Xi An Garden Hotel, Xi'An

Overall, this was a fantastic place to stay. We were in China for a couple weeks on vacation and this was a great place to call home.

From the moment you walked in to this hotel you were made to feel very welcome. A relaxed atmosphere where everybody smiled and said "hello". Beautiful gardens, clean and tidy rooms and public areas. Excellent location, right near the Goose Pagoda, dancing fountains etc. The carpeting in the corridor is looking a little "tired", in fact it did when I visited there in 2003 too! In thier defence, there is a few miles of the stuff so it'll be a costly refurb job. Odd bits in the room could do with updating, bathroom fittings mainly, but not critically bad, just tired and old. One item on their bar menu that I never had the nerve to try "spaghetti with bolognaise sauce and cardboard" If you try it do let me know what it was like, lol.

We stayed here for 2 nights. The rooms small, very noisy and the cigarette smell was aweful right through the hotel very poor ventalation. The resturant was very average, but the hotel was clean and the staff friendly. I would not return or recommend this hotel.

We really enjoyed our four day stay at the hotel. The location was perfect for quiet relaxation, yet was a couple minute walk from the Wild Goose Pagoda in one direction and the new and awesome Tang Dynasty Cultural Park in the other. Cab ride to city center was 10 RMB ($1.25)to see the Bell and Drum Towers and the Mosque. Cabs are plentiful and cheap. Staff was super. Tour reservations for the Terra Cotta Warriors and other tourist help offered with enthusiasm. Don't miss the Tang Dynasty Cultural Show. Food on premises was plentiful, tasty and offered a wonderful variety. Tai Chi lessons, live music in the lobby area, a fun bar staff and a beautiful hotel centered around a duck pond with very pleasing Chinese decor made our stay a genuine pleasure.

We had a one night stay on our side trip from Beijing to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. The gift shop was small but diverse and I feel they gave us a decent price on the multiple items we bought. The breakfast buffet was really a good mix of western and Chinese food, and it was especially nice to have the free Tai Chi lessons in the morning. It's an easy walk to the park around the Big Goose Pagoda and we found locals doing Tai Chi, ballroom dancing, badmitton and martial arts at the park in the morning, good viewing of normal Chinese daily life. The hotel was nice and comfortable and clean.

Hotel was excellent. Located near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, outside the old city walls. Amenities were excellent. Very clean. Several different cuisine resuruants to choose from within the hotel. Only complaint was that we tried to call the Xi'an "411" to get directions. The hotel is listed as the "Ming Hotel" in Chinese, and the "Xi'an Garden Hotel" is a two star hostel where the locals stay.