Hostels w: Fujian, China

Two months later, while browsing Ctrip, I suddenly realized I hadn't written my January review, so I'm adding it here. The room was clean and tidy. Dongshan Island is very cold in January, and the room even provided thick blankets. The people at Hai Le Xin are incredibly kind. My roommates from Xinjiang and Chengdu, along with Da Huang and Xiao Hui, went to see the sunrise. A young man even took me to Aojiao on his electric scooter. The owner is also incredibly kind. I want to shout out to the owner! The first night, I couldn't ride an electric scooter, so he lent me his bicycle. When the bicycle broke down halfway, he came to rescue me on his motorcycle and recommended good restaurants along the way. The next day, my electric scooter ran out of power at Aojiao, and he brought me batteries. Later, he took me to other attractions, and when I was leaving, he even took me to the nearby bus stop. I originally expected to spend the New Year's holiday alone and lonely, but my experience here made me feel incredibly pampered. The sea breeze on Dongshan Island in January is icy, but the people at Hai Le Xin are warm and welcoming. When will my next holiday come? I'll definitely come back to Hai Le Xin! 🥰🥰🥰

Firstly, I want to emphasise that the hostel staff are amazing - very friendly and helpful. They helped me sort out a problem with my phone, shared their suggestions of places to visit, and helped me upgrade my room too. So 10/10 for the staff. To give a more honest review of the room though: Pros: The shared common room area is very spacious, and a great place to meet new friends. There are games and activities available, plus they often organised free social events like card game nights and movies. The dorm room was relatively spacious, with a desk space too. The beds have good privacy curtains. There are plug sockets by each bed for charging phones etc. Cons: The main issue I have with the dorm rooms is that there is a dedicated bathroom per room. This seems great, until you have a roommate who spends three full hours all morning recolouringtheir hair in there, while the rest of us can't use the toilet or shower. Other than that, I did feel that the location was a bit inconvenient (I had to drag my suitcase through some kind of dirty building site to get there, and it is about 15 mins walk from the main tourist area). Additionally, the beds were very uncomfortable (they've used foam mattesss toppers on wooden boards, with no actual mattress) and didn't have a shelf next to the bed or any storage lockers for bags. Also the hostel didn't provide towels for dorm room guests (which is usually standard). After the issue with the roommate hogging the bathroom (who also snored all night too...) I asked to pay the difference to upgrade to a private room. The hostel happily arranged this without any issues, and even prepared the room for me to move into early. This private room was much better - a proper mattress, towels provided, etc. It was a bit noisy when the neighbour turned on their air conditioning (since the unit was right outside the window), but other than that I have no complaints.

1️⃣This is the second hostel I've ever stayed in. I used to think I'd never enjoy 'living with strangers' when traveling, but after my first experience, I actually grew to love it, even becoming addicted. 2️⃣Here, there's little friction or bumping into others in the dorms. Instead, there's a strong sense of unspoken 'boundaries' and mutual respect among a group of people who are otherwise strangers. At the same time, there's no shortage of communication and interaction; people can arrange meals and shopping trips together, play board games or billiards in the common area, or simply study or play games by themselves. 3️⃣Regarding the cleanliness and facilities at Backpacking for Ten Years🎒: ①The cleanliness is relatively good, both in the dorms and common areas. ②The facilities are comprehensive, and the air conditioning in the dorms works very well. However, there's a room in the male dorms (96-100) where the AC isn't cooling properly. On both occasions I stayed, I originally booked an 8-person dorm, and the front desk upgraded me to a 6-person room, placing me in bed #96 both times. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or something else, so I won't speculate. I personally get hot easily, so I immediately reported the situation to the front desk. They responded promptly, sent someone to check, and even moved me to another room when there was availability, which was very efficient. The guy who came to help, a long-haired man, also had a great attitude. I'd suggest to the establishment that if the AC in room 96-100 is faulty, they should just replace it. The first time, I remember it was constantly leaking water, and even after repairs, it still didn't cool effectively. ③Regarding cleaning times: Cleaning at Backpacking for Ten Years starts at 9:30 AM. This can be disruptive for some late-rising guests. Some aunties changing linens make a lot of noise when shaking out sheets and duvet covers. Late risers or those easily woken up should take note of this. There's also another linen change at 8:00 PM; if you extend your stay for more than three days, you can request a linen change, and if the aunties aren't available in the morning, it can be done at 8:00 PM. ④The shoe rack is right at the entrance of the dormitory area, and there's often a very strong foot odor. I know this is hard to avoid, as there are many people with athlete's foot or poor hygiene. I hope the establishment can spray deodorizers or air fresheners regularly to make the entire environment not just look clean, but smell clean too! ⑤The common area infrastructure is complete, with a leisure dining area, entertainment area, and study/work area. The lobby has a billiards table and board games like 'Three Kingdoms Kill.' There are also designated quiet study/work areas where eating is not allowed. 4️⃣Others: The hostel is conveniently located near Douxi Road BRT and regular bus stops. Upstairs, there's a 'Degenerated Park' which is great for photos, featuring coffee shops☕ and cultural/creative stores. Downstairs, there are several restaurants nearby, and it's also very convenient to order takeout to the hostel, with many delicious options available. 🎉Wishing Backpacking for Ten Years Xiamen branch continued success!

