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The Secret Garden is a boutique hotel and restaurant near the Yulong River in the stunning Yangshuo countryside. Our hotel consists of Qing Dynasty buildings that have been beautifully restored in order to preserve the historic character, while providing customers with a unique and inspirational environment in which to relax or explore.
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This location was a GREAT find! It's off the busy path, clean, spacious both in the rooms and common areas, the food was excellent (and reasonably priced) and the staff were SUPERB. You can rent bikes directly (but they aren't in the best shape) through the hotel then pay at the end. If you're a bike guru I'd go through one of the larger companies - but we just wanted to spend the day on a mountain bike going all over and they were perfect (about 4 hrs for each of 2 days). There isn't anywhere to get cash nearby, but you settle up with the hotel at the end for everything and they take credit card. We hired a driver to go from and back to the airport through the hotel and it was 290 RMB each way. There is wifi in the common areas for free. After biking through Yangshuo town, I wouldn't stay in town - I would instead stay where we did at the Secret Garden!
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Date of stay: October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Secret Garden does indeed feel like a secret - it is hidden in a rural village a short distance from the hub of Yangshuo.
My boyfriend and I stayed for 3 nights in May 2014 and had a lovely time here, there were tears (from me!) when we left!
The rooms are rustic and tastefully designed with lots of charm and traditional touches. The courtyards within the hotel are lovely, and make for some great breakfast spots. Breakfast itself is not amazing - with the Chinese set menu faring better than the Western one, but for the price it is great value.
A really special and romantic place to stay, and definitely recommended as a base for outdoor activities around Yangshuo.
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Date of stay: May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am going to echo everyone else and say this place is perfect. If you want to feel like you are in the real China, then you want to stay here. Jiuxian is a fascinating little village that time has forgotten. People are going about their daily lives just outside of the Garden; inside though, you will find a very comfortable and lovely inn. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We had some nice conversations with Leah. We had a group of 8 and all of us loved this place. We ate there every night and had breakfast there every morning. The food was that good. The beer was cold and the milk shakes were tasty. The beds were very comfortable and the quarters were spacious. I think, though, what I loved most was how well this inn fit into the ancient town. From the outside, it looked just like the village buildings. We spent many hours biking around (not much traffic!) and walking around. My only complaint is that the Secret Garden and Jiuxian are too far from my home! I would love to come again.
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Date of stay: September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
At heart I'm a bit of a 5-star kind of guy. The resort that typically excites me is seething with swimming pools, restaurants, bars and spas, and topped off with things like tennis courts or water-sports paraphernalia.
This is not that. And for that, I'm so glad.
No, Secret Garden Boutique Hotel is not the lap of luxury. There's not a bar, a pool or a massage table to be seen. No airy lobby with designer seating. Rooms are mini-barless; the bathrooms almost entirely granite-free. The bath towels are not bedsheet-sized, nor even particularly new looking.
But what there is here is character. Tons of it. Beautiful, aged buildings in maze-like configurations; flagstones worn smooth and rounded and glossy with what must be hundreds of years of use; rugged, patched-up brick and stone walls; lush plants and trees — in a seriously delightful rural village setting. And inside, lovely pieces of rustic furniture, sculpture/ceramics, artefacts and paintings. And a pervading sense that the owners (Faye and Peter) and management (under the serene but watchful eye of Ding) care. Really care. About the hotel environment, its atmosphere, and the experience of being a guest there.
Our room may have been sparely appointed, but it was spacious and comfortable — with narrow, but interesting, glimpses outside. We didn't want for anything.
The restaurant comprises a handful of very basic, fixed tables and bench seats in a small, dark room off the reception area (not recommended; we ate there once only because there was a downpour outside), plus al fresco seating in courtyards in front of and behind reception (really, really, lovely settings). On offer are all-day breakfast, plus lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks, from a menu of both traditional Chinese (complete with local specialties) and Western dishes. We opted for Chinese dinners (uniformly delicious, including the best lemon chicken I've ever had) and Western brunches/lunches — standard fare prepared and presented beautifully, complete with fresh-squeezed juices and very good espresso coffee.
There's something wonderful going on in terms of hospitality here. Without exception, staff were relaxed, friendly, good-humored and helpful. Not overly familiar, and yet there was a genuine sense of getting to know them over the five days we were there.
You can hire bicycles through the hotel, and this is the perfect way to explore the local surrounds: Yangshuo is an easy 4-5 kilometres away; Baisha a little less (but also a little less interesting), and attractions such as Moon Hill are easy to get to by bike.
To be fair, there was some rough with the smooth: we were visited by a couple of the biggest critters I've ever seen: on the first night by a huntsman spider with a legspan broader than my outstretched hand (I trapped and released it outside but it may not have taken the hint); on the second day by a mega-hornet whose body was about the length of my thumb (we left that one for housekeeping to deal with). I take their presence as a positive sign for the local environment and certainly not enough to detract from the overall experience; I think it comes with the rustic, robustly natural territory.
But all in all, if you want a stay that oozes personality, warmth and charm, and positions you perfectly to take in the beauty of the Yangshuo district, then I don't think you could do better than Secret Garden.
