Grand Lijiang

The hotel, like the Budapest of the movie, has seen better days. It is close to the main square of the old town which makes comfortable for hotels but terribly noisy as music goes on loudly in the town till late at night (the town on the other hand reminds more of Las Vegas than of a Unesco site). We seemed to be the only customers, no breakfast was prepared, only empty containers were in the dining room. At the end we could have two greasy fried eggs, no juice, no coffee. The room was not too bad, the bathroom definitely needed refurbishing and hand towels were microscopic. Wifi was only working in the hall.

This hotel was booked by our travel agent and it was a very bad choice. The only positive side was it's location, just across the old town. The room was dirty, a lot of dirty spots on the carpet, water leaks in the bathroom. It needs to be completely renovated. The firs morning we were the only guest for the breakfast so they made us some pancakes and eggs. It wasn't good. The next morning they served the buffet breakfast since there was a group staying in the hotel. We expected much better food, but it was bad again. The food was not tasty and not fresh. Our advice: Stay away from this place if you want to enjoy your stay in beautiful Lijiang.

All the things written in the bad reviews turned out to be true. I think our overseas travel agent was compelled to book here through a chain operating in Asia. Those reviews that say the location makes up for it all are nonsense. The rooms were dirty, not even vacuumed - loose debris on the floor. Bathroom - disgusting. Don't look under the sheets unless you have a strong stomach. The south facing windows have gaps in the seals - letting all the sound in from the karaoke bars. Wear your ear plulgs if you want a good night sleep. Breakfast - a joke. The staff said "we don't have a buffet breakfast, because not enough people stay here to warrant it" - ain't that the truth! The "a la carte" breakfast was worse than terrible. Access - no vehicle access is possible due to nearby construction works at the moment (May 2014). So expect to drag your luggage over rough cobbled streets for a 5 minute walk. We were booked in for 6 nights. One was enough. We had pre-paid our full cost of the accommodation, and lost one night to cancel the remaining 5 nights. It was worth it. We spent a bit more and are now at a perfectly suitable place - good investment. If your travel agent recommends this place to you, have a serious discussion with them.