Anantara Xishuangbanna Resort, overlooking the Luosuo River, is an inviting heaven for those seeking a breath-taking natural sanctuary or a discovery of the ancient culture that shaped this region of Asia. Anantara Xishuangbanna’s refined luxury provide an indulgent backdrop for explorations through China’s oldest and largest botanical garden, diverse ethnic tribal villages, and hillside tea plantations that produce the world-renowned Pu’er tea.
"During the off-season, the hotel was incredibly quiet, I barely saw anyone all day. The hotel is small but beautiful, with lovely greenery and aesthetically pleasing decor. While it's clear the hotel has been around for a while and some areas are showing their age, for the off-season price, it's still unbeatable value for money.
Overall it was great, but there are a few areas that could be improved:
1. The public restrooms. It's excellent that they provide hand towels after washing your hands, but the lighting is dim, and the labels on the hand soap and lotion bottles next to the sink are very hard to read; you have to get very close to see them.
2. The pool. They could definitely provide towels by the pool.
3. The food. This was quite disappointing. Breakfast wasn't particularly outstanding (especially the dessert section), and the complimentary afternoon tea was truly awful. You could tell immediately it was frozen instant food that had just been taken out and not fully thawed – everything was soft and mushy on the outside but hard on the inside. Also, I don't think the hotel's fruit selection was good; it was all bland and tasteless, which I think is unacceptable.
Despite these points, let me highlight the biggest positive: the service. The hotel's service rivals that of some luxury hotels. Staff always smiled and greeted guests, responded very quickly to requests, and the shuttle service was available on demand. There was also turn-down service, with rooms cleaned twice daily, morning and evening, and even guests' clothes neatly arranged.
Another plus is that the hotel's back entrance is close to the botanical garden, which is perfect for those who want to visit at night or early in the morning to avoid crowds. It's also ideal for spending one day near the Wangtianshu Scenic Area and then just relaxing at the hotel for the rest of the time. I had a wonderful weekend here."