We stayed in a Deluxe Pool Villa. It was set up as follows: you go through a locking gate into your individual yard area. From there, you enter your villa through large sliding glass doors leading into the bedroom. The king size bed was extremely comfortable, and there was a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows behind it. You could draw wooden panels across those windows to adjust the incoming light however you want. To the right of the bed was a small study with a desk, cushioned bench, small table, and a console containing the minibar and tv. To the left of the bed was the dressing area and bathroom. The closets were spacious and there was one for each of us. The shower floor was made of heated slate, which was much appreciated on the cold mornings. All of the furniture was upholstered in richly colored raw silk, and the entire villa interior was soothing and comfortable.

The pool was at the front of our yard area, and it had a lounger on each side of it. It was never warm enough during our stay to lounge out there, but I did go in the pool one night as it was snowing. It was glorious to lay there in the hot water, gazing up at the stars and the falling snow flakes.

Breakfast at Ming Yue was tasty and they served foods on a rotating schedule so that even if you ate there day after day, you would still get a variety. We ate dinner at Bai Yun as well and found that the foods on the "local specialties" section of the menu were the best. We had a dish of seasonal mushrooms that was incredible, and the Yunnan ham was delicious.

We went to the spa one day to have massages. Our massage therapists were Thai and did Thai massage for us, although the spa offers other types of massage as well (nothing specifically Chinese, though).

The hotel staff were excellent when it came to calling for taxis and organizing excursions for us. We took a guided tour of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (unfortunately, the weather was bad and we were unable to ascend to the top) and our guide also brought us to see Impression: Lijiang (very good) and took us to meet several Naxi people who let us see their farms and homes.

The old town of Lijiang is a very short and easy taxi ride, and we never had a problem catching a ride either to the town or back to the hotel. I was very surprised to discover that the old town is a bit of a party zone at night, so if you like a quiet night's sleep, the Banyan Tree is a great choice because it's outside of town.

This Banyan Tree, upon arrival, is simply one of the most inviting properties in the world. The individual villas are exquisite. They are efficient and extremely clean. The views are simply beyond belief, and the joy of having your own private garden with a hot tub nearby is in a few words very enjoyable. The glorious mountains in the distance are inspiring.

My fiance' went crazy over her treatment in the spa, loving every minute with praise everlasting for the staff. I truly enjoyed every aspect of the stay, except I felt a little uncomfortable as the only Meguoren in the property at the time. A wonderful place - and for what you pay - a great deal.

I have spent the same amount of money in Shanghai, only to be supremely disappointed. This Hotel made a very memorable impression - and I shall never, ever forget staying as a guest.

Delightful . . . wonderful . . . I had to leave to get back to reality. This place is truly unique - incomparable - great place to rest.

We spent xmas 2007 at the Banyan Tree Lijiang. My mother, sister and my fiancee and I stayed in two deluxe garden villas. The weather was very cold, around 8-12 degrees celcius.

Pros: great villas, great service, great comfortable cool weather.
Cons: not much to do in Lijiang, recommend no more than 3 days.

Hotel: fantastic service all around, they go the extra mile to try and meet all customer's needs. Food was pretty good, there really are only 2 restaurants. The Chinese restaurant is spectacular, and western restaurant is good too.

Complaints: I disliked the xmas set dinner - it was about US$100 per person which is not a problem, but the service was slow, food was cold and it was not the same set menu as had been advertised.

We recommend this hotel to others, its obviously not for those who want to go to the beach, sit in hot weather, although I'm sure the spring/summers would be nice. Lijiang itself is pretty decent, and it's not too crowded.

Happy to answer questions or thoughts. Feel free to hit us up.

Thanks

We live in Shanghai and travel pretty extensively in China. Not only was the property beautiful, with an amazing view of the snow mountain, the service was impeccable. Ask for a villa at the front row with full view of the snow mountain. It is such a joy to wake up each morning staring at the snow mountain. The rooms are well thought through, down to the details and the bed has a wonderful electric heating. The bathroom is huge with the biggest bath we have ever seen. The Chinese restuarant serves good quality food, better than the western restuarnt. We had stayed 2 nights in the ancient city and 2 nights at Banyan Tree which we thought was a good mix.