We spent 5 nights enjoying the Karst formations of the Li and Yurlong river areas of China. Guilin is the nearest airport, Yangshou is the city used by tourists. After researching lodging on the web and reading numerous reports, we decided that we did not want to stay in Yangshuo proper [too noisy, too much commotion]. We opted for a countryside property, and then set about finding as many amenities as possible. We did not want a place too ‘rustic’. Nor did we want to be too far away from things [where taxi might decline service]. Based entirely on quality of website and Trip Advisor comments, our first choice was the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat only to find them booked already. We decided for the Dragon River Retreat instead because it seemed to be the next nicest property in the same overall location and wound up being very happy with our choice.

The Dragon River Retreat website was confusing and caused some pre-arrival concern. Several individual web pages did not work at www.dragon-river-retreat.com and when one wished more information on some topics there was a re-direction to a different website www.yangshouok.com that included information on competing hotels. Once in Yangshuo we learned that the two websites are both done by Dragon River Retreat and that they are intended to be used together.

A second pre-arrival concern was the actual location of the Dragon River Retreat. From our pre-booking research we had concluded that the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat was the ideal location for us. Because of conflicting web information, we could not determine whether Dragon River Retreat was nearby or several kilometers/miles away. When we arrived, we discovered that the two properties are right next door to one another!! They both have the same location plusses and minuses. They both have the same views of karst and of bamboo boats floating the Yurlong River [Yangshuo Mountain Retreat’s building is closer to the river which gives somewhat better view from the rooms]. If one would like to see the actual location on Google Earth, the GPS coordinates are N24 44.6325 and E110 28.6085 [dd mm.mmmm]. Contrary to other reports, the road to Dragon River Retreat is now [2008] paved and we had no problems with taxi service. Indeed, the whole region is an area of significant expansion: Dragon River Retreat is adding rooms, the bamboo raft trade is growing, and there is a major new hotel under construction.

The Dragon River Retreat opened in mid 2007, so we visited when the hotel was just one year in operation. As a result, the physical condition was excellent. Chinese construction codes must be less rigorous than US and EU because there are little things like sliding doors don’t quite fit, one stair step is an bit taller than others, and painters lack a steady hand. There is a wonderful courtyard along the Yurlong River where one can watch the bamboo boats while sipping morning coffee or afternoon libation. With the exception of the construction zone for additional rooms, the grounds are tidy and free from the ‘junk’ found at many rural Chinese properties.

Our room was quiet, comfortable, clean [no dirt in the corners like many other rural Chinese hotels we’ve experienced], and organized very much like a room in a typical ‘better’ motel in the US – nothing fancy, just nice. The air conditioner worked fine. The beds are harder than usually found in Western hotels. For just two of us, we had booked one of the larger rooms with 2 queehn sized beds so we took the comforter from the second bed and used it as additional padding underneath. As a result we always had excellent night’s sleep. The bathroom was modern and in great condition. The shower –sans curtain -- was right in the middle of the bathroom which means water goes everywhere when one showers. There were no bathroom smells as others have cautioned.

The common area of Dragon River Retreat combines dining plus small bar plus pool table plus lobby plus sitting/waiting into one common large open area. Due to the absence of any soundproofing and the multiplicity of activity, this area had a tendency to be noisy. During our stay several guests had families of young loud children who were playing pool and running around so we preferred the quiet of our room’s private balcony or a peaceful spot along the Yurlong River.

Dining was in a modernistic, glass covered, atrium style portion of the common large open area. The menu was a mixture of Western and Asian foods and everything we tried was all surprisingly healthy and good [we later learned that the hotel’s owner has managed a restaurant in town for 10+ years]. We even enjoyed a few reasonable bottles of wine. The food is a bit bland so ask for salt and pepper to season to individual tastes [salt and pepper are not automatically a part of the table setting]. We felt relaxed and safe [from food poisoning] in the Dragon River Retreat’s restaurant so we ate all breakfasts and all but one dinner at the hotel. And the one night we did venture to Yangshuo town for dinner we both became ill from the food [served by Cloud 9]. Note: a breakfast is included in the room rate.

The Dragon River Retreat was very helpful in arranging transportation. They had a car from Yangshuo meet us at the airport. There was no haggling over the fare; at the end to the trip we simply paid the driver the 250Y in cash that the hotel quoted us. The same arrangement worked for the return trip. [First time visitors, do not be alarmed when the route from the airport starts on a dirt road for a mile followed by another five to ten miles on a primitive road.] One can make arrangements at the front desk for the Dragon River Retreat’s van that they use for shuttling guests back and forth to town. We used the van for our visit to the Li River Light Show. When traveling to town, the front desk will call a taxi, you pay Y30, and guests are dropped off at the end of West Street [which is the usual guest destination]. Be sure to take a Dragon River Retreat taxi card to communicate to the driver your return destination. Note, however it may be difficult to hale a taxi for a return because the end of West Street is a no waiting zone. After a frustrating half hour we called the hotel and we were told to walk to the bus station where we would find cabs waiting. We were first quoted Y60 for the return so be prepared to negotiate.

One of the most positive things about the Dragon River Retreat was the great service provided by the hotel staff. They were all incredibly friendly and could communicate just fine in English. The front desk staff doubled as a concierge / tour planner and we received many excellent and helpful tips. When we would return from a day’s outing, they would remember our itinerary and ask about our successes. The personal touch was very pleasant and re-assuring. On two occasions while out on tours, we called the Front Desk on our cell phone and because they knew our itinerary they problem solved the immediate issue for us. On a few occasions we had reason to go to the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat next door. We found their hotel staff less helpful and much less friendly. The dining room and kitchen staff were also very personable. We got to the point after 3 days where we could order “the usual”. Dragon River Retreat customer service reminded us of Avis Car Rental slogan “We Try Harder”.

The wireless Internet at Dragon River Retreat worked flawlessly and very reliably.

One final comment: Examine your final bill. Ours had an error which they readily acknowledged and corrected. [our final statement accounting was done by hand which is likely more error prone than by computer].

Will go there again and recommend to friends if up for another trip to the region

After a visit in october 2007, when the hotel was open only for a week, I revisited this place again in april 2008. It is a very nice place in one of the most beautiful places on the world.

The hotel is a very nice place located in the beautiful yulong valley. Good rooms, good restaurant, good staff. A new garden was build and looked promising.

The owners speak good english and can be of great help for staying here.

I loved the Dragon River Retreat. The scenery is great, the food is good, the rooms are clean. Everything is quit new in this hotel. The location is also great. It's near the river and huge mountain peaks and it's a perfect way start a tour on your bike.

We were directed to the Dragon River Retreat when the Mountain Retreat was full, and our stay here was wonderful. The hotel is 10 minutes outside Yangshuo by taxi, and a stone's throw from the Mountain Retreat. This was particularly nice because it was peaceful and quiet, but we also had the choice of meandering over to the Mountain Lodge for a change of menu if desired. We were very glad we stayed outside the city near all the beautiful scenery.

The Dragon River Retreat has a pool table in the lobby, english language books and bikes to rent. We would typically tour in the morning through lunch and then relax at the hotel, playing cards or pool with our kids in the spacious lobby. When we were there, they were constructing a large patio which will look out on the Yulong River, with a small area for swimming in the river. It will make a lovely place to watch the sun go down each night.

The rooms were quite new, clean and bright. The staff worked hard to take care of us, especially Bella who seem to run the dining room.