The Li River Retreat is about 1.5 kms out of Yangshuo up the Li River. It has spectacular views from its terrace and has a small but good restaurant. As a hotel it is no more than average but its location and the friendliness of the staff more than compensate. The rooms are pretty plain and not very large but the surrounding karst peaks are spectacular. It is an easy walk into Yangshuo and you can hire bikes to cycle around or take a local bus. It feels as though it is not just an anonymous international hotel (which it is not) but one close to the countryside. Difficult to rate as many of its attractions stem from its location and the fact that it has very few rooms. Perhaps less than 20. Yangshuo is well worth a visit, particularly if you travel down the Li River and this is a really interesting place to stay.

I stayed at the Li River Retreat a few months ago. I was there for 2 days and went on a bike tour both of the days with a local tour guide named Sally. Li River Retreat arranged both days at a very fair price. In total we biked around 80-90 Km, but that was only because I was pushing to see more :) Her tours are great and she will take you on all the local paths. This was by far the coolest thing I did during my entire visit to China!

Li River Retreat was also a delightful lodge! I will return in a heartbeat.

My brother and I absolutely loved staying at the Li River Retreat hotel!!! The location is perfect, quiet and in the middle of nature with stunning views of the river and some mountains and not too far from the city. We didn't mind the 20 Minute walk by the river on a little frequented road. Bikes and scooters are available at or right by the hotel so we were able to start our bike tours without having to walk to the center first.

Then there is the food. We really loved it and ended up regretting it every time we ate out. Towards the end of the stay we pretty much had all meals in the hotel restaurant.

The staff was very friendly, sweet and extremely helpful. They shared some fruits with us in the morning on the deck while chatting, arranged and picked up our bus tickets from town, let us use a shower in the evening of the last day when we had already checked out just to mention a few things.

I have stayed in many luxury hotels in Europe and elsewhere for work, but I have never felt more at home in a hotel then here. I hope I'll be able to come back soon!

The Li River Retreat is about a 15-20min walk from the town centre. During the day, this isn't a problem but at night, it might be advisable to take a taxi back from town as the road that you walk on isn't lit and can be pitch black. The taxi fare doesn't cost much - about 20 Yuan.

The hotel is away from the centre of town in a rural setting. As such, it has a nice quiet and peaceful atmosphere. If you have spare time and want to stay at the hotel during the day, it’s a nice environment to relax in. Although we had no problems with mosquitos, probably due to the time of year we stayed at the hotel, this might be an environment where you may encounter some as it is more rural. Having said that, the doors have a mosquito mesh to prevent their entry and the room is equipped with a mosquito repellent.

Our room was clean, comfortable and spacious. Due to where the hotel is located, it sells itself as a place where you're deliberately out of the busy-ness of town and as such there is no TV in the rooms. However, there was one in the dining area. The hotel has dining facilities so if you don't fancy going into town, you can eat at the hotel. The staff are friendly and speak good English and made us feel really welcomed. Prior to making the booking, I made enquiries via email and all replies were answered promptly and were very helpful.

Would return.