Pros: great location, helpful and friendly staff, clean room, near restaurants, walking distance to 3 pagodas (bout 20 to 25mins).

Upon arrival the staff was super friendly and welcoming.

Really friendly staff that spoke great English.

The staff in the inn are also friendly and friendly, and the English language is great, and two dogs and lovely dogs are also willing to be close to guests.

The staff is very friendly and helpful - and they are speaking English, what's quite an advantage :) You can have different drinks and some snacks at the bar - to
a fair price.

Big breakfast selection, bikes available for renting, staff is very friendly and helpful

Clean place all around, staff is very helpful and friendly, inexpensive mountain bike rental, pretty good map, awesome WiFi, nice food including western breakfast, and just a 5 minute walk to the old town.

Conveniently located 5 minutes walk from the old city, five elements is a clean, friendly, and comfortable hostel.

had a lovely time here in Dali with this hostel, right around the corner from the over trendy Jade Emu that gets overcrowded due to it's Lonely Planet review
But the guests here actually all talk to each other- I noticed immediately at the Jade Emu every backpacker had their face in their smartphone
the staff speak excellent English, and are very friendly and attentive to all of your traveller needs.

The staff were very friendly and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming.

Most credit goes to the staffs doing great work in taking care of the guests; and the friendly dogs too, for the warm welcome.

It’s a very good hostel in Dali.it’s very near to the old town，just cross the high way.I like enjoy the sunshine in the backyard，very comfortable.They crop kinds of vegetables.There are lettuces,broccoli and so on.The room is clean and quiet ，the paintings on the wall are very beautiful and literary.The staffs are very friendly and useful in English，especially Floral .By the way the two dogs are very lovely,we love them.Certainly 5elements is the best choice for you in Dali.

Really friendly and helpfull staff, nice atmosphere to meet other travellers (during a hot pot dinner for example), great common area, and the cutest dogs possible.

Very nice hostel with friendly and helpful staff.

five elements provides me clean and qiuet enviroment while all the staff there were very friendly, especially a cute girl named lynn, i and  she with others had a very interesting chirstmas eve party!

She was a very lovely and friendly girl and helped me a lot.

The staff are all fluent English speakers and are very friendly.

The girl at the front desk spoke great English and was very helpful in giving us information about the city and restaurants.

staff was so welcoming when we arrived and she spoke excellent English!

The staff spoke good English and were helpful, they helped arrange our bus to Kunming and came with us to the station.

We requested to change rooms and the staff happily obliged.

The staff on the other hand is the down side.

The owner and staff are really welcoming and helpful (tips for the bus, places to eat. ).

The staff speak very good English and are so kind and helpful.

The staff was real helpful and helped us with everything we needed, include bus and train, cooking class booking.

The staff were so very helpful - and they spoke English.

Dali Five Elements Hostel

The hotel/hostel has plenty  of advice about tours and trips and the owners, Song and Dave, were friendly warm and welcoming.

The coffee was good, the rooms were clean, the beds were comfortable, the staff was friendly.

Our second stay at Jade Emu, the owners and staff are very friendly and helpful.

The owners and the staff are friendly and helpful.

The folks running the shop are friendly and professional, are bilingual and offer good local travel advice.

The staff varies from friendly to indifferent and have a range of English.

The staff is friendly & respectful, I was never given an attitude once, even on days when I bothered about new towels & sheets and ordered tons of food delivered to my room, they were always kind, with a smile on their face.

Good Location, just near the Ancient City, staff talking in English, helpful and friendly, nice clean room with big and functional bathroom, 24 hour hot water and OK wifi.

the incredibly helpful and friendly manager-ess Song made our stay exceptional.They have some standard hostel style private rooms

The staff is extremely friendly and well trained, there are tons of fun activities (including western Buffet on Thursday nights) and the rooms are clean.

Friendly staff who is helpful without being pushy and lots of good info.

The staff are very friendly and helpful, and have good English.

Friendly owner, obliging staff (though there was a fair bit of cluelessness at times with the milling around).

Friendly and helpful staff, very good kitchen, giant bookshop, tour and bus tickets available here.

Staff are very helpful and friendly, and are especially great in assisting with travel plans.

Very friendly and helpful staff, clean rooms with the best showers I have had while traveling.

Lots of people from lots of countries passing through and very friendly atmosphere..Weekly buffet and BBQ (optional

You can't beat the value this hostel provides for all their levels of hospitality.

The hostel is superbly clean and there is an lovely bookshop and the food looks good

Looking back, I would probably try to look for other hostel with good recommendations.

In addition we reserved transportation through the hostel to the next city

Also I left my passport at the hostel and they made sure I recovered it immediately.

