Willow Breeze Panoramic Ancient Town View Hotel (Mufu Branch, Lijiang Ancient Town)

- Location is great, right in front of Mu's residence, in the heart of the old town. - Cleanliness leaves much to be desired. There were a pair of chopsticks in the toilet that a previous guest had left, so the cleaning process doesn't seem to be very thorough. You can see the fingerprints of previous guests checking the dust layer below the TV as well. - Kudos to the manager, a very helpful person who wants to be on top of everything, gives you advice on where to eat and answer your questions (even through WhatsApp if you don't have WeChat), but I had the impression that perhaps he's a bit overloaded trying to take care of everything. Since one sock was lost when we handed over our clothes for the laundry, he kindly bought a new pair. So he's a very nice guy and we thank him for his diligence. - Breakfast is served in a restaurant nearby (very close). It's 秀才米线, noodles with a bunch of ingredients. It's great the first day or second, but you might grow tired of it if you have to stay longer. In any case, we couldn't have breakfast the third and fourth days because, contrary to what's stated in Trip, the restaurant didn't open at 8:00, but at 8:30. If you're an early riser or need to leave soon and want to have a really early breakfast, this hotel might not be ideal. Other hotels, like the one we stayed at Guilin, had breakfast from 7:00.

Located right in the heart of Lijiang ancient city which means you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the ancient city with ease while having a clean (& neat) room that is well maintained as a quiet retreat in a relaxing atmosphere. Love the little private balconies at the front of the room where you can relax and enjoy your sip of tea. Owner and staff were assuming and yet there were there when you needed them. I fell ill on one day and requested the owner/manager to help me buy lunch and of which he did plus he insisted it was a treat from him/hotel. They even texted to make sure I was ok as my friends had continued with the tour. Highly recommended!

My group of 6 senior ladies had a wonderful time at this quaint boutique inn in the Old Town of Lijiang - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were especially impressed by the warm & friendly hospitality of the young hotel owner who met us outside the Old Town gate to help us maneuver the cobbled paths (vehicles not allowed inside.) On entering the inn, we felt a sense of homecoming. The courtyard style was well preserved and the rooms were comfortable & welcoming. As the inn has only 6 bedrooms, do book early - we highly recommend it!

Despite the room being grand, well-decorated, and with nice lighting (aside from a very dirty sink, pictured), I was severely disappointed with the service and honesty at this hotel. I’m honestly shocked at the number of good reviews, because this was the most expensive stay of our Yunnan trip — yet by far the worst of the four hotels we stayed at. Mind you, I travelled with a friend who could speak mandarin and yet all this happened. Misleading information on Trip.com: The listing stated they could cater for vegetarians. This is untrue. I contacted the hotel weeks in advance, even before booking, to confirm. They repeatedly said yes. In reality, the only thing they served me was vegetables boiled in salt water — we did not use the breakfast vouchers for the next 2 nights. When Trip.com contacted the hotel about this misinformation, the owner told them I was “too strict” and refused to refund the unused breakfasts. This is simply dishonest. Vegetarian means no meat or meat-based broth, which I clarified in detail, even sending them a Chinese translation. They only point the innkeeper showed interest in ever understanding what vegetarian means was on the very last day, during checkout, when I mentioned my vegetarian friends bring tour groups of 20 — suddenly, then, the boss said he would “personally cook.” Why not take it seriously from the start? Why were no meals made for me then if you clearly had the ability to do so? Other inaccurate claims on the listing: Free ironing service: False. I asked in person before leaving for the airport, and the owner admitted they didn’t have it. 24-hour desk reception: False. Half the time nobody was at the front desk. The boss was only sometimes reachable on WeChat, and I think this is what he means by "24-hour desk reception". Once again when trip.com contacted him, he denied it. I have sent trip.com video proof as well. If it was one mistake, it would be fine, but there are so many things promised on the listing that was not there in real life. Smoke-free level: False. There are only two levels, and level 2 balconies had ashtrays and were INWARD facing. So there were guests who were smoking on their balcony and since its inward facing the smoke was reaching us as our balcony is literally adjacent to theirs and all facing the inner stairs. The owner himself was smoking with non-hotel guests in his personal office, which is at the entrance when you step into the hotel, so smoke drifts into public spaces. Overall, there was zero effort made to resolve these issues. Language barrier is not the excuse — my travel companion speaks Chinese, and Trip.com also spoke to the owner directly. Yet he continued to deny the problems and blame the guest. We were so disappointed we even considered leaving after the first night. If you are vegetarian, sensitive to smoke, or simply value honesty, I strongly recommend choosing another accomodation.

This is our first time to come to LiJiang and we are glad to have stayed in this beautiful , warm and comfortable home stay . Special thanks to Luo Xing . He is very helpful sharing many interesting shops and beautiful sceneries in this old town . Will recommend this home stay to friends and will be back to this home stay again . See you soon Xing Xing.