I know this is the stupidest time to travel but I have a friend coming over who wants to see places around. One day or two day trips. Places like Tong Hai, Hei Jin, Jian Shui and such will be packed with people and hotels overpriced. I was wondering if anybody can recommend some places where even overpriced hotel
/ guest house would not cost "arms & legs" and place not going to be packed with people. Anything authentic Yunnan village where can stay overnight. I'm not good at planning any trips and CN NY is even bigger challenge for me. So appreciate any suggestions or link to the any thread dedicated to this matter. Cheers!
If I knew a place like that and published it here then it would no longer exist ;-)
Well , I don't think that those crowds in Lijiang or Dali are reading this forum ;-) Of course I do not expect to get a tip for some completely undiscovered place. Besides, no need to share / post here , just send me a private message, that will do. Thanks!
I would steer clear of Dali and Lijiang, unless you really like hustle bustle.
A lesson I learned from a trip to Shaxi, there are many small old guest houses and modern bijou hotels. There is also a medium sized two star type hotel. A large suite in the hotel was cheaper than a small family room in the guest house. Seeing how most of the time you will be out and about, it could be worth going for the cheaper experience.
In Shaxi there are other villages within walking distance, and you can escape the cars and hubub, as these villages are not tourist spots.
Weishan and Donglianhua, south of Dali, are less touristy. Donglianhua is an ancient town that still has original features.
Most of the small villages have been modernised, unless you get right up in the mountains, and then transport would be a problem for you.
There is a line of tourist hotspots, Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Shangrilla. Anywhere in China where tourist venues line up are a magnet for coach parties. I would avoid, not least because of highway traffic.
There are lots of tourist spots that nobody visits, if you are on the highway you would see multiple brown tourist signs. Many of them are listed on this tourist website, that I have found to be a useful introduction to sites in China www.travelchinaguide.com/[...]
An alternative is to head to Guizhou, Yunnan's neighboring province, that has many tourist sites that are just as good but not as famous as Yunnan's. The travel distances from Kunming are about the same and entry fees and most other things will be cheaper.
very good input, thank you!
Shaxi and the Weishan valley south of Dali are indeed good options.
I send you a PM with an address in Shaxi.
