Li River Retreat vs Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

We are visiting Yangshuo area in Sept 09 and are having difficulty in deciding on which of these two hotels to book. We are in our late 50%26#39;s, my wife does not ride a bike, we are looking for a hotel that provides a great view with a bit of comfort clean bathroom and good food, nothing much really. They both look to provide all we are looking for and have good reviews on TA.

Li River Retreat vs Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

Most people prefer Paradise which is known as a four star hotel and good location in Yangshuo. It is convenient for you to walk around the town. You could rent an electric vehicle to enjoy local sights instead of biking.

Li River Retreat vs Yangshuo Mountain Retreat

If that really is what you want the YMR is ideal. If you want to go shopping and eat in different restaurants the 20 minutes taxi ride is a bit of a hassle - we did 2 nights at YMR and 2 in town.

It is hard to say which one is better, I have been both hotels, the rooms of Li River Retreat is much nicer and newer.

The Li River Retreat is within walking distance to downtown, about 2 km, and it is a nice walk along a nearly empty winding level road which follows the river. The views from the second floor balconies are great, especially with sunrise and moonrise.

We stayed at both as well and have fond memories of each. However, I recommend the Li River Retreat due to its proximity to the city. We found the back and forth by taxi from the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat to be a hassle. While YMR%26#39;s very nice staff arranged a fixed-price taxi into town, the return trip was always an adventure with taxis quoting nearly double for the return trip and not budging. In contrast, at the Li River Retreat, we had the option of a nice walk to town or a fixed-price taxi in both directions for a fraction of what we paid for the YMR roundtrip. The owner of the Li River Retreat owns a bar and restaurant in town and we simply went there and they arranged the return taxi.

In terms of facilities, a big difference at least 1 to 2 years ago was the bathrooms which were much more modern at the Li River Retreat. Staff is wonderful at both and they both offer breathtaking views.

We stayed in the Li River retreat in November and cant recommend it highly enough. The room had great views, was large and comfortable. The food in particular was great (both local and western dishes).

We stayed at the Li River Retreat in Sept 08. It is a great place to stay. We rented the largest room which was huge with a queen size bed, big comfortable chairs, a refrigerator and hot water pot, a tiny balcony, spotless bathroom with a shower, and windows on three sides! I spent a lot of hours sitting in those chairs listening to our tunes on our Zune and writing in my journal. (Don%26#39;t forget your portable speakers for your ipod or Zune). The walk to town is easy and relaxing. Most days we went in twice. The only time we used a taxi was when we had luggage and after the San Jie Light Show (another must). After a week, we still were not ready to leave. By the way, there is a beach the locals use about another mile further down the road from the Retreat. We went there every afternoon and met some of the same young adults every day. I would go back in a heartbeat. We usually had breakfast at Alf%26#39;s bar in town then headed out for the day.