Our Hand Picked China Hotel Selection
We strongly believe that staying in the right hotel for you is hugely important for getting the best out of your China experience. Consequently we put a large amount of time and effort into researching hotels and have personally visited all the hotels listed on this page – and indeed, many more!
What We Look for When Selecting Hotels
We specialise in private and tailor made tours to China and so we have a very clear idea of the type of hotel that suits our tours. Clean rooms, friendly English speaking staff and a good central location are all musts regardless of the star rating. However, we also look for the extra something special that makes an hotel stand out above the myriad of possibilities. A certain amount of character to the building and rooms is also sought after.
What You Should Look for in a China Hotel
We encourage you to do your own research as well and you will see that all hotels can be viewed on TripAdvisor by clicking the logo to the top right of the photo so you can read customer reviews about any hotel which is of interest. Please also do not hesitate to ask us for further suggestions or special requests.
Below you will find our hand-picked accommodation options for the most visited destinations throughout China. Destinations are listed in alphabetical order. Please remember that we can book many additional options on request.
Beijing Hotels
Beijing has one of China’s widest selection of hotels ranging from 5* modern glitz to traditional courtyard hotels tucked away in the ancient hutongs. It is a spread out city and location is very important.
Chengdu Hotels
Chengdu has some fantastic hotel options ranging from modern 5* to some of China’s best 3* traditional style options which set the standard for China these days.
Guilin Hotels
Most stays in Guilin are for just one night with an early morning departure the next day on the Li River Cruise to Yangshuo making a 4* option fine. The city does have some good high end options though.
Hangzhou Hotels
The West Lake area of Hangzhou is where you want to be staying and there are some fabulous hotels set in large grounds. Prices tend to be high in Hangzhou as it is hugely popular with Chinese tourists.
Hong Kong Hotels
Hotel prices are high in Hong Kong and many hotels have much smaller rooms than in Mainland China. We recommend choosing a hotel in Kowloon close to the harbour if you are visiting for tourism.
Kunming Hotels
There is currently a hotel building boom going on in Kunming which is likely to expand the range of decent quality options in Yunnan province’s capital city.
Lhasa & Tibet Hotels
Lhasa, capital of the “roof of the world” has some interesting hotel options. For an authentic experience you want to be in the Old City and close to Barkhor Square although 5* options are not found in this area. Hotels standards dramatically fall outside of Lhasa but then comfort is not why you travel about to Tibet!
Lijiang Hotels
The ancient town of Lijiang offers some lovely boutique style accommodation built in the Chinese traditional style. In or close to the Old Town is a must although some locations can be noisy at night.
Pingyao Hotels
When choosing a hotel in the ancient walled city of Pingyao it is essential to be inside the city walls and highly advisable to stay at one of the higher end converted Ming dynasty banking houses.
Shanghai Hotels
Shanghai is a vast sprawling city and the location of your hotel will make a huge difference to your experience of the city and we make this a priority with The Bund being the ideal area to be in.
Xian Hotels
Xian is one of China’s most visited destinations and there is a huge range of hotels on offer although many are not of a great standard. We have visited all the hotels below and recommend them for rating.
Yangshuo Hotels
For many Yangshuo is a place to relax from the relative rigours of China travel for a few days and offers many options. We feel the ones below – all small and boutique in style – are a real cut above the rest.