The Yangshuo/Guilin area in southern China is known for its natural beauty, steep mountainsides (a favorite place for rock climbers), and rice terraces. Being just a one hour flight away, it seemed like a perfect weekend trip. For this excursion, we decided to go off the beaten path a bit and stay in a rural village. With the help of TripAdvisor.com we were able to find a place that appeared Western friendly but is very much not a Shangri-La.
As we rode into the city (with a driver who uttered not a single word to us along the one hour journey) after dark, bounced over unpaved streets, and came to a stop in a vacant lot with dilapidated housing next door, there was a moment when our “off the beaten path” plan didn't seem like such a good idea.
Fortunately, whatever trepidation we had was set aside when a lovely young woman greeted us at the car and welcomed us to the Yangshuo Village Inn. We walked through a grove of pomelo trees to the inn. And, what a pleasant surprise it was! The owner (an American) had taken great care in decorating it in traditional Chinese style that is appealing to Western visitors.
Our room was in a restored mud farmhouse located behind the inn. We had to walk down a mud alley (it had been raining) to get to the building and had to use an antique key to enter our room. (We were asked to please not lose the key since it was the only one that works on that lock!) The beds had bamboo frames and the decor was similar to that in the main village inn.
The inn had a restaurant named Luna because one can see a place called "Moon Hill" from it. One would expect that a place that is in the middle of nowhere with all local village staff would have a very “exotic” (to put it nicely) menu. We were shocked to learn that Luna was an Italian restaurant with a chef (local villager) who had trained in Italy. The food was unbelievable. In fact, we think we had the best Italian meals we have ever eaten – yes, in a rural China village! Crazy!
Here’s a photo recap.
Outside the main inn:
The pomelo tree grove:
The village in lobby:
Farmhouse entrance:
Farmhouse common area:
Door to our room:
The antique style door key:
Luna Restaurant, located on the roof of the inn:
View from the rooftop (Moon Hill is the second pic):
Very yummy mozzerella sticks - lightly breaded, fresh mozzarella with homemade sauce - from Luna:
It was a very unique – but enjoyable – place to stay. More on our off the beaten path adventure to come!
my what a treat you must have had. good for you love aunt lois
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