Hawthorn by Wyndham Dali Erhai Park

Check-in was quick, and the room was clean but compact. The bathroom took up a lot of space compared with the room. I was surprised there was no safe or minibar. The kettle came with just two tea bags, one black and one green, with no sugar, milk, or spoons. When I asked the staff downstairs, who weren’t really multilingual beyond using a translation app, they seemed surprised I wanted sugar. They first said no, but eventually got some from the closed restaurant after a bit of effort. They only wanted to give me one packet, as if it were gold.

I stayed for a few nights after arriving in Dali because the hotel is central and fairly new. The rooms were surprisingly spacious, clean, and everything worked. There’s a nice tea set, and the Wi-Fi was smooth and decent. It’s near the main city bus station, but nights were quiet and I slept fine. The hotel is part of a big international chain, though it caters to the domestic market. The Chinese breakfast buffet is good and generous, but there’s no Western food or flatware, so chopsticks are needed. Nobody on staff spoke English, which seems common outside China’s big cities, so bring a working offline translator. I only needed my local friend to help once, when I had a question about the bill. There’s a handy convenience store on site, oddly accessible only from outside the hotel. Nearby are lots of inexpensive little restaurants, and I quickly found one on the side street next door that I went back to several times. A good stay.

Ms. Khin Thu Zar (Room Attendant) and Mr.Myat Ko Aung were so attentive and quick to handle my requests, always with a warm smile. They took extra care with the room amenities and made the room feel welcoming every day. I really appreciated their attention to detail.

For independent travelers, the location is very convenient. The hotel has both washers and dryers. Breakfast was decent, though nothing especially impressive.