One of the nicest hostels I’ve stayed in.

I finally found this hostel,very near to the ancient town of Dali.

I have lived in Jade Emu for two different periods of my life times-one was in early 2013 when I was renting a hostel bed as long term guest.

While Jade Emu is a hostel, it has several compounds, one of which caters to flashpackers.

After reading the reviews for this hostel, we were really looking forward to our stay, we had even been in touch with one of the owners and they seemed lovely.

I have been several times to Dali and I always stayed in this hostel.

It is hard to say exactly what it was about this hostel

There is a hostel restaurant which provides both Chinese and Western food, I didn't try

Also, when approaching the hostel you get the most awe inspiring backdrop of the mountains of Yunnan.

The hostel is very well designed, the communal areas/bar is great.

Literally pushing and being pushed by hordes of Chinese people, we arrived to this amazing Hostel.

I travelled around China and stayed in many hostels on my trip

It cost about 11 euro a night (I always think in Euro) which is absolutely amazing value.

We ate perfectly cooked  pasta in the stunningly designed garden restaurant and drank a very good bottle of wine which was reasonably priced.

The restaurant serves very good food at reasonable prices.

Lovely shared erae and coffee place where you can also get a good western food, with fair prices.

It was the best we found in Dali within their price range.

We found prices ok, typical of western cafes in town.

Overall I rate the Jade Emu a solid 9/10.

Owned and managed by an Expat, affordable price in a lovely Chinese style design building.

Coffee and other drinks in the inhouse lounge area are resonably priced, food quality is 3/5, i therefore recommend eating outside.

I would give this place a higher rating if the staff were a bit more helpful and the menu was a fair price.

The prices are super reasonable, even for higher luxury rooms type.

The food is wonderful and definitely worth the prices.

Staff was very nice, and Nancy was wonderful at arranging a tour with a local driver at a reasonable price for us.

The bookshop even bought back books that we'd read for a fair price.

but if you pay a little more you get the equivalent of the best rooms any chinese hotel can offer, their top end room is a penthouse with windows on 3 sides with views across the mountains and pagodas of Dali, a 3 room suite with a 4poster bed and standlone bathtub, the middle end rooms all have rainforest showers.

Nice and well organised hotel with reasonably priced rooms.

good place to meet fellow travellers 
Only concern was price of food and drinks, not local prices for sure,

for a fees, spread not gorgeous yet enough & tasty.

The owners and staff want visitors to have a good time in Dali and live that as their motto daily.

The English of the staff is good and the information they provided on all the things to do in Dali was excellent.

there's also a buddhist restaurant 100m away where you can get an unlimited buffet for CNY5 - ask at reception.

The toilet can be better if the staff clean it well.

Every time I asked for something (even at the bar) they were so unpleasant, and made us feel unwanted, especialy the night workers and the girl at the reception at the evening shift.

מקום נפלא אווירה של צעירים מכל העולם! Really nice place to stay at, you meet alot of people from all over the world, staff is geat, speaks english, good resturant to have breakfast or happy hour on beer or some western food if you got enough of rice and noodles :)

Helpful staff, good food, an enjoyable atmosphere in the lobby area, a spacious room for two and - perhaps most important these days - flawlessly working VPN that enabled us for the first and only time during our trip through China to use our beloved Social Media and WhatsApp without problems.

but everyone congregated in the main reception area in the evening where they had lots of comfortable seats.

Great value, hot water, wifi, and very kind and helpful staff.

The girl at the reception spoke perfect English and helped me and my friend get 2 perfect rooms.

But it was just a conflict that I had with one of the owner’s mom made me decide to leave.

the staff speaks good english and is always willing to help , also the breakfast was great , only complain could the slow wifi connection , located at walk distance from the old town

Because it's listed as a hostel, it is mostly overlooked as a hotel-alternative and this worked very well for us.

We asked for a quiet room and got one overlooking the communal courtyard - hardly quiet.

You are looking for the gate to the city that is uphill, towards the mountains.

trekking up the mountain, visiting the lake, the three pagodas and the temple.

but from a westerner's point of view, it's probably the most all round best and most well run place in Dali, whether you're staying a night or not.

A very good place to rest after hiking the mountains just behind.

After they left dali, i waited for my flight for four more days and moved back to Jade emu, i had a single room on the terrace, very reasonable price and very good view, i could see the lake from a distance on one side and mountain on the other side.

I bought a tour to Changsa mountain 110 CNY and a taxi picked me up at the hostel and there was a girl arranged the ticket  for me.

The double bed is king size and in our room there was a DVD player ( you could rent DVDs from the Song Sister's across the road), flat-screen TV and free view box.

