Outside the hussle and bustle of Yangshuo, this little inn on the bank of the Yulong River is big on service and spectacular views of the karst mountains towering over the valley. The rooms are well appointed, the service is superb, the chinese food great and local.

But don't be fooled, this resort is not for everyone. It's 8-km from any kind of store or nightlife, and the western food on the menu won't be the stuff you're used to. So if you want a contemplative beautiful spot with flawless service - this is the place. If you want a western hotel with all the amenities, including shopping and nightlife, you may want to go elsewhere.

I'll recommend this to all of my friends - because it suited me perfectly. It was relaxing, gorgeous and the view was awe inspiring. FYI, Some of the people staying there had small children, and they seemed to be doing well.

This place deserves to be rated at the top of all accommodation in Yangshuo.

We stayed with my parents during Chinese New Year in this lovely resort. The service was really genuinely fantastic and always with a smile. There is only 10 rooms so even full you will always receive the same level of service. Rooms are well equipped and I advise you to book one with river view and balcony. It was a bit too cold for us to stay out in the evening but during spring of autumn it must be fantastic. Our room had a great view on the Li river and the mountain behind. We were able to rent bikes at very affordable prices for the day. The food in the restaurant is also very nice without being too pricey. You are able to order both chinese and western food.

Only weak points would be the reservation where prepayment is mandatory which is a bit a pain and also we booked tickets for the evening show and the organisation with the agent was quite messy. Fortunately my wife is chinese and the speaking the language was definitely and asset.

All in all a great experience even for my parents who flew from France for the holiday and are not used to "countryside China".

We visited here late last year and agree with the comments from other reviewers. We booked the wrong rooms but they were perfectly adequate next time I will ensure we get River view. This is not a luxury resort but gives you a wonderful experience in a beautiful setting. I rarely would give 5 stars but this one gets it. I live in Beijing so look forward to going back soon.

My partner and I stayed here early October 2012, and I can happily say it was one of the highlights of our China holiday. We took a taxi from Guilin airport as it was Chinese National week and we didn't fancy fighting for buses. We were very glad we did as traffic ground to a halt near Yangshuo as the 2 lanes of traffic un-officially split into 5. Once we turned off down a side street and right into the sanctuary that is the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat we knew we'd picked the right place to stay.

The service was impeccable, every member of staff new our room number (even after we had changed rooms), so we just had to ask for food/drink and it would be automatically added to a tab for us. We did have a slight issue with being given a room without a balcony when we had ordered one, however whilst having breakfast the next day the manageress came and spoke to us and moved us to a balcony room.

Everything else about this place was top notch; great food, unbelievable views, fantastic service. We even had a foot massage by the river with coffee brought out to us!

Definitely stay here if you're passing through Yangshuo and can afford it, and Definitely make sure you have breakfast in the garden by the river each morning watching the bamboo boats go by.

Thanks everyone at the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat!