Banyan Tree Yangshuo

We stayed in Banyan Tree Yangzhou in January 2025 for 3 nights. We had a really nice time to calm and relax. The rooms are big and cozy, every evening the staff left on a table cookies or smth similar for you. On breakfast there was plenty of choices, local and European. Restaurants in the hotel are tasty but a little pricey compared to the places in the town. We also had a river cruise (it was nice but I’m not sure it was the best part of the river) and rent bikes (it was nice to see orange and tangerine trees all covered in bright orange fruits against the backdrop of incredible mountains). Next time in Yangzhou I would love to stay there again.

We had a comfortable stay, but much of the service lacked the classic Banyan Tree attention to detail. We were not greeted by anyone at a hectic check-in, which was surprising given the stature of the Banyan Tree hospitality brand. Small details like no changing rooms next to the pool (you had to walk through the whole property in a towel to change clothes) and a volume limit on the television (we paid for a movie that we then could not hear) were small irritants in an otherwise beautiful property. Bernie led us on an absolutely beautiful Li River cruise — which we would highly recommend. Aly at the spa was absolutely wonderful. Would go back just for a massage from her! The restaurant could have better service and a more extensive selection for those with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free).

We had a nice time at this resort. The staff at breakfast and the western restaurant during dinner were always very good and quite nice. The breakfast spread was very enjoyable and diverse and the western restaurant was excellent as well. The resort is quite large which doesn’t work in its favor. It appears that development is starting to impede on the serenity it likely once had. A freeway-style bridge is being build 100 meters or so down river and this section of the river was not what I was expecting with transmission lines just up river and heavy machinery dredging out part of the river and probably preparing the riverfront land for another hotel development. Overall it was a nice experience, but some of the staff seemed a bit off putting and not understanding. Aside from the breakfast and dinner staff, not much English was spoken. The one manager who did speak English well seemed disingenuous and not willing to help us, which made exploring the area independently quite difficult. The boat trip from the resort is a hard pass, there is nothing scenic about it. Much too overcrowded and overdeveloped. Also I was surprised they had closed the riverfront bar for the season in October, especially considering the resort felt nearly full. It looked like an excellent place to spend evenings, and wind down the day with a few cocktails. Again we had nice time, but not quite what I was expecting, and this resort did not have that whimsical feeling the other Banyan Tree resorts had that we had stayed at prior on this trip. If I came back to the area I’d probably choose a different hotel, that was in a more natural area.