. Luckily the hot water from the shower was as good as at home. Next issue, the air con/heater that is mounted on the wall is at right angles to and farthest away from the bed area. The warm air cannot reach the beds, despite attempts to adjust the shutters to face the beds. Instead, the TV area and entrance hallway got all the warm air during the night. During my stay the outdoor temperature at night was 4-6C. Despite the name of “golf resort”, there is little open space or landscaping between the buildings. The buffet breakfast was OK, but not up to the level or quality I thought a resort hotel should be. I had stayed in a genuine golf resort hotel in Huangshan before, so I know this hotel is an imposter! But based on the praises from Chinese reviewers here, there must be a huge cultural gap between a foreigner’s standard and theirs.

went here with 5 year old daughter. very nice decoration (zen style) and very well kept, clean and all. the staff speak little or no English, so a bit tough for communication. I booked via ctrip.com and the hotel (tourist office at hotel) came to pick me up from train station. very nice reception. pool is a bit muddy and not well kept, but else all was OK. I do recommend this for peace and quiet (though some construction work in July09, not sure until when) but you will need to take buses to get into town. It's really very peaceful and clean. Breakfast was OK, not abundant, but good enough. Main issue i there is no restaurant so you need to get out of hotel. Fortunately, there are few ones less than 100 m from there. I recommend the one right across the road. They speak some English and food is reasonably priced and quite good. Taxi ride will cost less than 20RMB to city center, depending on traffic. Air conditioning and bathroom all in excellent order. Golf driving range nice and you get about 60 balls for free by being a guest at hotel. Tourist info at hotel have tours, all priced at competitive levels. Very friendly staff. Free, good internet connection.