HI - Guilin - Flowers Blossom YH Hostel

The Guilin Flowers Youth Hostel is perhaps one of the better deals in town. It is friendly, clean, not so expensive, has relatively cheap Western food, a pool table, internet, wi-fi, books, a TV room, and a general chill ambiance. It is a very calm place, less of a party spot and more of a home-away-from-home. The common room/lobby area is open to the air, painted in muted colors, and wonderfully relaxing. There is a bank of computers for use on one side. The large pool table and cosy TV room are away on the other side. The atmosphere is great -- especially given the presence of their cat that takes up position on top of the check-in computer!

It is so close to the train station, which is especially great for early train departures. To get to the hostel, exit the train station and walk straight across the busy road. Then you will see a large building in front of you -- look left and there will be a little alley leading to two other back alleys. The Flowers Hostel is at the back of this last alley -- there will be some lovely painted signs to guide you upstairs and through the flowery path to the lobby. There are plenty of signs, so look carefully.

The rooms are clean, featuring their own electric water kettles (there is no kitchen here), tea/coffee, and personal lockers that come with their own locks. The rooms themselves are quite small, with the standard four to a room. Bathrooms are down the hall -- be prepared for squatter toilets -- and are clean and private. The hostel is quite large, so expect to meet others, but it still maintains a homey charm with its vertical layout. The neighborhood is surprisingly quiet given the central location. The staff is very friendly -- except for the cat! Outside the hostel are several local-run stores and many food hawker stalls. All in all, it's a decent deal given its location, cleanliness, and atmosphere.

— Recensione esclusiva Hostelz.com
February 2007