Homestays in Hunan, China

You get what you pay for, which is not much. Upon arriving, there is no sign that says 'Luyao Inn'. The sign is in Chinese characters. We were dragging our suitcases up and down the alley when the host finally came out. The room was on the second floor (4 flight of stairs) and there are no elevators. We had 4 suitcases and we did not receive help getting those up. The room was small, as indicated in the description. You get two bottles of water, toothbrushes and shower gel, shampoo and a small roll of toilet paper. None of those were replaced. We ran out of water and toilet paper and had to get our own. The host was barely around for us to ask. In any case, those are things that are usually replenished on a daily basis, without needing to ask. There is a kettle. No slippers. The shower and the toilet are in the same unit, therefore everything gets wet when you shower. You get shower slippers that have been used by others and do not look the best. The wall paper is also coming off the walls. The curtain was broken. The bedding had a weird sweat smell. The host was polite but does not speak English. You can communicate with them on wechat. The location is convenient, very close to the cableway station to Tianmen mountain. On our way out, there was someone else working, he helped us with our suitcases. To conclude, one can make do with the the space but do not go in with a lot of expectations (especially if you are used to Chinese hotels that give great service and hospitality).

We had a memorable stay in this river-side hotel - Very unique set up & decorated.  Felt very secured with permit entrance. Managing staff was very friendly & helpful in providing us with information of the area - places of attractions, food & transport.  Not forgetting the complimentary daily fruit & sweet basket. It was an added advantage to guests of the hotel for the free shuttle service to & from the high speed train station.  Worry-free. The upper floor verandah is another added advantage for us to view the river, waterfall & lightings.  At the same time to enjoy our chinese tea brewing with the provided chinese tea set at the verandah. Laundry is provided free by the staff & we can put them to dry at the open space on the verandah. It was convenient for us to walk to the open air & in-door performances. Managing Staff, Miss Liew sent us off to the free shuttle transport at the entrance with free bottles of water & oranges for our journey. Really missed this beautiful & gorgeous place.

This place is great. The girls at the front desk were nice and always in touch. They spoke English to me when I checked in, which is rare 🫶 I only stayed here for three nights, but if I had the time I would have stayed longer. The bed was very comfortable. The hotel was so nice that they upgraded me to a bigger room with a great view of the river. If I ever find myself in this city again, I will definitely stay here. Это место великолепно. Девушки на стойке регистрации были милы и всегда были на связи. Они говорили со мной по-английски, когда я регистрировался, что бывает редко 🫶 Я останавливался здесь всего на три ночи, но если бы у меня было время, я бы остался подольше. Кровать была очень удобной. Отель был настолько хорош, что они перевели меня в более просторный номер с прекрасным видом на реку. Если я когда-нибудь снова окажусь в этом городе, я обязательно остановлюсь здесь.

Fantastic hotel! Pros: - Great location - Beautiful view of the waterfall from the hotel - Friendly, helpful staff - Hotel gave us the option of a free room upgrade - Hotel helped us arrange transportation back to the train station Cons: - Supper was a little bit on the pricier side, but tasted good! Overall, would definitely recommend if staying in Furongzhen! :)

Stayed here for 3 nights for easy access. It is abt 4 mins to the east entrance. Baidu somehow put at an erroneous 10mins for some reason. There is a stretch of food close by. And also quite abit of other things to eat nearby. There are also a few foot spas in the area, which is really good for those with aching feet after a few days of walking. Do not patronise the nearest one to this location. Not really good and they will try to hard sell stuff. Room is clean and the aircon can change to hot. No lift in the building. Laundry available right outside the room. Shower is a hassle though. It goes from hot to cold and cold to hot. I tried for 3 days and it still defeats me. Overall a good stay for the price.

Have you ever enter the hotel with luggage in a hot day and being presented with ice cream? I am really sorry that you didn’t. Here is the hotel where you can experience it. And not only this makes it best! The hotel is a bit far from the city center, but this town is tiny which makes tranquility here an advantage. We had a room with mountain view and balcony. The view were nice, the room were spacious and convenient with large bathroom, bathtube at the balcony (why not) and nice “Chinese” styled furniture. Every day they refreshed our water supply with two bottles of it. The owner or host were really nice and helpful. Although he didn’t speak English he made a great effort to help using translator. He booked for us most of the tickets to attractions, organized the transfer to the airport and helped us to plan the route inside parks. The breakfast has only one option, but the view from the terrace where it was served and the food itself were amazing. Highly recommended. Worth every penny and more.

