Yangshuo Zen Garden Resort - Yulong River

9.6

Exceptional

71 Guest reviews

9.6

Exceptional

71 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness9.8/10

Service9.6/10

Comfort9.6/10

Condition9.4/10

Neighborhood8.8/10

Amenities9.0/10

Great hotel. Close to many excursions. Staff is very friendly and attentive. I would recommend!

Hotel stuff was very helpful- thank you very much! Really enjoyed my stay.

Excellent location. Service was bad

Best hotel in Yangshuo

Everything is excellent here, highly recommended for nature loving travellers to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding and the good services provided by the hotel.

A really nice resort with lovely staff, in a stunning location.

Love this place very nice stuff and awesome service .Next time I would stay for a few more days because this hotel have A lot of stuff to do . Beautiful view !

Excellent stay

This is an excellent hotel for a getaway. Extremely helpful staff that goes all the way to ensure you have a pleasant stay. They will organize a car to pick you when you are unable to get a cab, prepare breakfast before the restaurant is open, help you on photo shooting.

The location is great. The hotel is very clean and hospitable.

The best hotel I've ever stayed in, the room is so clean with good amenities. Staffs are so friendly and the breakfast was satisfactory because it had a limited choice of western food. The view is amazing from the restaurant. And the hotel has two lovely dogs and a chubby cat. If you are looking for a place to have a peaceful vacation in Yangshuo, you shall definitely choose Zen Garden Resort. I will definitely come there again.

Good location and view. Good breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner. Free pick up service.

Best experience. Ever.

I travel internationally 50% of the year and stay up to 40 hotels in that time. This was by far the most amazing hotel stay--calm, quiet, incredible views and western-style hospitality and cleanliness standards. If you go to Guilin--stay here.

El hotel tiene una muy buena ubicación. Las instalaciones son nuevas (O muy recientes), las habitaciones son cómodas y espaciosas, adicionalmente la cama está excelente. El personal da un extraordinario servicio, siempre muy atentos. El restaurante y las comidas del lugar tienen muy buen sazón, bastante recomendable.

Beautiful hotel with great staff.

Short getaway to Yangshuo for a mini vacation. Prior to our arrival, the staff were very accommodating in assisting us in figuring out arrival logistics to the hotel. The hotel is modern, clean, and very beautiful. They have many amenities, including self-serve free laundry, and a great rooftop patio and meditation room. The hotel restaurant also serves a great variety of food, and it was very tasty. The staff were incredibly helpful and gracious - Lina and Wendy were amazing! Our room was comfortable, clean and well equipped with the basics. We had a great view of the karsts. The free scooter and bicycle rentals provided was a great bonus as well. We would definitely stay here again in a heartbeat!

We actually didn't end up staying - it was a fair way out of town, the pool was half empty, and the surrounds were a mixture of building sites. Although the staff were genuinely lovely, we didn't want to stay there so stayed somewhere else, despite having paid in full.

Good experience

Very nice and clean. Don’t expect a luxury hotel/ spa. But is in good and Western friendly. Staff helped us to solve everything. Their English is good enough to explain and organise things for us. Make sure to book a mountain view room. You can also rent electric bikes which makes the experience even better

The staff working here are the kindest we’ve ever met. They truly make the experience unique. The rooms are spacious with beautiful artistic furniture. The location is the best spot in Yangshuo. We’re definitely coming back here, highly recommended for everyone!

This is the perfect place to go and relax and just breathe. The grounds and view are gorgeous, and it's away from the bustling Yangshuo backpacker city area so you feel like you're in an oasis. The rooms also are gorgeous and clearly a focus on design. Lots of nice touches like plush slippers and robes. The staff wants to do all they can to make your stay fantastic. They will bend over backwards to try and help you. The downside is that only Wendy speaks English, so it is not always easy to communicate your needs or desires. The food in the restaurant isn't great, although other options in the area are equally uninspiring. We went to the very fancy Alila restaurant for a meal and were also disappointed there. Most disappointingly, the pool was not filled during our stay so we could not swim! While it was the beginning of Spring so I understand perhaps it wasn't filled during winter, the temperature was in the 70s when we arrived and we'd been really looking forward to a swim which wasn't possible. A hotel with a pool was one of our criteria when booking, so not being able to swim was a huge letdown. Overall, this seems like a hotel that has huge potential, but is still finding it's groove for international travelers. If you speak Mandarin you'll be fine.

We had a large suite at the price of a premium room. Extremely cultured and tasteful interior with fantastic view of the unique mountains from the large balcony outside of the bedroom and tea room.

Perfect stay for our family. Nice and helpfull staff, nice area and beautiful scenery.

