Overseas Chinese Hotel — Hotel in Labrang

Dear traveler, ||||I am writing this review so I can tell the world "hello, this place exists and you should come here because I know you will love it". I am a teacher and I was travelling inside of China this July as a "goodbye" since I left for good the 31st. I visited many cities and provinces, but Xiahe is the one who stole, deep and completely, my heart. And the Overseas Tibetan Hotel had a lot to do with that. ||||About the hotel: the rooms are wide and the windows are also big. The decoration can make tourists think "wow, this is a touristic place" but actually is more frequented by local nomads than tourists. The bright colors of the walls have their meaning and explanation. ||||The wifi is working perfectly and the receptionist and owner speak English. These are the main details a foreigner wants to be sure of. Yes, you will be able to keep your online meetings in the morning and explore the city in the afternoon ;) Oh, and they have a pretty decent coffee.||||About the staff: I think The Overseas Tibetan Hotel has been the first hotel in China where I have been truly welcomed and appreciated. The staff are so nice and communicative ! They gave me a small map and all the info I could need: buses, restaurants, local tips... everything. They even know the legends and rituals which are practised in the area. If you see anything shiny or curious happening on the streets and you wanna know more about it, you can always ask the reception or the owner, Losang, who always has an explanation and a smile. ||||About the owner: He loves to hike every morning with his dog Stacy. Xiahe is a small city attached to a monastery and surrounded by mountains. Those mountains have a lot of paths which Losang knows, and he invites the guests who wish to try the experience to hike with him and Stacy. The views of the monastery from the mountains are stunning, and one wishes the holidays would last longer only to be able to do that more mornings. I planned to stay 4 days and I ended up living there for almost two weeks. Losang used to prepare group travels to other countries before the covid situation, and he knows a lot about everything. I would recommend trying a hike with him and Stacy :) nice views + nice stories assured!||||I feel that I discovered a lot about the society and history of Tibetan culture during my short time there, and I wish and hope that in the future, I will be able to come back and visit my new friends, Losand and Stacy, to hike some more together. ||||PS: I bet that visiting this place in winter is a must. I have seen the pictures of the monastery full of snow... and is as beautiful or even more than during summer. ||||Thank you for everything and for all the memories that I will carry with me. ||||Best...

I stayed for eight days at the Overseas Tibetan Hotel during July 2020, a month that will go down in infamy as a difficult time to travel. However, when I initially emailed Losang, the owner of Overseas Tibetan Hotel, and mentioned my interest in travelling to Gansu, he was immediate and thorough in his response back. In fact, he set up my entire itinerary, including arranging a driver to take me from Lanzhou to Xiahe, then onto to Langmusi, then back to Lanzhou. He also booked rooms for me in hotels outside of Xiahe, and made certain these bookings would be honored before I arrived (with Covid this has unfortunately been an issue for some hotels when foreigners try to book.) He truly took care of every detail in my panning, and made no complaints when, upon arrival to Xiahe, suddenly changed them (I liked Xiahe too much to leave, so he cancelled my booking in Langmusi without causing penalty.) During my time in Xiahe, the fabulous Lily who works at the hotel was my personal guide through the surrounding grasslands and town, giving me an excellent and fascinating introduction to Tibetan culture. Honestly, I can not say enough wonderful things about Lily! ||||As mentioned in the previous reviews, Xiahe is a beautiful town and a refreshing change from the sweltering humidity of Shanghai. The scenery is stunning and you can go off wondering and hiking the hills in almost any direction, or you can simply wander through the neighborhoods of Xiahe, which are fascinating in themselves. But whatever you do, be sure to bring sun block and chapstick, because you're...

EXCELLENT HOTEL WITH GREAT LOCATION

I planned to attend the 2024 Monlam Festival at Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, Gansu. Monlam is the biggest spring Festival in Amdo, therefore the demand for accommodation at that time is very high, causing difficulty in room booking during the Festival.

I once visited the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe in 2019 and found Overseas Tibetan Hotel having a great location for a 5-minute walk to Labrang Monastery with many shops and restaurants around. To ensure a room for the 2024 Monlam Festival, I contacted the hotel owner, Mr. Losang, and he agreed to hold the booking for me during the festival.

During our 5-day stay at this hotel, we were given a room with the best view overlooking Labrang Monastery. The room was clean, comfortable and cozy with a heating system, and the staff were friendly and enthusiastic.

The location of the hotel was so great. On the Festival’s third day - yak butter sculptures display in the Great Sutra Hall square, the ceremony was broadcast live on a giant TV screen set up at the entrance to the monastery. And we were able to watch the whole ceremony on the TV screen from our room window.

I love my stay there and highly recommend Overseas Tibetan Hotel for anyone wishing to visit Xiahe and...