Shangri-la Guilin

I recently spent five nights at the Shangri-La Guilin, one of only two five-star properties in the city. While there are a few luxury options, the Shangri-La distinguishes itself with its superior location directly along the Li River and its exceptional views. The check-in process was seamless, handled by a professional and efficient front-desk team. I booked a Horizon Club River View room, which provided access to the Horizon Club lounge. The lounge offers a lovely selection of snacks throughout the day, with evening food presentations substantial enough to serve as a light dinner. The main breakfast buffet features a good variety of both Western and Chinese dishes, and I highly recommend the fresh sugarcane juice—it is not to be missed. Although the dedicated club breakfast was closed due to the low season, the staff provided us with a comfortable, separate seating area within the main buffet restaurant. The scenery surrounding the hotel is truly breathtaking. In the morning, I enjoyed walking to the riverbank to watch the local swimmers and anglers; the atmosphere is incredibly serene. The view from the Horizon Club River View room is stunning, and the sunset views from the lounge, as the sun dips between the peaks, are an absolute highlight. For dining, the hotel’s restaurant, Shang Palace, serves high-quality cuisine. Additionally, the hotel’s travel desk offers various curated packages. I utilized their services to book a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo—a four-and-a-half-hour journey that is an absolute must. I also attended the Guilin Romance Park show and Impression Sanjie Liu. I cannot recommend Impression Sanjie Liu enough; it is an unforgettable experience. I advise booking tickets for these performances well in advance, ideally before departing your home country. My room was impeccably clean, and the housekeeping staff was consistently attentive and polite. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Shangri-La Guilin and highly recommend it for a visit to the region.

I’m a local Guilin resident and a regular guest at Li Café and Shang Palace. On May 27, I booked a table for five at Li Café for May 29. On the day of the booking (noon), a male staff member called to cancel my reservation because a 200-person group would be dining that night. When I asked why I wasn’t informed at the time of booking, his excuse was that the group was confirmed after my reservation — which is hardly believable for such a large group only 1.5 days in advance. He didn’t apologize sincerely, just told me to cancel. No alternative, no empathy. I understand Guilin has limited hotel options (Shangri-La and Sheraton duopoly), but this level of service is far below what I’ve experienced at other Shangri-La hotels. Disappointing for a loyal local customer.

Overall great experience at Shangri-La. The hotel is grand, spacious and clean with helpful staff and a very good restaurant. Great value for money overall. They have ebikes to rent which was great. Only downsides - you are a taxi or bike ride away from the main city centre - but that also means it's very calm. Other thing to note - the pool pictures are misleading. The pool is set up like a leisure centre for doing laps, with lane ropes etc and the sauna steam room are in separate changing rooms. Great for exercising but not the 5 star spa pool experience we were expecting - they also make you buy a swimming cap which gives you an indication of the type of pool - would recommend hotel makes that more clear on the website. Shout out to the concierge who were great and that the staff even sent me a birthday cake which was fantastic quality - really above and beyond!

We have stayed for 3 nights: hotel stuff was highly service-oriented and we had a great stay. We also booked massage with a promotion “2 for 1” and it was great! Unfortunately the hotel is old construction and you can hear other guests in their rooms talking or closing doors. I am sensitive sleeper, hence it was tough to have full nights. Food: we went to have breakfast on 1st floor and it was like a factory-packed, smelly, no queues respected BUT a lot of food choices and nice service! Next day we tried breakfast on the 6th floor and while the selection is smaller, it is so much cleaner, calmer, and you can ask for things that are not available to be brought: like French toasts that were only available on the 1st floor. In general, this stay was perfect for sightseeing, food, clean rooms, kind attention to the details and massage!