2-Star Hotels in Dali City

This guesthouse is absolutely amazing! It's run by a lovely couple. My friend and I had just arrived in Dali Ancient City, and because we were so sleepy, we accidentally got off the bus too early. When the owner found out, he came to pick us up on his scooter and even helped us carry our luggage upstairs. My forgetful friend lost the room card, but the owner didn't make us pay for it, and even gave us souvenirs when we left. As soon as we arrived in Dali, the landlady sent us a guide with recommendations. The room was incredibly clean, and all the amenities were perfect. The facilities were excellent and very smart.

On my way back, I returned to Yuezhu Yishan. It's close to the ancient city, which is convenient after a long day of sightseeing. The bedding was just right – not too soft, not too firm – ensuring a good night's sleep. Every corner was spotless, and all the necessities were provided. The concierge was as attentive and thoughtful as ever, helping with our luggage. It felt just like coming home. I'll definitely stay here again on my next visit.

This stay is the best. The owner is a great human, from greeting us to taking care of anything you need to keep providing us with plenty of drinking water, all the recommendations you need he has got it all, even with the language barrier, he tried his best to communicate which really counts as efforts and how a place makes you feel. The room we stayed in had a great view of Cangshan Mountain, the balcony is just a cherry on top. You can get a full 360° view from the rooftop with amazing sunrise views. The location is very convenient. You can walk to all the good stops or take an electric vehicle from the stay itself as they have it available if you need it. There’s washing machine on the rooftop incase you need to do the laundry. Overall we had a really comfortable time here, we will definitely come back here. 10/10 recommended.

Because of the internal friction and pressure in the workplace, I chose to travel to Dali. On the first day, I stayed in another B&B booked on Ctrip for one night. It was very noisy and the hygiene was poor, so I changed. On the second day, I searched for B&Bs in Cai Village that were close to Erhai Lake but not facing the sea (facing the sea would be noisy) on Baidu Maps. Then I went to Ctrip to check the phone numbers and called them one by one. I looked at several B&Bs and the hygiene was not good. Finally, when I was about to give up, I finally arrived at Blue Sea Whisper: 1. Travel: The B&B is located in Cai Village. The B&B is a 1-minute walk to Erhai Lake. You can ride an electric car for more than 20 minutes to check in at Xindi Coffee and Longkan Wharf in the Erhai Ecological Corridor. It is a 3-minute walk from Cai Village CBD. It is very good to see the sea and eat. Very convenient. By the way, I strongly recommend bean curd rice noodles. 2. Environment: It is close to Erhai Lake but not the closest to it, so it is very quiet. The yard is very tidy, the room is very clean and new, and the sunlight is very comfortable. There is a terrace leisure area on the third floor, and you can also watch the sunrise and sunset on the roof. 3. The owner of the homestay is a super gentle and kind lady. On the first day, she recommended a route according to my schedule, took me out on an electric car, saw that I didn’t go out to play, brought me fruit to eat, invited me to eat with their family, etc., which made me feel great kindness and warmth on this trip. I sincerely recommend that if you travel for a long time or stay for a stay, you must go to the site to see the homestay before booking. Some are really scams. I strongly recommend this homestay. Next time I come to Dali, I will stay here again. It is very comfortable and really healed my mental exhaustion.

I booked this place after reading the reviews about the above and beyond service, and the connection that guests were able to make with the owner of the accommodation. When there are hundreds of hotels to choose from, I value getting to know the humans behind a business. Unfortunately during my stay the main owner whom the reviews refer to, was away. The staff that was in place was helpful, but I felt gave me the one simplest solution to any question I had, rather than the best possible solution, or even options, for what I needed help with. I probably had an anomaly of an experience. The room was spacious and fairly clean. There was a bathroom window in the room that had no blinds or curtains, and the courtyard lights would stream into the room past 10pm, which meant that the room was not completely dark. I included a photo - the light is a lot more obvious and pervasive in a dark room. I had to sleep with an eye mask on, which thankfully, I had. I would suggest to the owners to put a curtain or some blinds up in the bathroom window. I would still recommend this hotel for its quiet location and proximity to the ancient city (8-10yuan Didi ride). Hopefully you'll have the lady boss around during your stay.

The property was located in the bustling ancient city; convenient to find food and entertainment. The room fits the description of a designer property. The lady owner was very friendly and even upgraded our room for free. We were also given a complimentary Dali scenic bus tour ticket. Overall, I'm impressed with the location of the property and the services rendered.