This hotel is in the middle of the city and has great view from room (hotel is above waterfall, so no waterfall view). It has a great room, service with an affordable price. Owner contacts us before arrival date for an appointment to pick up at train station. They help us buy ticket to enter the city and also call a taxi for us on checkout date.

Arrived here very late at night 10pm and was surprised to see that the owner has been waiting for us at the counter, despite the late night she was very nice and patient in explaining the room services even though we were only staying for one night for Tianmen the next morning. They allowed us to leave the luggage there while we were out for the day exploring, and welcomed us to rest in their lounge area if we needed to wait for our train. We are pleased with their friendliness and service. The inn is located in a good location in the middle of the many picturesque alley ways, look out for the word “指南针” because we walked past it the first time and was confused for awhile. Very close to the tianmen cable car station and nice eateries nearby! Hotel room is slightly small but clean and very comfortable, cozy. Super recommended :)

Hotel is nice, clean and room is comfortable. Room is big! Beside each bed has electrical power point and light switch! Me and my friends enjoyed ourselves so much. Photos are the same as real -life. Staffs are friendly and approachable. They are also very attentive to us! Breakfast is nice too! They helped to receive my Taobao goods 🤭 They provided fruits and snacks! Hotel is about 10 - 15 mins walk to 武陵源and魅力湘西. Nearby hotel has quite a number of food places, no need worry. There is also a laundry place. Even though the room is at level 2 facing the road, it is not noisy at all. Will definitely recommend anyone for this hotel.

Service was great, picking up from the railway station and dropping us there after checkout. I forgot to return the room card and they were friendly and attentive to pick it themselves at the railway station. Thanks

You get what you pay for, which is not much. Upon arriving, there is no sign that says 'Luyao Inn'. The sign is in Chinese characters. We were dragging our suitcases up and down the alley when the host finally came out. The room was on the second floor (4 flight of stairs) and there are no elevators. We had 4 suitcases and we did not receive help getting those up. The room was small, as indicated in the description. You get two bottles of water, toothbrushes and shower gel, shampoo and a small roll of toilet paper. None of those were replaced. We ran out of water and toilet paper and had to get our own. The host was barely around for us to ask. In any case, those are things that are usually replenished on a daily basis, without needing to ask. There is a kettle. No slippers. The shower and the toilet are in the same unit, therefore everything gets wet when you shower. You get shower slippers that have been used by others and do not look the best. The wall paper is also coming off the walls. The curtain was broken. The bedding had a weird sweat smell. The host was polite but does not speak English. You can communicate with them on wechat. The location is convenient, very close to the cableway station to Tianmen mountain. On our way out, there was someone else working, he helped us with our suitcases. To conclude, one can make do with the the space but do not go in with a lot of expectations (especially if you are used to Chinese hotels that give great service and hospitality).

Stayed here for 3 nights for easy access. It is abt 4 mins to the east entrance. Baidu somehow put at an erroneous 10mins for some reason. There is a stretch of food close by. And also quite abit of other things to eat nearby. There are also a few foot spas in the area, which is really good for those with aching feet after a few days of walking. Do not patronise the nearest one to this location. Not really good and they will try to hard sell stuff. Room is clean and the aircon can change to hot. No lift in the building. Laundry available right outside the room. Shower is a hassle though. It goes from hot to cold and cold to hot. I tried for 3 days and it still defeats me. Overall a good stay for the price.

Have you ever enter the hotel with luggage in a hot day and being presented with ice cream? I am really sorry that you didn’t. Here is the hotel where you can experience it. And not only this makes it best! The hotel is a bit far from the city center, but this town is tiny which makes tranquility here an advantage. We had a room with mountain view and balcony. The view were nice, the room were spacious and convenient with large bathroom, bathtube at the balcony (why not) and nice “Chinese” styled furniture. Every day they refreshed our water supply with two bottles of it. The owner or host were really nice and helpful. Although he didn’t speak English he made a great effort to help using translator. He booked for us most of the tickets to attractions, organized the transfer to the airport and helped us to plan the route inside parks. The breakfast has only one option, but the view from the terrace where it was served and the food itself were amazing. Highly recommended. Worth every penny and more.