It's located in a nice area. 10 minutes walk to the beach and itself is surrounded by all different kinds of restaurants and bars. The facility was alright for the price. The room was spacious and had minimum things of what was needed. However the smell from the toilet was quite serious. And there's no elevator which was okay for me but something to consider if you have lots of stuff.

Quality place, feels local. Amazing location next to the main tourist street. Clean beds, mattress a bit too thin but acceptable. Was a bit hard to find but with Amap finally figured out the entrance, got to the right 7th floor, there are some renovations happening on the floor so don't get discouraged when getting there :)

The people who run the place are super lovely and helpful. When I arrived I was welcomed right away with tea and later some snacks. And I got a detailed description of how to get to the nature park, complete with buses and everything, customized to the length of my stay. Even if I can't speak Chinese, the people were super nice and always tried to help. My room was comfy, usually quiet and clean. I had a nice view towards the pond area and while the hostel is located a bit further from the City center, you can go there super quick by taking the bus, where the station is just a short walk from the hostel. The bathroom however was not super clean, but it worked for me and I really enjoyed my stay and even extanded it by two nights. Thank you so much for the great experience! :)

This was my first time staying in a hostel, and overall it was great. Of course, you meet some rather…peculiar people. The owner of the shoes was even more difficult and 'flavorful' than her shoes. Let's call her – The Upstairs Bunk Double-Standard Dorm Monitor, and here's the story: “I arrived at the hostel a little after 11 PM. After my upstairs bunkmate and I both finished showering, we returned to our respective beds. I immediately started organizing the contents of my backpack, which were simple: clothes and disposable toiletries. The whole process took less than five minutes, but during this time, my bunkmate started making various impatient noises, expressing her displeasure with ‘you’re too loud’ and other small actions and sounds. I immediately put down what I was doing and lay down. Even then, she continued to toss and turn and grumble from above. To be honest, the car noises from outside the window and other people showering in the bathroom were much louder than any sound I made. Even after midnight, someone in the room made a phone call with their ringer on, and I didn't see her being so 'righteous' then (though I can't rule out the possibility that she was the one making the noise, as I really couldn't tell the difference). What's even funnier is that after she 'reminded' me, she herself was watching videos and laughing… Even funnier than her herself is that the Upstairs Bunk Double-Standard Dorm Monitor started her noisy ruckus the next morning around 6 AM. Her entire morning routine lasted twenty minutes, and the scene could be described as incredibly lively. Perhaps the Upstairs Bunk Double-Standard Dorm Monitor had a more important future to rush to, so she couldn't bother with her own double standards 🥹

There are many single-family villa hotels on Gulangyu Island, each with its own courtyard, which is very cozy. There's a teahouse and a swing in the courtyard, which the children love. The house is only two or three stories high and there's no elevator, but the owner will help with luggage. However, there's no ferry service, so you'll need to get to the hotel yourself. Fortunately, this hotel is close to Sanqiutian Pier, only a few minutes away. It's located behind the Athena Bar, and finding it can be difficult for a first-time visitor. I spent a while searching, but one side of the road was blocked and the door was locked, so I had to walk through the bar. The room was reasonably priced, and it had a window overlooking another villa hotel. While you can't see the sea or hear the piano, you can still hear the bar's resident singers at night. The tatami mats are against the wall, making it comfortable for children to sleep on. Other amenities are quite complete and clean. There's a public washing machine, so you can wash clothes there. The owner also provides a drying rack for hanging clothes in the courtyard on sunny days or in the room if it rains. The boss is pretty good, very kind and responsive.

Nice place with a very responding owner, never had to wait more than a minute to get a reply on WeChat. The place is hard to find but if you contact the owner on WeChat, he'll send you detailed instructions on how to find the place. The location is good, near a metro station and not far from the old French quarters. Many options for food just downstairs.

The owner take me to the another places at 13th floor (among 500 meters near the old place). In here very amazing, you can see the big square downside and firework. Have a lot of restaurant and supermarket around. Room is big, no smell, have hair dryer and boiling water. From airport, go by DiDi taxi ~20¥