Moon and Chalice Boutique Hotel — Hotel in Kunming

Every now and again you end up booking accommodation in a location that's iconic, without knowing it. |The Moon & Chalice is one of those places.|First the hotel: Everything about it is boutique, except some modern paintings decorating some walls, and looking a bit out of place. |Rooms were exceptional; clean, fresh, functional and very comfortable. The shampoo was the best I have used anywhere, ever (and I should have found out what it was called)! I can honestly say that for a mid-priced hotel the value for money here was incomparable.|My room was on the top floor overlooking the walking street, which was closed to traffic from 10am until 10pm. It did get a bit noisy - not at all rowdy - into the evening, and while the hotel supplies earplugs for light sleepers, if you have spent the days out and about like most tourists do, you will sleep like a baby.|The manager speaks English, but if she is not available then reception just uses an app to communicate - was never a problem. Guests also get a 20% discout from a nearby cafe that is cat themed and has an upstairs area for watching the world pass by. As a coffee addict I was there in the mornings and again in late afternoons as their coffees made Starbucks taste like mud.|A Metro is 5 minutes walk away, but don't use the first entry point if you are catching one to the airport: instead cross to the other side of the road and use the entry there as you otherwise walk through a maze of stairs and escalators.|Immediately outside the hotel are literally hundreds of eating places, including street foods, cafes, and small restaurants. A 10 minute walk takes you into high-end shopping centres, and a 20 minute walk takes you to Jade Lake (Cui Hu).|As a city Kunming is a bit of a gem, lacking the hustle and bustle of most cities its size and larger. It was easily my favourite during my month-long stay in China.|Every time I walked out the door of this hotel I wore a big smile as the ambience was unbelievable. As an iconic landmark building it's frequented by amateur and professional photographers throughout the day and evening. And mere metres away there's music playing and various types of dancing happening.|If you are lucky enough to stay here you will have fantastic memories indelibly etched into your mind as a reminder of how wonderful...

What a lovely hotel this is. Located in a beautifully restored historic building in a tourist area that is very popular with people taking photos outside. It is located very close to Line 3 metro (10-minute walk at most) which make it convenient for getting to/from the airport, train station, and Western Hills. ||||When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly man who gave us a refreshing cool floral drink whilst he checked us in. His English was really good, which was great as we do not speak Chinese. We were shown to our room (Number 5) which was just so nice – large, clean, beautifully decorated, with the most comfortable bed & pillows. The shower was amazing, in fact, I wanted to move in immediately! I was a little concerned when I booked about the fact there is no air conditioning, but I didn’t have to worry. There was a large, powerful ceiling fan and all the windows open (with mosquito screens to keep the nasty creatures out!) to allow the refreshing breeze in. Much nicer than AC, in my opinion. ||||We did not have the breakfast so I can not comment. But every evening, someone came to the room and left us a flask of tea with a small note describing the ingredients and how it would soothe and unwind us. These little touches really made the stay perfect. We were returning to Kunming for one night at the end of our trip, and I enjoyed our stay at this hotel so much, I rebooked for our final night. I would highly recommend and will DEFINITELY stay here again if I...

I’ve stayed in Kunming a few times - and always been a bit confused by the hotel options. Maybe it’s the nature of the city (big tourism market, but people spreading out to other areas) and perhaps more spread out even than some other provincial capitals - but there aren’t a lot of better hotel options anywhere near the city center (which, especially in the Laojie old street area, is actually pretty nice). More four + star hotels are spread out in the suburbs - but honestly those aren’t that attractive of places…|…so initially I was looking to see if I could finally turn up a good option in the center, and saw the 若安对月楼 Moon and Chalice hotel. Even more than a high quality offering in the center, it was a beautiful renovation of a historic building just down the street from the War Victory monument in the Laojie old street area. Yes, the rooms are a bit smaller, and no, there isn’t air conditioning, and yes, it can be a bit loud with the windows open as this is a popular nightlife area - but I’m willing to make those trade offs for a place with personality and a great location. And you get to stay in the building you’ll see all the other tourists posing for pictures in front of. |During our stay we were struck by the great service - staff seemed genuinely interested in welcoming us, making sure we enjoyed our breakfast, checking in on our stay - well above the level you’ll see many times in China. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again the next time...