What a wonderful hotel in Yangshuo (out of the town in the River Park). Quiet, beautifully appointed, and with wonderful views across small farms to spectacular limestone peaks. The reception staff were very welcoming, attentive and helpful throughout our stay. The room was beautiful, the restaurant food excellent (although not all vegetarian as the website claimed), and the outdoor swimming pool a dream. Bikes are available for a small hire fee and, when I lost the key to the bike lock at the Moon Hill Reserve, hotel staff came and picked me up. They were also very happy to drop us into Yangshuo town for tour pickups. If we ever return to Yangshuo, this is where we would stay. We could not recommend it more highly.

Modern design hotel with wonderful views, friendly staff set in a rural farm setting making it very unique. Close to many sights you go to the area to see. They give you set number of free rides which made it easy to get to places like West Street.

Just inside of village. Room condition, cleaning and view is good. Just missing is not to close to river. View also good. Transportation From station to hotel is not comfortable only

Great accommodations set in rural village.

Great location and wonderful service. Clean and comfortable rooms, restaurant on site serving breakfast (included) and lunch and dinner, and bike rentals.

Wonderful Views & Exceptional Customer Service

The Zen Garden is a hidden gem just outside of Yangshuo. The hotel itself was a little off the beaten path, but the staff was so accommodating it did not matter. We took a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo and called the hotel when we were 1 hour away, and they arranged a car to pick us up. We went to the hotel to check in and drop off our luggage. The room was very spacious and put together well. All the furniture and decor seemed to be high quality, and there was a lot of attention detail. The air condition was fantastic, much better than other places we stayed in China. As mentioned in other reviews the hotel will arrange transportation to and from town for free, which makes the location not an issue. I would recommend planning for a pickup time and spot, as the late night staff did not speak as good of English and was a little difficult to coordinate. We rented scooters from the hotel for 60¥ per day and were able to see quite of few nearby sites. For our departure, the hotel arranged for a car to take us back to the Guilin North Railway Station for 350¥. Kimberly, one of the staff members that helped us out, was extremely helpful and had such a great personality. He gave us advice on where to go on the scooters and took care of most of the logistics for our transportation. This is how customer service should be.

Nice little boutique hotel. excellent Mountain View’s

We LOVED the Zen Garden

We loved everything about this hotel... the room was beautiful we had a balcony with an amazing view. What made our stay was the wonderful staff who made us feel extremely welcome and did everything possible to make our stay enjoyable and one to remember. The hotel was located a bit out of town and was a short cycle which was a benefit for us some may find they want to be closer to the action. I can’t recommend Zen Gardens enough!

What a view!

This place may be a bit off the beaten track, but it is in a great spot for riding around the mountains/up the river and the room I was given had a spectacular view. The staff were very helpful and provided free rides to anywhere in town from the hotel on multiple occasions.

Amazing place

Fantastic place, can't recommend it enough. Mountain views from hotel are amazing and it seems that this place is fairly new and very well taken care of. Staff was increadibly helpful and arranged for anything I needed (transportation, tour, bike/scooter to navigate the area, etc.). Restaurant was also pretty good and the breakfast was simple but got the job done. Location is near a lot of scenic areas. The one drawback is that the main road through this area is restricted for cars. Fortunately the staff was able to easily arrange transport to the city center and this restriction did make biking through the area much safer. The hotel staff contacted me directly prior to my arrival to explain this and arrange a suitable pick up location. The rooms were very clean, spacious and nicely decorated. In general, I loved the decor of the place. Very relaxing experience with some breathtaking views.

Nice hotel a little bit our of town

Gorgeous views from the room, but that's because you're about 5km outside Yangshou; you need to rent a bike or scooter if you want to get around, hotel has them for a reasonable price. Really enjoyed my stay.

Ama"ZEN" stay

Great location, in the most beautiful part of the Guilin area. Free bike renting and very cheap electric scooters offered at the hotel. Amazing super king size beds, which where incredible comfortable. Overall the room really had a zen feel to it, even better than the photos and the mountain views are spectacular. What made this stay even better was Qin and his colleague, who really got out of their way to offer the best service possible. From cars to the railway station to booking of trips. Would reccomend this hotel to everybody. Do not miss the light show in Yangshou on the Li River.

Modern Zen hotel is tranquil

The modern zen like hotel is lovely & in the middle of no where. Great for relaxation or retreat. Staff is very friendly but not fluent in English. Food is healthy & tasty. One can get to the famous West Street, rafting site, etc by requesting car service at front desk - easy. We relaxed & recharged nicely.

Nice hotel but quite noisy during the day. If you plan to be out of the hotel all day it is a nice spot with delicious food. But starting at 9am helicopter tours and motorized paragliding begin and last all day until about 8pm. The hotel staff are lovely. Their English is limited but will do their best.