Clean and friendly, just outside of the western gate of old Dali with good views from the roof of the mountain to one side and the lake to the other.

We had a private room with the best views I've had in a hostel.

Located just outside the old town and within easy reach of the mountain to do a bit of trekking, something I loved in fact!

the double on the 3rd storey offered a great view of CangShan too!

Plus, it is right at the base of the mountains, making hiking an easy event any day.

We spent 3 wet days in Dali completely indoors due to relentless rain.

but it was not very clean, the bed was confortable enough, the shower is just in a corner of the bathroom so when you take a shower the whole bathroom floor gets wet!

The Jade Emu International Guesthouse

hostel

price

view

Every day starts with a delicious breakfast, provided by the hospitable and friendly staff.

A friendly hotel near the old centre of Dali is Jim's Tibetan Hotel.

Jim the owner is very friendly and speaks perfect English and was very helpful, he does whatever is best for his customers.

Jim is the very friendly and knowledgeable English speaking host at Jim's Tibetan themed hotel.

He and his  friendly family made us feel welcome.

we stayed at Jim s for 3nights when traveled at Dali,hotel is local bai style and courtyard was nice,people there were from all over the world so we shared our travel experiences with so many friends which we really enjoyedi it,staffs were friendly,recommend.

But the best part of the hotel is Jim himself, friendly, helpful, perfect host.

Arriving on the wee hours of a cold winter morning, I was allowed to leave my luggages and showed to my room immediately by his friendly, english-speaking staff.

Jim the host is very friendly and helpfull and speaks english very well.

The rooms had some lovely furniture and there were various heating appliances which were very welcome at this time of year.Jim was a friendly guy and his staff were the same.

Theo staff is friendly, some of them speak english quite well.

Jim's is a quiet, friendly oasis on the edge of the old town in Dali.

Jim's Tibetan Hotel is like a mix between the best guest house you remember from backpacking when you were young and a confusing hotel you need as to get older.

The bathroom was okay with and older shower that didn't work as I wished (just not enough pressure).

Looking at older reviews, I would say they do do better then they did,

We rented bikes at the hotel (the only place we could rent bikes without using a phone), and one night he taught us Mahjong (there is fully automatic game table in the hotel lobby/eating room.

We really enjoy the view from the roof top from where you can see all Dali, Erhai Lake and the mountains.

The view of the Old Town from the rooftop terrace is amazing.

It has a nice rooftop terrace and a restaurant in the top floor (which seemed permanently closed).

Also, there are spaces on the balconies to sit, relax and socialise and a roof top bar.

They have a rooftop where you can relax and look at the stars (and giant Cang Shan mountain range) and have a nice beverage.

There are great views from the rooftop bar of the mountains in the distance- stunning in the evening after a long day walking.. especially with a cold beer!

Yes the Hotel  is one to be enjoyed with all the ornate balconies etc ..the roof top bar with beautiful views over the mountains and the lake would be a must in the warmer months . !

but  the best is the roof top patio with a panoramic view of the Himalaya "foothills", Dali and Lake Erhai.

The view every evening from the roof top bar and garden was the best view I have had in China.

enjoyed the rooftop terrace (great sunsets) and their garden (beautiful flowers and trees), the food and last

what I liked about this hotel
1) location: close enough to the south gate and on a quiet street
2) never had to sign a piece of paper, there was no check in process--they just took me directly to my room, there was also nothing to sign after a meal or taking a beer out of the fridge
3) the Tibetan decor and photos of the owner's travels around the region makes the place very cosy (even had these photos in the individual rooms)
4) food was pretty good
5) saw an amazing sunrise from their rooftop terrace

The staff let feel you home directly and the rooms are clean and the food is excellent.

even though we had very good Chinese meals throughout our trip), and Jim is a very hospitable guy with a great sense of humour.

Most important: the really friendly owner (Jim) and his son.

It was a complex, personalized tour for just the two of us,

Jim was very helpful with getting about and suggested a very good restaurant for our evening meal and walked us to it and helped us choose.

He was even so kind to go into a pharmacy with me and help me pick out some cough medicine (the inevitable sickness that comes from flying).

China- Minority-travel.com.Henriette is a real professional organiser.Definitely go!

Jim was very helpful and speaks excellent English.

but not least we had a great time with the owner Jim who taught us to play mahjong, a very cool game.

Perfect location, large rooms, tibetan vibe, serviceable bathrooms, and good talks with the owner late at night.

Great place to stay if you want authenticity, Jim is a genuine guy who makes you feel welcomed.

We had a very nice daytrip with the owner of the hotel ( Jim ) to a small minority village.