Arrived here very late at night 10pm and was surprised to see that the owner has been waiting for us at the counter, despite the late night she was very nice and patient in explaining the room services even though we were only staying for one night for Tianmen the next morning. They allowed us to leave the luggage there while we were out for the day exploring, and welcomed us to rest in their lounge area if we needed to wait for our train. We are pleased with their friendliness and service. The inn is located in a good location in the middle of the many picturesque alley ways, look out for the word “指南针” because we walked past it the first time and was confused for awhile. Very close to the tianmen cable car station and nice eateries nearby! Hotel room is slightly small but clean and very comfortable, cozy. Super recommended :)

Hotel is nice, clean and room is comfortable. Room is big! Beside each bed has electrical power point and light switch! Me and my friends enjoyed ourselves so much. Photos are the same as real -life. Staffs are friendly and approachable. They are also very attentive to us! Breakfast is nice too! They helped to receive my Taobao goods 🤭 They provided fruits and snacks! Hotel is about 10 - 15 mins walk to 武陵源and魅力湘西. Nearby hotel has quite a number of food places, no need worry. There is also a laundry place. Even though the room is at level 2 facing the road, it is not noisy at all. Will definitely recommend anyone for this hotel.

The hotel is on a single floor of a building complex (each floor is its own business). The hotel room is spacious, clean, and has a bathtub. Highly happy with the room for the price we pay. However, be aware of the elevator since it is quite run down.

This hotel is super comfy. New hotel, everything is brand new. The Staff also very friendly and helpful. Room is very clean and Aircon works very well. Close to Bus and train station, and also the cableway station to the TianMen Mountain. A lot of convenience store and also restaurant. There is one restaurant just a few minutes walk from the hotel. the food is fantastic. One of the best meal ever had in china. Sure comeback one day. Recommended

This accommodation was excellent. The rooms were big, modern and clean, with great views of the local landscape. The service is fantastic. A lot of the staff speak good English, and go the extra mile to make sure you are well looked after in your visit to the area, including free transport to the park and transport hubs. The breakfast is good and varied, particularly the cakes and cookies. We also had dinner every night in the hotel restaurant and it was always excellent. Really recommended, particularly how much effort the staff make to welcome western travellers. There’s also a very friendly dog, and lot of cats, who all like to come and say hello.

I couldn’t ask for a better place! A lovely family ran business with amazing location and smart, clean rooms. Upon arrival I was already greeted with tea and the owner with her son offering to plan my trip for me. As I am a solo traveller I spent a lot of time with the family who always invited me for tea and food. The owner was very accommodating from planning the trips to the mountains, to buying tickets, booking taxis and she would even offer to drop you off at the entrance to the park every morning. I would consider this place over any other hotel. It will definitely make you want to come back again!

The service was great here and having breakfast in the terrace outside was so cute. They look after you really well and can help drive you to nearby restaurants or to Zhangjiajie National Park South entrance. The bathtub was leaking so we had to use a plastic bath sheet. There are buildings at the bottom of the valley in the view but if you lay down in bed/look at the mountains from a different angle, you can’t see them.

We had a memorable stay in this river-side hotel - Very unique set up & decorated.  Felt very secured with permit entrance. Managing staff was very friendly & helpful in providing us with information of the area - places of attractions, food & transport.  Not forgetting the complimentary daily fruit & sweet basket. It was an added advantage to guests of the hotel for the free shuttle service to & from the high speed train station.  Worry-free. The upper floor verandah is another added advantage for us to view the river, waterfall & lightings.  At the same time to enjoy our chinese tea brewing with the provided chinese tea set at the verandah. Laundry is provided free by the staff & we can put them to dry at the open space on the verandah. It was convenient for us to walk to the open air & in-door performances. Managing Staff, Miss Liew sent us off to the free shuttle transport at the entrance with free bottles of water & oranges for our journey. Really missed this beautiful & gorgeous place.

Fantastic hotel! Pros: - Great location - Beautiful view of the waterfall from the hotel - Friendly, helpful staff - Hotel gave us the option of a free room upgrade - Hotel helped us arrange transportation back to the train station Cons: - Supper was a little bit on the pricier side, but tasted good! Overall, would definitely recommend if staying in Furongzhen! :)

This hotel is in the middle of the city and has great view from room (hotel is above waterfall, so no waterfall view). It has a great room, service with an affordable price. Owner contacts us before arrival date for an appointment to pick up at train station. They help us buy ticket to enter the city and also call a taxi for us on checkout date.

Service was great, picking up from the railway station and dropping us there after checkout. I forgot to return the room card and they were friendly and attentive to pick it themselves at the railway station. Thanks

This Hotel Offers great waterfall views. I would say it has the best views in town! The room was small but comfortable and had a nice balcony to observe the beautiful surroundings. The staff were friendly and helpful. A downside was that there was no tea/ coffee in the room.

Nice view from the balcony but is not exactly at the main waterfalls area. Room is nice and clean and bed is comfortable. Hotel staff is friendly to help us to purchase entrance ticket and share what's around the area. Hotel provided 1 way free pick up from train station but will need to pay for the return but I think is fine. They will help to arrange for carpooling. The road is uneven so will take some time to drag the luggages from entrance to hotel. There is no lift in the town, so we need to carry our luggage 2 flight of steps downward (no choice). Hotel staff also willing to help carry. Overall a great stay even is 1 night only. Will recommend to stay in this hotel.

