Artistic Suite Lijiang — Hotel in Lijiang City

I love this stay so much that for the first time after 60 reviews, I'm going the extra mile to include self taken photos and to write a lengthy post. It is the best that I could do for this sincere inn after the great lengths they have gone to take care of me during my stay. Would also like to note that I've visited other properties during my long stay to make a good comparison.||||After making my booking online through a third party site, I was surprised to received an email 01 hour later from the inn supervisor, Julia, that she has made complimentary arrival pick up arrangements for me from the airport. Highly responsive coming from an unknown humble inn. Intercontinental Lijiang Resort only gave me a glass of water after I purchased USD 70 of desserts. Talk about true Lijiang hospitality versus paid 5-Star hospitality.||||Adhering strictly to its original heritage layout, this inn houses only 9 rooms, therefore its more spacious and offers tranquility like a real home in ancient times. Other inns have reconstructed their rooms with false walls to create more cramped rooms to sell. Instead of using electronic key cards, they still use pad locks for locking the door from the outside. From the inside, its the ancient style of sliding a wooden wedge to keep the door closed. Immerse yourself in the basic touch points of ancient china.||||If you don't speak Mandarin or just can't navigate Lijiang's intricate old alleys, then all you will have to do is follow the signboard to Mu Fu (Mu's Mansion) which is a landmark. This way you will always find your way back to the inn. * Mu Fu is where the ruling governor of Lijiang stayed during the old dynasty. I'm sure the dynasty governor chose this location for a good reason, and so should you!||||Check in was very quick and they allowed the use of credit card. I was ushered to my room and only oriented for the bathroom. Julia's persuasion was that after a long flight, it was more important to take a shower and a short rest, the rest could come later. And that if I was hungry, she would have the kitchen prepare some food for me while I showered and unpack. It is just as any relative would do when you visit them overseas!||||Having refreshed myself, I went to the courtyard and Julia was waiting for me to fulfill my concierge needs while XiaoQing assisted me with a drink of my choice. If you ever need an ATM, XiaoYue will escort you to the nearest ATM at SiFangJie which is a straight path from here. These 3 young ladies are highly personable and it is a joy to have met them.||||Breakfast is complimentary from 8am to 10.30am. Unlike hotels, the menu is not standardize. GaoJie and ChenJie can be found in the dining area and all you have to do is tell them what you feel like eating. It is prepared fresh on spot! Be it noodles, rice, bread base, soy bean, milk, coffee, spicy or non-spicy etc. When they found out that I'm heading out for a ridiculous 6am morning trek the next day, it didn't matter to them. They would still wake up early to make sure I had food or give me a take away box so I could eat on my journey to the mountains. Best non-relative aunties ever! I soon found myself having dinner with the entire team in the courtyard and not patronizing restaurants whenever I'm tired from my day's exploration.||||Most inns in Lijiang closes their doors at 11pm and they leave you their contact number to call them should you come back late. At Artistic Suite, I found them to be waiting up for me whenever I come back late as they knew I'm travelling alone. XiaoYue and XiaoQing would also sit me down in the courtyard's tea section to brew me tea to drink to sober up before I head to bed and it was already 2am... Only my Mum would do this for me back home. They have gone beyond protocol to ensure my stay is safe and that I'm well taken care of.||||It is common knowledge that personal possession are to be kept safe in any part of China but it is ridiculous to even use the safe box in your room. What was even more ridiculous of me to do, was that at the end of the stay, I left an envelope with a tip for the team on the bed. Having known which inn I would be moving to after my stay here, Julia came to return the tip envelope but they kept my complimentary letter as goodwill. I felt highly embarrassed to have even thought about leaving a tip. To the team at Artistic Suite, it is all about goodwill and sincerity.||||While there is much more to speak of the excellent choice of stay, it is best experienced yourself. If you are unhappy about third party booking rates, drop them a personal email to artistic-suite@qq.com and they will see how better they can offer you. Like I said, its not just dollars and cents to them. It is a passionate inn they run. I will be back for sure and will highly recommend...

The Artistic Suite Inn provides comfortable, romantic accommodation within the "old quarter" of Lijiang. Check-in is very easy and the staff is quite helpful. The hotel is very well managed and staff are well trained. ||||The hotel itself is quiet and relaxed. It is decorated in an appealing style that incorporates the antique feel of the building and the area, yet at the same time provides very comfortable, modern accommodation. It includes a large, outdoor atrium, an outdoor sitting area, an indoor TV/video game room and a breakfast room. ||||Electricity, air conditioning, bath tub and shower size, water pressure, availability of hot water, outlets, small refrigerator ... all were totally satisfactory. A basket of fresh fruit was provided upon arrival. Toiletries, including toothbrushes, shampoo and other toiletries, and condoms are provided. ||||Surrounding streets are narrow, filled with shops, restaurants, quaint creekside pathways, stone bridges and charming plazas. There are no cars and very few motorbikes or delivery carts within this part of the city, which is an excellent area for walking. After several days of wandering and relaxing there are still new areas to be discovered. The hotel is a short distance from the fresh market, where one might spot quite a selection of vegetables never seen before. (In some respects, the old city is similar to the pedestrian-only island of Gulangyu at Xiamen in Fujian Province.) ||||Breakfast is included in the room price. It consists of a choice of four items, and is served from 8:30 - 10:00 AM. Arrangements can be made to eat earlier or later. The quality of the food was very good. During the afternoon, the staff brought fruit and tea (or coffee) to the room. ||||At departure, the staff arranged and paid the cost of transportation of the bags by cart from the hotel to the other side of the market. From there a waiting car took us to the airport (cost 80 yuan, also covered by the hotel). ||||One must beware that until 18:30 each day a pass costing 80 yuan is required in order to enter this area. Each person must have a pass, which can be purchased from the people manning the checkpoints. It has your name on it and is good for 30 days. ||||Just to the west of the hotel, at 112 Xingwen Lane, is The Wu Fu Private Restaurant (reviewed separately). Wu Fu provides excellent, moderately-priced meals and...

Location - Short walking distance to the heart of the Lijiang old town action, and far enough to be away from the noise Room - Super spacious and clean. Like a mini studio apartment. Breakfast is home cook every morningBathroom - Super spacious and clean too. There is a bathtub. I can literally open my luggage in the bathroom and still have space to maneuver. Water pressure is good. Temperature, once you get it to the correct temperature, it will maintain.Service level - All the staff (Ladies at the reception, owner, even the auntie preparing breakfast) are super friendly and helpful. Free flow of tea (i highly recommend trying). The owner, Julia, she will try to make your stay as comfortable as possible, attending to all your needs and requests.Tour - You of course can plan your own, and ask Julia on what is the best way to visit the attractions yourself. And also check with her what is the suggested itinerary. And you can also request for her to help make some arrangements. For me, one of the main request i asked, was for the visit to the Jade Dragon Snow mountain. Julia helped me book the internal bus ride, tickets to the show, cable car etc. (Actual entrance fee to the mountain can only be purchased at the entrance)if you had not book a tour, I highly recommend asking her help for this, even if you had make arrangements to take public transportation there yourself. Because there is a limit to how many visitors can visit per day. Had also asked Julia to help arrange a tour to tiger gorge. This is literally one of the best place i had stayed in, and in terms of service level, i would said it’s the best i had encountered.I really do recommend this place if you are visiting Lijiang old town, you can’t go wrong by choosing this...