As many people say, this place must be seen to be believed. And, even then, you won't quite believe it.

I have been to Guilin many times (I have business in nearby Lipu), so I had gone by the sign for this property a few times before and been intrigued. So, I insisted that my local friend take me there.

The beauty, layout and architecture are stunning. But, there was something else. As we were sitting at dinner in one of the restaurants, our group realized one thing. The contrast between the ancient and old outside the grounds, the old hills and the utterly modern park and hotel we were in was so great as to move into the sublime--an experience of art (being art) that I have never quite known before. Along the lines of being in a nice warm cabin with a fire going while an intense snow storm raged outside. Unbelievable by itself.

Now, I have been to Guilin and Yangshuo many times, so I didn't feel I was missing out on a "Chinese" experience. If your trip includes other Chinese cities and you want something quite different, this is the place to stay. There is nothing like it in China. If you feel you need the quaint Chinese experience, then, you might opt for something else.

This is a hard review to do. We had only one night there arriving around 5pm and leaving the next morning at 7.30 for the Li River boat cruise.. Hence we were not really able to enjoy the sculpture park more than an hour before darkness.
The hotel itself has received a Relais and Chateaux designation which seemed somewhat bizarre given that our room was tiny and the shower and toilet even tinier; our dinner was not exceptional; the service was uninspired, indeed they forgot to give us our requested wake-up call.
Maybe our experience can be attributed to it end of the tourist season. We have told our tour operator that the 1 1/2 hours of driving to and again from a rather average quality hotel is simply not worth it for one night.

HOMA is a great looking hotel, very modern and tastefully done. Rooms are very comfortable and fancy with a great view. The reds would be the distance as it is very far from Guilin and the staff needs to be little more smart. They are not bad people but little slow in understanding your requirement. Its more of a resort to relax and admire the nature but not good for a tourist.

We had a great four days at Yuzi Paradise, which is so hard to describe. It is a modern, boutique hotel between Guilin and Yangshou situated in a park full of modern art scultpures. It is a rather remote spot, better for R&R or a weekned trip than as a jumping off point.

We liked the rooms and enjoyed strolling the grounds, eating at their restaurant, and doing art projects at their "Atelier." However, the front desk had VERY limited English. It was difficult to explain preferences and ask for advice on daily activities. There was one very competent and fluent woman who worked behing the scenes, so we ended up talking to her to book anything. Yangshou is an hour away and you have to pay steep prices to get anywhere, as you are isolated in the hotel, an hour from anything.

We observed many families with children that had a great time, lounging by the pool and having fun.

We had two great massages at Yuzi and would recommend the Chinese masseuses.

This is a great hotel, that with more training and English practice, could turn into a first rate hotel.