Xiling Snow Mountain Maple Leaf Hotel

I was a bit hesitant before booking because of the hotel's low ratings, but when I arrived at the front desk, I was impressed by its grandeur. After checking in, I found the room to be clean and hygienic, which made me quite satisfied. Of course, since the hotel has been renovated some time ago, the toilet in the bathroom was a bit old, but for me, it was acceptable, especially considering the affordable price, which also included breakfast. All in all, this booking offered excellent value for money.

Overall, the room was decent, but the cleaning wasn't thorough. Under the bed was quite dirty, with lots of dust and papers. For a price of over 1200 yuan, including tickets for two adults and the cable car up to the ski resort, plus the bus fee, it felt like a good deal. The tickets alone would be 240*2=480, and we also received a 100 yuan dinner voucher. So, 1250 - 580 = 670, meaning the room itself was around 670 yuan a night, which is pretty reasonable for the period around Chinese New Year. The bottled water in the room was a super big bottle, and the hotel dinner was delicious. It was very cost-effective with the voucher – the boiled fish and cauliflower were absolutely amazing, I highly recommend them! The room was advertised as having underfloor heating, but the floor wasn't actually warm. However, it wasn't cold in the room, so it was fine. Xiling Snow Mountain is perfect for kids to play in the snow, build snowmen, and ski. It snowed on Feb 7th and 8th, and we arrived on the afternoon of Feb 10th. Our younger child played for a good half-day just building snowmen at the hotel entrance. The older child went skiing at the resort, hired an instructor for 2 hours, and skied for 4 hours. Renting gear and all cost about 1000 yuan. The instructor suggested booking a 2-hour single board lesson for 600 yuan upfront. If you book an hour and then extend for another, it's 340+340=680 yuan. Adult skiing costs 168 for two hours, and children's skiing is 128 for two hours, with an extension fee of 30 yuan for half an hour. Once accumulated to 6 hours, it becomes a full-day pass. Our child wanted to learn snowboarding, so we hired a single board instructor. We only booked for an hour initially, thinking an extension would be calculated as part of the 600 yuan total, but it wasn't; it was 340+340=680. Since we rarely visit, it's fine as long as the child had fun. I feel it's much better than going to Harbin in Northeast China. It was too cold there when I visited, and the kids couldn't really enjoy playing in the snow because only their eyes could be exposed, and they needed two pairs of gloves to stay warm. But Xiling Snow Mountain was great! The 0-degree temperature wasn't too cold, and the kids had a blast. No wonder it's called the warmest snow mountain! Before going, I was hesitant, wondering if it would be as underwhelming as some online reviews suggested, but I genuinely found it very worthwhile. The free snow play area is quite large, feeling even bigger than the paid Panda Paradise. I also recommend going up to Sun and Moon Peak (Riyueping). Children under 13 are free, and adults are 96 yuan each. You might even see squirrels 🐿️ up there. We went up in the afternoon, so it might have been too cold by evening for the squirrels to be out. Those who went in the morning saw them. We were playing in the snow at the entrance, and a guest told us Riyueping was worth taking the kids up to, so we rushed there before leaving in the afternoon. I recommend going around 9 AM when the sun is just out and warm, and you'll have a better chance of seeing squirrels 🐿️.

The twin room was great for families with kids, as one bed could be pushed against the wall. However, when we did so, we found a lot of trash underneath, indicating the cleanliness wasn't up to par. The floor heating was set extremely high, and combined with the very thick duvet, it made it impossible to sleep due to the heat. On Chinese New Year's Eve, they surprised us with a complimentary buffet, which was a nice bonus, considering you shouldn't expect too much from the food options up in the mountains.

Facilities: A bit old-fashioned. Cleanliness: Pretty good. Environment: Nice. Service: The service isn't great. The hotel is quite large, and I kept getting lost trying to find my room. There were a bunch of people at the front desk, but no one offered to help show me the way or even point me in the right direction.

We went up the mountain in the snow, and you can ski off-piste right outside the door. The kids had a blast! The location is highly recommended. Everything else was just okay. A nice bonus is the luggage transfer service, which made our trip much easier.

The room was spacious enough. It would have been perfect if the heating worked a bit better. The hotel restaurant vouchers made dining there quite a good deal.

The heating in the room was too strong, and the ventilation wasn't great. However, there was a large open space outside the hotel entrance where we could play in the snow. The front desk staff weren't particularly friendly, and the room facilities were quite old. Overall, it felt more like a budget guesthouse in a small town. I'd recommend staying down the mountain for better value.

The hotel was okay. The room had been renovated and was relatively clean, but the other facilities were just average. However, the complimentary tickets, luggage transfer service, and dining vouchers upon check-in were a huge plus – excellent value for money!