Hostels w: Gansu, China

I stayed in a 4-person room. The room was minimalist and medium-small, with lockers – basic but comfortable. The common area is stylish and inviting, with plenty of seating, cozy corners, plants, kettles, and power outlets, though it’s on a high floor with a glass ceiling – warm when hot, cozy when cold, and the few fans aren’t always enough. The staff at the desk were friendly, laundry facilities available, though no snacks or cold drinks. The area is urban, among regular buildings, so not particularly attractive from the outside, but within walking distance to the museum and the metro station, with a large supermarket and several food options nearby. Overall, a decent place to stay in Lanzhou.

I stayed in this hostel for a total of 5 nights, with two breaks when I went on tours outside of Lanzhou. I have put in reviews earlier, so this is my final for the hostel that had begun to feel like Home. The hostel itself is very comfortable a stay: clean, comfortable wide bed with sliding door for privacy, nice seating areas... It is run by a family who take turns staying over so that there is 24 hour reception. All are friendly and kind, especially the father. The parents don't speak English but you can easily use a translation app; other guests will probably interact with you. The location: it is situated about a 5 minute walk to the Yellow River Tower, and a further 10 minute walk to the Lanzhou Old Street area where there is an amazing array of food options. Just outside the hostel is a Halal (Muslim-run) restaurant called (Ruhua 如华）which the hostel owners say have been in operation for 20 or 30 years. The hand-pulled (手抓) mutton that I had there was fantastic, even though I am typically not a mutton eater --- the taste is a delicate and balanced mix of light spices (I could taste a hint of ginger, for example) and saltiness. And the 八宝茶 is also excellent. A 7 minute walk to the right after exiting the hostel (past the above -mentioned restaurant) to the main road where many buses ply, you will find another good mix of local food options, especially in the morning. The hostel is conveniently located near the Lanzhou West railway station. There is a bus 136 that runs just outside the hostel and gets you to the railway station in 20 minutes. Hope this helps someone deciding on where to stay in Lanzhou, since there doesn't seem such a good range of hostels. Some photos of the yummy food nearby : ) Thank you for such a comfortable stay, hosts!

The hostel is good cared and clean. I think I saw a housekeeper every time when I went out from my room and she was always cleaning smth. That attitude already says a lot about the place. There is a nice not big common area with TV and we even watched a bit of Titanic, water dispenser with available cold and hot water. The staff is speaking English and they organise different tours around the area. It’s very handy. We took 2 tours with them and enjoyed a lot. One to PingShanHu canyon and another to Colourful Danxia. We also met many good-hearted foreign and local travellers there and made friends with some. Speaking about the room the condition was good enough. We shared one room with my friend. It’s a great value for money. Thank you for the incredible stay!

It's the best place to know the location, but it's a bit difficult for foreigners. I was able to speak a little Chinese for about an hour. Especially because I didn't understand any of the words here. Still, I went to twists and turns. Thank you for checking in early. But the first impression was not very positive. I met a guest who smoked too naturally in the living room. Then the dormitory was too dark to even turn on the light. It's like night and day. But the bed is far away and all the facilities are comfortable. Even a small folding desk ~ admired the boss's sense. But the toilet sink was always full of cigarette ash and smelled of cigarettes. It was shared by men and women, but this part was difficult. The smell of cigarettes is painful for non-smokers. Eventually, it poured into the neck. It's a good place for smokers and people who are very familiar with Chinese. Because non-smokers and toilets are shared, it is not recommended for women.

The environment is very new! I'm quite particular about bathroom cleanliness, and this place really delivered. The cleaning staff were very diligent, keeping the toilet and shower sparkling clean and well-maintained overall. There's a public microwave, water dispenser, and refrigerator, which is convenient for buying drinks. They also have an automatic washing machine that you can use with coins, and you can exchange coins at the front desk. The guests generally seem to be well-behaved; everyone in the lobby was quiet and didn't play loud music. Access to the guest room area requires a key card, and guests in the rooms were also considerate, which I appreciate. The bedding was already made up, so I didn't have to do it myself, and it was quite comfortable to sleep in. Overall, I had a great impression; the staff were patient. It's a clean and comfortable option that I'd recommend to everyone.

The staff and volunteers were all great! I am truly impressed by how helpful they were. I think the young boss should take credit for this - staff seems to have autonomy to make decisions and therefore were confident and sure of what they could offer. My two favourite persons from the hostel in the pictures : ) But this morning there were another staff and a volunteer who really went out of their way to consider and advise two travellers regarding hitchhiking. I wasn't disturbed by the smell of the camels. Location wise, it's really convenient to visit the oasis and sand dunes. Downside : food in the area is limited in choice and quite costly. Plus: it's really not that far from the city. There's a bus #3 that takes you for ¥2 to the city and back. Didi rides are also mostly under ¥10 to the city.

I think it was great! The beds were clean and cozy. I came here based on recommendations from other platforms, and they weren't exaggerating. The owner is really nice and thoughtful. My only minor complaints are that the shower area is a bit dark, which made me a little scared showering alone late at night, and the shelf for putting things is a bit high, not very convenient for shorter people. Also, the air conditioning was really hot; even on a low setting, it was still warm. I didn't dare turn it off completely because I wasn't sure if my roommate was hot, but I was sweating all night and couldn't even use the blanket. Other than that, everything was good. The small courtyard is also very inviting, and you can tell it's well-maintained. If I come back to Zhangye in the future, I'll definitely stay here again, haha.

The location is perfect, right at the entrance to the scenic area. The rooms are quite spacious and clean. They speak English and can provide recommendations. I think it’s a really friendly hostel, and it’s easy to make friends here. Jiejie even took us for a drive near the desert so we could get a closer view of the snow-capped mountains. It truly was a great stay!

This is by far my favorite hostel out of the four I stayed at on my Qinghai-Gansu loop! Beishang truly matches my ideal image of a hostel – it has such a wonderfully artistic vibe, so comfortable. The owner also gives off a very artistic, free-spirited, and life-loving impression from the moment you meet them! Plus, the moment you walk in, it smells absolutely amazing! Every corner has a delightful fragrance, I loved it so much. It's so quiet everywhere. I even regret only staying one night. And it's worth mentioning! There are messages left by people from all over, and reading those diverse notes is incredibly heartwarming. It makes you think, 'Wow, there are free and interesting souls like me who've stayed here in every place...'

You have to give a 100yuan deposit for the key card. I had trouble with my WeChat not accepting the refund, and when I asked the staff to help, they sighed and got annoyed. Even went as far to say “my head hurts” to nearby customers and other unnecessary stuff in mandarin thinking I couldn’t understand. Like, my head hurts too, I just want the money back that you said you’d refund me. All worked out in the end, but didn’t appreciate the attitude. Also even though this is called a youth hostel, there were many older people staying which led to a weird vibe. Good location and ok for the night but I wouldn’t stay again