Pros- Great location by the river, beautiful and close walking distance to the food shops, famous bridges and the red lady singing on the boat (5-10mins). Clean warm room. Bit of scuff marks and stuff on the walls and wooden furnitures but overall charming, nice and modern and no like stinky smells from the river/mosquitoes/cigarettes etc. Warm showers and has all the standard amenities (hairdryer, soap shampoo, shaver etc). The manager is super friendly and hospitable even though she doesn’t speak English she really tries her best to help. Cons- noisy bars and karaoke until 11pm, tour groups in the morning start like at 7am below the balcony (maybe one or two when I was there 2 days) and 9am construction work starts. The free tour is sadly in Chinese only, and the free outfit doesn’t include photos or makeup, it is about 199 yuan for that but if you don’t want photos or makeup it’s free. Don’t think they wash the outfits super often either. Laundry is apparently not a proper one and you have to hand wash. No lifts if you have a lot of luggage.

The hotel is very near the attractions and there are lots of restaurant nearby. The owner is helpful in giving tips on how to go around however there was a misunderstanding when we arrived. We paid her RMB for the entrance tickets to the attraction, then she changed us pickup fee from train station (which should be free base). I also requested to transfer to 3rd floor for the view but she didnot inform us prior that we have to pay additional fee. Maybe bacause she was in a hurry with other guest coming that she was not able to breakdown the amount she collected from us. We did not argued or questioned her on that day because we do not want to ruin our trip. The following day, her husband said he does not know why we were charged with pickup fee so to make it up, he arranged our dropoff to railway for free instead. They also gave tea pack as gift. Overall, we still enjoyed our trip.

We had a big room with a very big bed. The bathroom was big with a self-flushing toilet and toilet seat warmer! One wall of the room was just glass so we had a good view out, over some old roofs and windows, and a far view of lovely builidings on a hill. We had a long and narrow balcony with a view of the river, pagoda and bridges. Right below was the bustling street scene near the Hong Qiaio (Rainbow Bridge). The balcony has a couple of hanging bubble seats and even a small table and chairs. Just perfect for viewing the amazing night scenery and people-watch. (Based on an earlier review, we knew the noise stopped at 11.30pm so we had good nights' sleep). We were very comfortable and happy with our room. It was just a short walk from the shops outside the Ancient Town, so we could enjoy both sides of Feng Huang. The entrance to the hostel is hidden behind a costume rental shop, so it's a little tricky to find. The hostel also has a water dispenser for filling up water bottles. All I can say is the location is just the best for watching the comings and goings in the streets, with easy access for walking along the riverside, pagoda, bridges, viewing the performances on the river...yet near enough to pop into our comfy room to recharge.

The hotel is AMAZING with a beautiful view over the river at night and in the day. The hotel room is nice, clean and has all facilities to a good stay. I would recommend and definitely would book that hotel again!

Pros- Great location by the river, beautiful and close walking distance to the food shops, famous bridges and the red lady singing on the boat (5-10mins). Clean warm room. Bit of scuff marks and stuff on the walls and wooden furnitures but overall charming, nice and modern and no like stinky smells from the river/mosquitoes/cigarettes etc. Warm showers and has all the standard amenities (hairdryer, soap shampoo, shaver etc). The manager is super friendly and hospitable even though she doesn’t speak English she really tries her best to help. Cons- noisy bars and karaoke until 11pm, tour groups in the morning start like at 7am below the balcony (maybe one or two when I was there 2 days) and 9am construction work starts. The free tour is sadly in Chinese only, and the free outfit doesn’t include photos or makeup, it is about 199 yuan for that but if you don’t want photos or makeup it’s free. Don’t think they wash the outfits super often either. Laundry is apparently not a proper one and you have to hand wash. No lifts if you have a lot of luggage.

The hotel is very near the attractions and there are lots of restaurant nearby. The owner is helpful in giving tips on how to go around however there was a misunderstanding when we arrived. We paid her RMB for the entrance tickets to the attraction, then she changed us pickup fee from train station (which should be free base). I also requested to transfer to 3rd floor for the view but she didnot inform us prior that we have to pay additional fee. Maybe bacause she was in a hurry with other guest coming that she was not able to breakdown the amount she collected from us. We did not argued or questioned her on that day because we do not want to ruin our trip. The following day, her husband said he does not know why we were charged with pickup fee so to make it up, he arranged our dropoff to railway for free instead. They also gave tea pack as gift. Overall, we still enjoyed our trip.

