PPengguna TetamuWe stayed at New West Street International Hotel for total of 10 nights as we accompanied our child at a nearby Chinese school in the summer. This extended time gave us the opportunity to really got to experience the hotel facilities, the food, and the service.
First the location.The actual location is about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the actual West Street. To us, the distance is actually a good thing. Food, shops, and amenities at West Street are overly tailored for tourists. The hotel location is quiet and peaceful. Nearby are many local restaurants and shops that we much preferred. In fact, we found ourselves walking away from the West Street direction to get some great local foods everyday of our stay. That said, the hotel offers an excellent shuttle service beginning at 3:30pm until late at night if that's what you are into.
Second, the hotel building itself is in excellent condition. It appears many of the facilities and rooms were recently renovated. The lobby is open and airy and makes a comfortable gathering spot for us to meet our friends before heading out. The hotel sometimes accommodates tour groups. Even when we see as many as three tour buses parked in the back, the hotel does not feel congested nor noisy. The room itself is tastefully updated with a large flat screen TV, USB-C chargers, and automated curtains. The beds were comfortable and our balcony room faced a beautiful karst mountain and a nearby pond. The room appears to have great noisy insulation. We did not hear our neighbors like we did in other Chinese hotels.
Third, the place is always clean. We see staff cleaning public areas all the time, wiping down handrails, elevator buttons, countertops. etc. As for our room, the home keeper always kept it clean and orderly. We had some problems with smell the first day. A housekeeper came and troubleshoot the problem to durian smell in the mini-fridge. Not only did she wipe it down, but even without us asking, the later came back with another mini-fridge to make sure no smell was left. That really made an impression on us.
Next, the staff. Everyone we encountered was always friendly and greeted us. From the cleaning staff to the front desk reception to the restaurant waiters. Everyone was friendly. We can only speak limited mandarin but the staff still talked to us best they could in English. Rachel, the manager on site, was especially friendly to make sure we got everything we needed. She understands we were staying for an extended period of time so she was always asking what can be improved for our long stay. The hotel added us to WeChat where they respond quickly to all the typical requests like room service to sending us extra water. I wish more hotels do this.
Finally, the facilities. We used the laundry room daily. There are 5 washers and 3 dryers by my count. Most of the time, I can find an empty machine to wash my laundry. Mornings are best for doing laundry. After dinner time is the busiest time. We occasionally had to take out other people's laundry that were just sitting there but it's rare. The pool is large, warm, and clean. The shallow end is perfect for kids or just wading around. The deep end is 1.7M deep so it's plenty for actual swimming. We also used the on-site travel agent to book a private transfer to the Guilin high speed station. Rachel happened to be nearby when we did this and she helped with some translation with the agent and it was very appreciated. The restaurant was large and there was always space for us to sit even when there are large tour groups. It offers mainly Chinese options but also have some Western items. Food was abundant and delicious. The Guilin rice noodles in the back is tasty and the broth is excellent. The only thing is the coffee could be a little bit better!
We loved our stay at the New West Street International Hotel and would not hesitate to go back next time we visit Yangshuo.
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