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Date of stay: September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from ian h, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 17 Sept 2014
Thank you for your very thorough and honest review. Our staff appreciate your kind words and are so glad they were able to help make your experience a wonderful one.
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We stayed at Secret Garden for 3 nights earlier this week. The hotel is located in a small quiet village. The staff were all very friendly and keen to help us - they sorted us out with bikes, advised about the boat trips on the Yulong river and booked a car and boat trips into Yangshuo. We ate several meals in the hotel and the food, both Chinese and Western, was excellent. The hotel was very good value and altogether we had a delightful stay.
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Date of stay: August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We did not know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised. Clean rooms, good bathrooms and good food to top it all. We loved the egg plant and orange duck. Make sure you take mosquito repellant along to make your stay perfect. While you're there we recommend the light show as well.
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Date of stay: April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian F, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 30 Apr 2014
Thank you for your kind words. We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us.
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Our family (with boys aged 5 and 7) spent 3 nights at Secret Garden after visiting Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Shanghai – looking for a more rural, peaceful stay to end our trip. Secret Garden was perfect! We were met at Guilin airport by our driver and enjoyed the drive (complete with 5 abreast driving on 2 lane roads, lots of honking but no close calls :-) to Secret Garden. It’s in a small town (which itself is a tourist attraction because it is a “minority” village with old buildings and a picturesque location). While the approach through the village feels a bit sparse, once one walks in through the welcoming gates, it is a true hideaway. We stayed in the family suite, which was very comfortable: good AC, a fridge, nice shower, comfortable couch, plus patios with views over the rice fields. The food at Secret Garden is fantastic! We ate almost every meal here. As other reviewers have noted, the kitchen does Western and Chinese food equally well: delicious breakfasts, tasty homemade potstickers (at which I tried my hand to make, rather unsuccessfully…) excellent range of meat and vegetable dishes (try the claypot eggplant with meatsauce – I don’t even like eggplant and loved this!). Plus pizzas for the kids when they wanted comfort food. And the staff are wonderful – so kind (they knew our names by the first evening we had arrived), friendly, and helpful – especially the incredibly resourceful Faye! We had arrived in Yangshuo with a rough itinerary: we knew we wanted to raft down the Li river, do some bicycling and sightseeing. We chatted with some of the other guests about what they had done, and learned that the Kung Fu and calligraphy lessons were fun for the kids. We asked Faye what she suggested: 20 minutes later we had an itinerary for the next day that was perfect. Another day we rented bikes from the place right out front and rode for 4 hours along the Yu Long River up to Fuli bridge, cycling through small villages, rice fields and surrounded by the amazing karst scenery (again, a route picked out for us by Faye.) Everything here was wonderful: the accommodations, the food, the welcoming environment and the recommendations for what to do. Especially after visiting the crazed, tourist-mad din of Yangshuo itself, we were so grateful to be here. We look forward to coming back!
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Date of stay: April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian F, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 30 Apr 2014
On behalf of all our staff, thank you so much for your wonderful and thorough review. We hope to welcome your family back in our Secret Garden again one day.
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This is a beautiful, unique hotel in converted old houses in a little village. The location is outside Yangshuo so not for those keen to be in the centre, but perfect for those seeking peace and quiet. The hotel is an easy bike ride or taxi (50 yuan) into the town. Bikes can be rented nearby. The restaurant is excellent, too.
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Date of stay: March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian F, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 30 Apr 2014
We are glad you enjoyed the peace and quiet of our beautiful village and hotel. We hope to see you both again next time you need a break.
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We stayed at the Secret Garden in January with our 2 teenagers. We arrived late at night (I'm sure our driver was a little lost) and so getting up in the morning to the amazing views was a complete delight and surprise. We loved the surroundings, and the hotel set in a tiny village was a great experience, much better than staying in the main town. The staff were very friendly. The food was great, and the rooms spacious and comfortable. We really enjoyed cycling around the local countryside, and rafting along the river. Wish we had more time to spend here Highly recommend this hotel when visiting Yangshuo
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Date of stay: January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian F, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 17 Feb 2014
Thank you so much for your review. We are all so glad you and your family enjoyed your stay with us and hope you get the opportunity to visit us again in future.
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The hotel is tucked away in a small village which is surounded by mountains. Our initial worring regarding its distance to yangshuo town turned out to not be a problem as they have a local taxi service available for the guests throughout the day. Plenty of walks around the village. Views on the way to yangshuo twon is more than delightful. Through out our stay there it's their outstanding retuarant dishes and its family like atmosphere strike me the most. Would definitely go back.
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Date of stay: November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Ian F, Owner at Secret Garden Boutique Hotel
Responded 16 Dec 2013
On behalf of the whole Secret Garden family, thank you for your kind words. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back in future.
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The nearest ATM is in Yangshuo town, so about 7or 8 Km but, yes, we do accept credit cards in the restaurant so you should be able tosettle up your final bill without getting stuck with too little or too much cash.
There are more places to choose from in the Yangshuo County area.
PRICE RANGE
£26 - £32 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
ChinaGuangxiYangshuo County
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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