Chengdu Mrs Panda Hostel

We stayed at Mrs Panda Hostel twice, and both visits went without a hitch. The toilets were exceptionally clean by our standards, never busy despite being shared by 14 rooms, and there was always a service lady nearby, though you hardly noticed her in the toilet area. We chose the double room with a shared bathroom for two reasons: rooms with their own bathrooms had less natural light than we liked, and the shared toilets were so clean. For 14 euros a night, the service was great. The hostel itself is clean, with white, ironed sheets, good beds, soft pillows, extra blankets on request, and toiletries in the room. The staff are awesome, even with demanding guests, speak English, and are very helpful with translation, bills, food, laundry, tours, and all the questions travelers ask. Tipping is a nice way to thank them for their hard work. My personal favorite is Boss, the self-satisfied male cat and rightful owner of the hostel. He lies all over the place, and people give him as much love as he allows. The location is great, the beds are restful, the cleaning facilities are superior, and the service is great value for money.

Breakfast has great options, but remember to book it in advance. You're within walking distance of a lot of things, and the lake right across from the hostel is a nice plus. It's geared toward English speakers, and most of the backpackers speak English too. It's a great hostel, almost like a hotel, but with a backpacker feel.

We stayed here during China's National Week, our first time sleeping in an inn. Having our own room worked out fine, but the trip to see the Big Buddha was awful. It cost 700 yuan, a lot for a vacation budget, and we expected a driver and guide to help us relax and enjoy the day. Instead, the driver drove very badly, and the guide spoke very poor English. He even brought a friend to help him improve his English, but that wasn't our problem. The boat ride was supposed to take 40 minutes to see the Buddha, but lasted only 10 minutes. They blamed the shorter trip on National Week in China, which wasn't our problem either. We paid a lot for this excursion, came to see the Buddha, and got only 10 minutes there. In the afternoon, the guide took us around the city, which was awful. Later, someone from the hostel wouldn't accept responsibility and said it wasn't his fault. It wasn't ours either; we'd paid for something we didn't get. The whole day was unpleasant and one of the worst of our lives. As tourists in China, we wouldn't recommend this experience to anyone. It left us with a bad impression of hostels that might be serious.

Just an average hostel. The entrance smells of urine, there's no atmosphere, and the staff barely spoke English or helped much with directions.