Good location and friendly staff, although we would've liked more helpful tips for daily activities. Rooms are comfortable and modern. Great food and good beer and spirits in the restaurant, even it it closes a bit early.

Tranquil hotel in an area of natural beauty

This a beautiful new hotel in a spa-like setting near to Yangshuo. The people in the hotel were very, very accommodating, helping us with all of our needs. While the hotel is a little away from the centre of restaurants, the tranquil garden setting is particularly enjoyable. The food was good, with both western and Chinese options. The chef even made some a la carte special orders. Overall, we could not have been more happy with our choice of hotel. We will come back to Zen Garden next time in Guilin / Yangshuo.

Amazing location, staff, and overall hotel

I rarely write hotel reviews but Zen Garden deserves a shoutout for just about everything. The hotel is very modern and clean, the rooms are large with amazing views, and the hotel is located just outside town. The staff goes out of their way to ensure you feel welcome and have what you need. They will arrange transportation, tours, and other activities for you. We were even invited to a traditional tea ceremony. I would highly recommend.

Nice view and modernity

The hotel is cozy, nicely decorated, clean with magnificent view around. Excellent services. The staffs are very nice. The facilities around the hotel is quite poor. There is no decent restaurant around, no stores to buy anything even a bottle of water. You got to have a car, otherwise everything seems complicated and you have to buy everything from the hotel. And the price of every items is quite high compare to the market.

Amazing experience!!! Extremely friendly staff! I definitely recommend this place to anyone who visits Yangshuo!

A real Chinese village in an unreal landscape

We spent 8 wonderful days in this fantastic hotel. You don't need to go anywhere to enjoy one of the most unreal landscape in China. Walking or cycling around the hotel, particularly in early morning, was an unforgettable experience. The village itself is uninteresting and poorly built. Busy shopping and restaurant town center of Yangshuo is 20 minutes away by taxi. The hotel is facilitated to the minute details with extremely high taste. The staff were very friendly and prepared to go a long way to help. I could not get a taxi on the early morning to the airport, the hotel manager sent her staff to drive me to the airport, it was a 70 minutes journey! The restaurant in the hotel is nice but has limited manual. Don't expect any Weston foods or even a good cup of coffee there.

Great place, great time , great people

Our stay here was awesome . The staff was so friendly and accommodating , they found out it was my 50th bday and owner bought a cake and surprised me with help from my wife and had party for me. I've never stayed in a place where the staff really made u feel so welcomed and at home .

Everything was perfect until the power went out

Just got back from a long day sightseeing in Yangshuo. As soon as I got in the shower the power cut off. The hotel was without power for hours at night. It would be okay but the hotel refused to discount or refund my 1 night stay. Very disappointed.

Zen is correct!

Situated in a small village close to the Yulong River. It is easy to navigate to and from on e-bike or motorized scooter. The hotel offers multiple breakfasts and also local cuisine. Staff are very friendly and helpful. The hotel is currently surrounded but small fields/farms and the views are unobstructed by other buildings. The pool was still not open during our stay in mid-late May. Definitely a nice place to stay to relax and explore the local mountains.

Weekend in Yangshuo

Location was outside of downtown which was great for our trip, it was a very quiet and beautiful area - we had a driver for the weekend so didn't have any issues getting around. The pool was not open yet which was a bummer and they wouldn't allow us to take food from the restaurant up to our room. Food was delicious and they had a great selection of beers to choose from. They offered scooters and golf carts for a reasonable price to rent and it was a great way to get around on our own. The hotel is only a few months old and we'll definitely be back later once it's fully opened.

Excellent View and Excellent Place for Refreshment

This resort is few blocks away from the noisy tourist street and is an excellent place for peaceful stay with a beautiful mountain view. We are a group of 4 from Texas USA and we all enjoyed this resort especially a foggy early morning with fresh air. The sitting area in the first floor and the tea room at the 5th floor are all beautifully designed, making us really want to sit down comfortably and read a good book. Enjoyed the fresh made breakfast in a glass window room with breath-taking view. We just can not help to take photos in every directions including the meal. Definitely will come back to visit again.

