This is probably the most beautiful hotel we've stayed in. The pool villa was stunning, with a breathtaking view of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Staff were invariably polite and accommodating. We were however, disappointed by several instances where hotel staff did not inform us of extra charges for various things. Repeat visitors to Lijiang would not need to be told, but as it was our first trip to Lijiang the hidden charges that we not warned about meant several times we had to call the hotel on our mobile and check that we weren't being ripped off.

For example, the hotel booked us a limousine and bought tickets to the "Impression.Lijiang" show at the Jade Dragon Mountain National Park (which we highly recommend, by the way). The front desk staff collected 260 yuan per person for the tickets, but neglected to tell us that we would be charged an extra 80 yuan per person to enter the national park, and another 80 yuan for an entrance ticket to the Dayan Old Town, which we were visting after the show. When asked to pay at the entrance to the park, we had to call the hotel and check that it was indeed kosher. So what we were told would cost 260 yuan per person ended up costing 420 yuan. Not a lot of money at all, but the additional hassle was offputting.

One night we asked the front desk to book us a cab to Dayan Old Town again as we wanted to have dinner there, but we were not told that the cabbie would charge a surchage of 15 yuan, double what was shown on the meter. Again, we had to call the hotel and check that we weren't being swindled.

I booked a back massage at the spa and I was asked whether I wanted a 60 minute or 90 minute massage. I said 60 minutes, only to be told when checking in that the massage was actually only 30 mins, with 30 mins of "relaxation time". On the spot I changed it to 90 mins. Initially they wouldn't allow it (although I was quite happy to pay the extra), but relented after I explained why and threatened to complain.

Our transfer from Lijiang to Ringha Banyan Tree was arranged when we checked in, and we requested a stopover at Tiger Leaping Gorge, but the staff neglected to tell us that there would be a US$84 surcharge for the extra stop.

All of the above happened during a two-night stay.

Don't get me wrong, the staff were pleasant, helpful and friendly, but they don't think ahead as a rule and the added hassle was not what one would expect when paying above-five-star rates. Money was not a problem, but being constantly surprised by people asking for extra money was. It would have made a world of difference to be told beforehand.

And language is not an issue as I speak Mandarin.

The Banyan Tree Lijiang and Ringha hotels are unbelievably comfortable and clean.

My husband and I were very truly impressed by the professionalism and yet understanding attitude of the staff

All of these BT values were magnified when my husband was down with altitude sickness in Shangri-la and all the staff from BT Ringha extended their helping hands without hesitation. They were fast, efficient and accommodating. We were impressed to see that despite the fact that it was 3 in the morning, all of them were still wide awake, polite and smiling!

We were transported down to BT Lijiang in the wee hours in the morning by BT car, accompanied by a lady officer and were pleasantly surprised to hear repeated assurance from the driver and her. In BT Lijiang, we were again very happy to know that our room was upgraded and check-in process was quick. Most importantly, we were pleasantly taken aback when BT waived off room and airport transfer surcharges despite that the fact that we were the ones who changed our plans. What more can we ask for?

I must also mention that the little surprises that BT gave us to celebrate our wedding anniversary were very sweet! Little gifts everyday was something that we looked forward to when we return to our hotel. We felt very much pampered.

The other thing is I have never had such a good massage in my spa experiences and the therapist, atmosphere and cleanliness standard in BT Spa was superb!

1 thing though: The garden villa is bigger and nicer than the pool villa.

This is likely the best hotel at which my wife and I have stayed over the past 50 years. It is quite incredible with the beautifully appointed individual villas in private gardens surrounded by a wall and blessed with a 24 hour personal hot tub. The bar and restaurants are lovely, the service was incredibly good - we were pampered. Internet use was free.
Lijiang itself and the countryside is great but it really enhanced our visit to be able to stay at such a place. What a classy operation this Singaporean-owned enterprise delivers. I am delighted to hear that they will be adding several new locations to their chain.

We spent 3 nights in the Pool Villa, unit 227, during the last week of October 2007. Everything was great except for the pool! The hotel advertised that they keep the temperature of the pool at 28 Celsius but I could not stay in the pool for more than a minute before my teeth started to clatter, like a Gatling gun, from the cold.

Beautiful room with a magnificent unobstructed view of Jade Dragon Mountain. The bathtub was huge but filled up quickly and the hot water was limitless.

Service was good in general but the check out procedure was a big pain. Took over 45 minutes to check out because the hotel did not have the proper booking information from their Bangkok office where I had made the reservation. They were charging me for stuff which was included in my package and had to showed the check out staff proof of the email confirmation and information before I could settle the bills. Do bring your booking information for proof with you and be aware that they will bill you in RMB even thought you were quoted your rate in USD.

The Chinese restaurant was very good but the food of the Western restaurant were definitely not up to standard.

Overall I would stay here again without hesitation but would opt for a Garden Villa room instead because the pool was not usable.