The owner was very kind and enthusiastic. Our driver got a bit lost and couldn't quite get us to the hotel, so the owner actually came out to pick us up. I booked a room with a sunrise view, and I was indeed able to see it – it was absolutely beautiful! The only minor drawback was that the bathroom wasn't a wet/dry separation, which was a small inconvenience, but everything else was great.

We had a wonderful stay at Happy Home Hotel. The hotel is conveniently located only 700 metres from Dali Railway Station. Although it is within walking distance, we chose to take a DiDi because we were travelling with luggage. If you’re heading from the hotel to the railway station, ask your DiDi driver to drop you off near the pedestrian bridge, as the station entrance is on Level 2. The bridge has a lift, making it much easier if you’re carrying luggage. For Muslim travellers, finding halal food is easy, with several halal restaurants located nearby. I was genuinely surprised by this hotel. From the outside and the lobby, which is quite small and dimly lit, I didn’t expect much, especially considering the affordable price. However, the room completely exceeded my expectations. It was modern, clean, comfortable, and equipped with a smart home system, allowing you to control the lights, curtains, television, and other room features with ease. The hotel owner was also incredibly kind, friendly, and helpful, making us feel very welcome throughout our stay. We can easily communicate with the owner through WeChat. One thing to note is that the hotel is quite far from Dali Ancient Town, taking around 50 minutes by car. Traffic in Dali can be quite heavy, especially during peak hours, so it’s worth planning your journey if you intend to visit the ancient town. The contrast between the simple lobby and the excellent room was remarkable. It was a very pleasant surprise and made our stay even more enjoyable. Overall, Happy Home Hotel offers outstanding value for money, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable stay near Dali Railway Station.

Excellent hostel, I really enjoyed my stay! Really nice and helpful staff with English-speakers. The buildings are in the traditional local style but with modern furnishings - stylish and cosy with nice common areas indoor and outdoor. Excellent location in the ancient town at the edge near the South Gate down an alleyway off a main pedestrian road area with lots of shops and restaurants. It took about an hour to get there by bus number 4 from Dali city railway station. It was about a ten minute walk from the bus stop with some cobblestone roads once you get to the ancient town which can be a bit rough with suitcases. The staff gave me suggestion for where to eat locally and sent details via WeChat. The hostel runs activities and does lunch and dinner for 20 yuan which you can sign up for and is a nice way to meet other guests. All the other guests were Chinese so there was a language barrier for me but we still had some nice chats through translator or if they spoke English. The female 8-bed room was nice and spacious with large windows and it was cleaned regularly. Beds were comfortable and you have to make them yourself. There are lockers which your key card opens. The toilet is open with glass sliding doors so you can hear noise, but it was clean and I liked the western style toilet and that the shower a sink and toilet were all separate for convenience. You can hear the music playing from the nearby shops on repeat for most of the day but it didn’t sound too bad and I got used to it. They offer earplugs and toothbrush at the front desk - I’m glad I had earplugs. There is a laundry area which is free to use with washing machines and washing powder and dryers and plenty of space to hang clothes. There’s also a cafe in the main lobby/common area and it’s a good place to do work with power sockets. And there’s free filtered water and a fridge you can use.  I’d definitely come back!

We rented the Garden Deluxe Room, with a mountain view. We find the description and pictures were accurately advertised, and the service was impeccable. We were very pleased with our rental, as it was private, clean and orderly. The hotel is conveniently located within the Dali Ancient Town, close to Biai Road and Renmin Road intersection (see picture of map). The morning and night views from the terrace were stunning. The Dali Ancient Town is as lively as you would imagine, with tons of food and shopping options. Our experience in Dali was awesome, with it's majestic mountains, beautiful lake, vibrant towns and peaceful villages. However, the best part of this stay was our interactions with the hotel owners, who are a lovely couple. They are good people - very kind, helpful and approachable. Although we had to use an English to Mandarin translation app for most of our conversations, they were patient and made recommendations that we really enjoyed. They helped us book a tour of Erhai Lake and we had a wonderful time sightseeing with the bus tour company (highly recommended if you don't know where to start exploring). We also took their scooter bike to explore the Three Pagodas on our own and drove around the lake afterwards. Please consider renting their scooter bike, as it was super fun and the price is very affordable. As language is a barrier for us, they not only helped us book our ride to Lijiang, but they also gave us a hotel recommendation, which their son runs. To us, they are very trustworthy, so we're sure we will have another pleasant stay in Lijiang. After all, it's not how clean the hotel is, or how beautiful the surroundings are, it's the people we meet along the way that makes it a wonderul trip experience. If there is another hotel rating for overall hotel experience, it would be a 10/5 for us. The owners definitely made our short stay very comfortable and our adventures amazing - thank you so much! We would definitely come back to this hotel if we are in this area again!