Beautiful stay in lovely Yangshuo

Our family of 4 with 2 kids stayed for 4 wonderful nights at Zen Garden resort in room 8405. When we arrived, we were upgraded to a family suite and the room was spacious, clean and lovely. The hotel staff were always very prompt and efficient in responding to our requests and tried their best to fulfil them. They even rented a bike for my husband as they had none at the hotel that would fit him and also rented child seats for us to strap onto the back of our bikes for our kids. However, the hotel does provide bikes that you can use for free. The hotel is situated right among bike paths that led us to the countryside and various villages. It was also very convenient to cycle to the touristy places. There are no major hills so it was very easy to cycle everywhere. The surroundings is really tranquil and peaceful and stunning with the mountains as a backdrop. The interior of the hotel is very clean, new and zen-like. It will be great when the pool is completed by the summer. On the last day, as our train was leaving in the evening, we requested for a late check out and were able to stay until an hour before the train left. That really helped us maximise the enjoyment of our stay in Yangshuo and you could feel that the staff really want to try to make their guests happy. We experienced such pleasant and polite service from the hotel staff and really want to compliment them on making our stay so memorable and would not hesitate to return to stay there.

Interesting Hotel

Interesting hotel with unique style located in a tiny, but heavily constructing village. Not convenient for walking. Non-buffet breakfast was ok. Wifi was difficult to access in the room.

Peaceful Getaway in China's Countryside

My stay at Yangshuo Zen Garden Resort was fantastic and I wish I could have stayed longer! It was a bit difficult to find the hotel since it's inside of a small village a bit away from the Yangshuo's city center. Without the proper direction even the local taxi driver was not able to locate it. However once I got there I was immediately swept away but the picturesque scenery. The staff was nice as well- a lady I believe was either the hotel manager or the owner kept checking if everything's fine with me every single meal there. They have bikes there at the hotel and are free to borrow. The breakfast is complimentary and has 4 choices to choose from. However as for lunch/dinner they have the same menu and the choices are not that appealing to a solo traveler. The portions are big and to share so I had to order one dish only and it was still a bit too much. Would be great if they could provide more variations. Also even though the staff there are friendly, it would be great if the hotel could provide local maps with attractions in English so foreign visitors without internet or can't read Chinese could get around easier. Overall a cozy and nice hotel. Will definitely recommend to friends and family and will stay here again if I ever come back to Yangshuo.

Nice, beautiful, secluded hotel

We were initially hesitant about our trip to Yangshuo because we weren't sure if it would be as interesting as Guilin. Upon arrival by way of the Li River Cruise, we found the Zen Garden farther than expected, but the sweeping views, beautiful facilities and knowledgeable, helpful staff made us sure that staying in Yangshuo was a great choice. We borrowed bikes whenever we wanted to bike the few miles to visit the town and rode through surrounding rice fields and mountains. The hotel also called taxis or private cars whenever necessary to go into town, though coming back in the dark it is easy to get a little lost, as for whatever reason, many Yangshuo (and Guilin) taxi drivers are not exceptionally well versed in the geography of their towns. It is very peaceful and slightly removed from the main roads, but very close to the Yulong river and easy access to most activities. It is not a large hotel so the staff is small, but most of the staff could speak good English and were all very helpful whenever we wanted information or wanted to book activities. There was good wifi and on-site food spots, and our stay was comfortable and relaxing and town was still very close. Unfortunately, we made the mistake of only staying in Yangshuo for around 36 hours, and although we were still able to accomplish a lot of activities in that time, the hotel, the town and the surrounding area were wonderful and we definitely would have stayed longer given the chance.

Peaceful and beautiful oasis

I arrived in Yangshuo with my two teenage children after several busy days in Beijing and Xian. The Zen Garden Resort is a sanctuary of green, surrounded by beautiful countryside, clean air, away from the crowds of the big city - and well off Yangshuo's noisy main street. The staff went above and beyond. The facilities are new and well designed. Free hotel bikes make exploring easy. Restaurant food was wonderful (try the falafel sandwich!). The hotel arranged airport transfers, which I would highly recommend as the hotel might be a bit tricky to find if you don't know the area. Slight drawbacks: hotel was still under construction as of March 2017 (noise and some debris, pool and hot tub not yet complete), the bikes are not in the best shape (be gentle with them and prepared to improvise maintenance), and the rooms don't have a private area for dressing (gets interesting with teenagers + mom).

Excellent Stay

Warm staff and good services! Room got upgraded because we were one day late for our booking. Hotel let us stay one more night for compensation. Good recommendation on where to go and eat in the city. They indeed have provided 5 star services at this boutique hotel. The hotel is located at Shilihualang Scenic Area itself and has the best mountain view comparing to many tourist areas we have visited at Yangshuo. During our stay, there is a yoga retreat booked at the top floor function room of the hotel, so you know how relax and nice environment this hotel provides. The room is very nice decorated. The only drawback of the hotel is a bit further from the central area that you will need to take RMB40 taxi to go back at night. As for the breakfast, there are only 4 sets to be chosen from the menu. They tastes ok but room for improvement. The hotel is totally new and the swimming pool is not ready yet during our trip. However, I am sure it will be a nice one with spectacular view.

Amazing resort, very cosy and with a great view. Close to the river activites