The location is good, and Jim the owner is a nice guy, so I feel sorry to write this

but everything worked (it had a very new big tv though, which was only Chinese) - in the smaller room only the main light worked, the 4 smaller ones were all broken (not only burned through).

Where there are (minor) problems with the TV he look to fix it right away.

The only other thing was the TV did not work, the next day someone came to look at it

we had problem with the TV and again we had to wait Jim to come back home because the staff were unable to fix it.

You may enjoy the sunshine on the roof terrace at the top floor where you can also enjoy the view over the whole city.

Rooms are clean, and there is a great view from the roof viewing platform.

Jim took us on an outstanding tour of the Yi villages in the mountains outside the city.

Jim and his partner run a touring business as well; We opted for the tour of the minority regions in the mountains and we were so thankful to Jim for a wonderful day and an amazing lunch at a local restaurant.

And don't forget to visit the roof terrace for a fabulous view at Dali and the lake!

There is also a fourth-floor roof-top terrace with a beautiful 360 degree view of the city, mountains, and lake.

but beautiful garden and ohhh,, the view point at the terrace with the breathtaking view of lake Erhai and the surrounding hills.

but if you do smoke you can sit just outside on the balcony, or roof terrace which has a great view of the mountains and city.

Dali itself is a nice little and cozy town with its old town, the lake and the mountains surrounding the scenery.

We went to the market in the mountains and it was fantastic!..I am sure you will enjoy the wonderful hospitality that Jim offers!

Our room was spacious and clean and it also had many Tibetan touches, it was nice to sit outside, overlooking the garden to play cards and have a drink.

The hotel is in a great location, a few minutes walking distance from the old city and in the awe inspiring shadow of the mountains which means the views are amazing.

Big advantage of the hotel: own homepage on the internet so that it can be found/contacted directly (only view guesthouses in Dali have this).

Jim's Tibetan Hotel

older hotel

phone

rooftop

rooftop view

There is a good common area for food and relaxing too.

the staff gave us good advices to visit the area.

The great rooftop views with hammocks, the very comfy beds, the extremely helpful staff and owners, the hot showers, the quiet location (which is difficult at times to achieve in China), the relaxed lounge area, the breakfast, the stocked bar--it's all great!

Female receptionist was very patience in answering queries and offering suggestions to explore Dali and its surrounding areas.

The hostel has very nice and comfortable common area with inexpensive bar and fresh water plus a rooftop area to drink, chat, or do your laundry.

Great common areas to chill in and cheap drinks at the bar!

They also housed some of the nicest travellers that we met on our trip.They also heledp with the rental of scooters for exploring the Erhai Lake area which was a big plus.

Overall a good experience, the rooftop area is really great and offers good views of the mountain ranges.

It is still within a short walking distance of about 10-15 mins to the shopping/bar area of the old town.

They know the area very well so they're full ideas and suggestions.

They also have 2 adorable kittens that hang out in the common area.

Everything you need in a hostel, they had: cheap rates, extremely clean rooms, comfortable beds with reading lights and privacy curtains, bar/restaurant/hangout area, and really nice staff who spoke fantastic English (rare in China!! ).

The location is about 5-10 minutes walk away from the central area of Dali Old Town -- which, believe me, is a good thing, because if you stay right on Foreigner's Street or Renmin Street it can be very noisy at night!

Situated right In the heart of the residential area of Dali Old Town, the Dragonfly was a great place to discover some of the hidden treasures of Yunnan, meet some cool people (both locals and foreigners), and get a good nights rest after a night out at one of the Dali's many cool bars.

Staff are very friendly and helpful and the affordable 'Build Your Own Breakfast' option is awesome.

His wife is equally friendly and talkative.

Friendly staff who helped me book boat trip and co-ordinate cheaper tickets to the Chongsheng Temple & Three Pagodas.

Very clean, friendly and helpful staff, quiet, nice atmosphere both in the common room and on the first floor and on the rooftop.

Cheap beer, friendly atmosphere, can't complain on the service.

I had the privilege of meeting the owner and his wife and in getting to know them soon realized that this level of care and dedication to providing the best possible experience to all their guests flows from their extremely friendly disposition.

The staff is very friendly, speaks good English and helps you with everything (e.g.

Staffs were friendly, room is big enough for two.

The people here are friendly and helpful, the place itself quite nice, located in a quiet part of Dali old town.

Very friendly owners (Dutch & Chinese), good vibe and do the tour on scooters around the lake!

Staffs are friendly and the price is very affordable.

The whole place was clean and staff mostly very friendly and helpful.

Both the staff and the owners are friendly and helpful.

Everything was perfectly clean, the bed's are the most comfortable ones we found in China so far and the owners are really friendly and know a lot about the whole region.

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