Dali Xizhou Hidden Gem! Stay in a Healing-style Guesthouse and Enjoy a Slow Artistic Time

Yunnan 7-Day Loop Tour (Lijiang - Dali - Kunming) 🌄, visited many places, but only Xizhou made me not want to leave once I stepped in. Instead of going to the bustling ancient town, I chose this small town hiding rice fields and Bai ethnic customs, where even the air carries a faint artistic vibe. My 5-year-old kept saying every day, "This place is so comfortable" 🥰! 🏡 First, praise the place we stayed! Newly opened, few people, super clean Environment: Designed by a professional + a hefty design fee is really visible! The first floor is a sunroom living room (floor-to-ceiling windows + Marshall speakers + antique furniture) ✨, cozy sofa for coffee and breakfast is so healing; floors 2-3 have 6 rooms in total, the suite we booked has a small balcony, well water for washing + silk quilt + warm ambient lighting, perfect for private photo shoots 📸! The room fragrance is also very tasteful, greeted by a gentle scent upon entering, full of attention to detail. Service: The owner and his mother are super enthusiastic! They proactively carry luggage, take us to the ancient town, brew tea and chat ☕, and share business insights, just like staying at a friend's home. When returning late, the living room always has warm lights on, and the owner's mother occasionally makes some sweet soup, warming the heart ❤️. Breakfast: Freshly bought ingredients, no cutting corners! Rice noodles + corn/egg/sweet potato 🍠, can get refills, ate for 2 days without getting tired, and the black tea brewed by the owner's mother is amazing. Location: A few minutes by bike to the ancient town 🚲, surrounded by a quiet resettlement area with few people, can sleep soundly at night; downside is a bit far from the ancient town, but the owner offers rides or taxis are convenient. Detail surprises: Small surprises hidden in the room! A foldable drying rack and portable iron in the wardrobe, very family-friendly; a small tea table and cushions on the balcony, perfect for sitting in the morning watching the distant rice fields and enjoying the breeze 🌾; bathroom with dry and wet separation, also has a small stool for children to wash hands easily. Family-friendly design: A small corner in the living room with picture books and building blocks 🧩, kids won’t be bored staying here; at breakfast, the owner proactively asks if the rice noodles should be cooked softer for kids and prepares small fruit plates 🍓; when coming back at night, the owner's mother gives kids small snacks, as kind as treating her own children. 📍Xizhou 3 Days 2 Nights Itinerary Day 1: Tie-dye → Ancient Town → Haizhi Park 16:00 Lanxu Tie-dye: Book in advance! 4 PM is the last group, a bit rushed with many people, experience is OK, can take photos with rice fields + tie-dye. When kids do tie-dye, staff patiently guide them, kids complete their own small scarf, full of accomplishment 🥳. 17:30 Stroll Xizhou Ancient Town: Walk from Lanxu to Xilinyuan and Corner Tower, avoid the main street for fewer people and better rice field photos! Try Xizhou baba (fragrant) and pea powder (sticky). 18:00 Dinner: Yunnan Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodles in the ancient town, single set by the window is super relaxing. 18:30 Haizhi Park: Take a tricycle (free for kids), taxis can’t get there! Evening walk along the ecological corridor, collect shells 🐚, enjoy the sea breeze, very comfortable. 20:00 Return to accommodation: There’s barbecue in the back alley, or order takeout if you don’t want to move, so quiet you can hear the insects chirping. Day 2: Rainy day relax + deep food tour Breakfast indoors on rainy morning, chat with the owner over tea, kids play freely in the living room. After rain stops, go to the ancient town to buy fresh flower cakes (Xizhou’s taste is great!), can ship directly home without carrying. Afternoon visit rice fields near Xilinyuan (fewer people towards Haizhi), green rice fields look great in photos no matter how you shoot. 💡Xizhou Tips & Pitfalls Wheat field timing: Green in March, yellow in September-October, in August during transplanting festival the fields may be cut, don’t come empty-handed! Avoid crowds: Summer is very crowded, go deeper into the rice fields for photos, or choose before 9 AM / after 6 PM. Transportation: Haizhi Park only accessible by tricycle, walking or biking is best in the ancient town. Accommodation choice: Families with kids should prioritize quiet places to sleep well and have energy to play, don’t choose noisy ancient town accommodations. Fresh flower cakes: Don’t buy at scenic area entrances, find local favorite shops, and ship directly for convenience. The beauty of Xizhou is hidden in the morning mist over the rice fields, in the lively smoke of the ancient town’s stone paths, and in the slow, leisurely time. Here, no need to rush the itinerary; just sitting by the rice field embankment and feeling the breeze is incredibly healing. Next time in Dali, I will definitely return to this gentle little town.