Dali Three Pagodas International Youth Hostel, Dali, China

46%

I arrived and the lady on reception was friendly and spoke good English, but had no record of my booking. But there was the double I'd booked available. It was clean and well thought out, with a sofa, comfy bed and bathroom that seperates the room from outside meaning that the room stays warmer. There was also a kettle and working TV. However, the light was only a neon light in the centre of the room and it was quite harsh and unattractive in the evening. The hostel itself is nicely designed, the common area is covered with a glass roof which means that there's a lot of natural light in the day, though it's very gloomy at night with little lighting. There's a garden outside which is particularly attractive. There was no hot water what-so-ever, so after a few days I had to move to YuYuan in town for just 60. The staff were helpful with directions to the psb, but the price I was quoted for an air ticket was much more than I ended up paying elsewhere. The worst thing about the hostel is the poor, poor dog they keep outside. It's an old long-haired alsation, which is chained 24/7 on a short leash with only a bowl of stale rice and never any water. It's a very unhappy animal and I hated myself each time I had to pass the wretched thing. Overall, the place was OKish, but I can't live without hot water, it's expensive and I don't like to see animals being cruely treated.

John, from England ~ Feb 27 2008