Aini Garden

When I started planning our itinerary for our 15 day Yunnan holiday, I plotted out our path to go all the way up to Shangri-la, back down to Kunming and then to Jiaozi Snow Mountain and Dongchuan Red Land. Then I chanced upon a video of Aini Garden and fell in love! The only reason we came to Pu'er was to get to Aini. This was the first place I booked, and I really took a chance because it has a no cancellation policy and I really had to stick to the date once it was made. The initial pre-arrival experience was less than pleasant. I didn't know how we were going to get to the manor and my WeChat messages went unanswered. The hotel we stayed at in Pu'er finally got in touch with someone and got them to message me. I asked how we could get there and the answer was a curt "take a taxi or charter a car". No pleasantries of "we look forward to seeing you" or offering to arrange a car. When we arrived, no one was at reception and no one came out. Our driver was so perplexed he wondered if we were in the right place and if the place was open. Finally a young girl came out and registered us in. There was an air of aloofness from everyone else. However, once we were checked in, things warmed up quickly. We were offered coffee and freshly cut papaya and had a nice introduction chat with the lady staff. The bedroom and bathroom is well appointed, spacious and comfortable. We would have enjoyed sitting on the balcony if the chairs were more comfortable. I love the floor to ceiling glass windows but the panel above the door should also be glass (it is just netting) so traffic sounds from the road actually comes through at night. I actually wanted to book the cottage in the hills but opted for the standard room in the main house because I was worried it would be cold. Big regret as it is actually magnificently located with stunning views. However take note that you will need to call for a buggy ride or make a 1km hike every time you want to eat or get to the main house. If you are self driving, no issues as you can park right next to the cottage. Anyway it's a small price to pay for an unlimited view of the milky way and seclusion. This is as close to a Ryokan experience as you can get in China, minus the hot springs. 3 days 2 nights of blissful, carefree living is not quite enough. They make sure they feed you well, with the freshest produce available for hotpot dinner and home-cooked Yunnanese dishes for lunch. There are so many activities organised, from taking you up the mountain for a glimpse of sunrise (with mountain goats for company ❤️) to coffee plantation education tour to horseback riding along the mountain ridges (the view is spectacular!) to scavenging for wild vegetables and fruits to drinking, dancing and singing around the campfire! So much to do, so little time! One area of improvement I personally would like to see is the coffee serving. They tend to be quite snobbish about how their coffee is taken. Neat, with nothing else. Asking for sugar or milk feels nearly scorned upon. Coffee is a versatile drink and can be savoured in a huge variety of ways. How else is Starbucks so successful? I felt kind of stifled and deprived because I love a good latte and had looked forward to enjoying an unlimited indulgence of coffee throughout our stay. Anyhow, I love the ecotourism efforts here. It feels natural and unpretentious. I love the people and the camaraderie they cultivate. I especially enjoyed talking to their consultant 敬梅, a beautiful lady with extensive knowledge in Yunnan culture and ecological progress. Also thank you to 徐芳 for arranging transport back to town and giving helpful recommendations. We hope to return again.

如果你是一個熱愛自然，嚮往追逐雲海，仰望星空的人，那這裏一定適合你，在到達的那一刻，牧場起伏，牛羊漫步，白鷺翱翔在山谷，微風徐徐拂過青草與森林，這些都讓七十公里盤山路的顛簸化為滿心的蕩漾。 餐廳的自助火鍋很不錯，晚餐也可以自助點餐，涼拌木瓜絲和薄荷牛肉讓人贊歎不絕，當然，莊園的各種蔬菜也非常新鮮,總之無論服務還是環境都是值得的。推薦給熱愛自然的人們。

出門旅遊來，遇到的最最好的酒店小哥，一到莊園，就帶着我們介紹了莊園裡的各種植物水果。過程非常親切，就像來到了朋友家。 連續兩晚已經下班了，泡了方便麪都沒吃，一直在幫我姑娘給咖啡豆打洞，編手繩。 我家姑娘是個害羞的女孩，但是衹有這個小哥，變成了我姑娘的大朋友，什麼都喜歡和他聊，天天都和小哥哥玩。 下次還會再來的