We had a big room with a very big bed. The bathroom was big with a self-flushing toilet and toilet seat warmer! One wall of the room was just glass so we had a good view out, over some old roofs and windows, and a far view of lovely builidings on a hill. We had a long and narrow balcony with a view of the river, pagoda and bridges. Right below was the bustling street scene near the Hong Qiaio (Rainbow Bridge). The balcony has a couple of hanging bubble seats and even a small table and chairs. Just perfect for viewing the amazing night scenery and people-watch. (Based on an earlier review, we knew the noise stopped at 11.30pm so we had good nights' sleep). We were very comfortable and happy with our room. It was just a short walk from the shops outside the Ancient Town, so we could enjoy both sides of Feng Huang. The entrance to the hostel is hidden behind a costume rental shop, so it's a little tricky to find. The hostel also has a water dispenser for filling up water bottles. All I can say is the location is just the best for watching the comings and goings in the streets, with easy access for walking along the riverside, pagoda, bridges, viewing the performances on the river...yet near enough to pop into our comfy room to recharge.

The hotel is AMAZING with a beautiful view over the river at night and in the day. The hotel room is nice, clean and has all facilities to a good stay. I would recommend and definitely would book that hotel again!

The hotel has the best location in the city, in the very center on the river bank. There are wonderful views from the balcony. The room is huge, beautiful, with a Western toilet. The hostess is amazing! She met us on the bridge, escorted us to the hotel, and even helped us carry our luggage. She gave us a map of the city with the sights, told us everything and showed us on it. We communicated using a translator on the phone, we haven't troubles with this wonderful women in communication. We are very glad that we chose this hotel!

The room environment is great. It's right on the riverside and you can enjoy the night view at night. There are many facilities for entertainment, fitness and leisure on the roof. It's very comfortable. The boss will also carefully introduce tourists to the local ancient town places to visit with a map, and provide pick-up service, which is very considerate. There are also small gifts when leaving the store. Worthy of ranking first☝️

The room is quite nice, with large space and comfortable view. It may not be suitable for tourists who travel by themselves, as it is far from the core of the ancient town. It is not very convenient for self-driving tourists like me. The parking lot is on the other side of the river. Although the guy at the front desk helps to carry the luggage, it is not very convenient. It should be said that the service of the B&B is good, and the room also has its advantages. It depends on how to choose. I just consider that it is relatively convenient to enter and exit Fenghuang.

We spent a wonderful night at the hotel. We arrived in the evening and the girl working at the front desk kindly helped carry my bags up the stairs. She offered cold drinks while checking us in, showed us the room, and introduced us to the attractions and gave us restaurant recommendations. She helped us find a taxi when we left (Didi service was unavailable.) She was really kind and helped us a lot. The hotel is located at the bend of the river. From the balcony, we could take in the beautiful night scenes. All the main attractions are just a few steps away. We happened to arrive the night before the mid-autumn day and thoroughly enjoyed the holiday atmosphere. We were happy to spend a night in Fenghuang Ancient City and stayed at this local hotel. Would recommend it to anyone visiting Fenghuang.

This trip to Fenghuang Ancient Town was made even more memorable because of the Dubai River View B&B Fenghuang Ancient Town Scenic Area Tuojiang Branch. The location is really great! Located by the Tuojiang River, you can see the beautiful river view as soon as you open the window. Whether it is the sparkling waves during the day or the bright lights at night, you can see it all. You can feel the unique charm of Fenghuang Ancient Town in the room. The environment of the B&B is elegant and quiet. The interior decoration style is unique and full of literary and artistic atmosphere. The room is spacious and bright, the layout is very exquisite, the facilities are complete, and it is very comfortable to live in. The service is even more amazing. The staff is warm and thoughtful, from patient guidance at check-in to meeting the various needs of guests at any time, which makes people feel warm. They will also introduce the travel guide of Fenghuang Ancient Town intimately, so that you can better appreciate the style of this ancient city. If you come to Fenghuang Ancient Town, you must choose Dubai River View B&B Fenghuang Ancient Town Scenic Area Tuojiang Branch, where you will gain a wonderful travel memory. Highly recommended!

There are literally so many home stays around this area. I think all of them are pretty similar. But according to my cousin, the one they stayed was really small and not clean. Luckily, this one we booked was pretty clean and nice. It’s away from the bar street and it’s quiet at night. We have a 4 years old so definitely a plus! It’s super close to the bridge and you can see the river and lighted buildings after night, pretty beautiful. Pictures are from our balcony before dark