ANYU Hotel Lijiang Old Town is a 30-room courtyard hotel made from two traditional Naxi houses at the south gate of Dayan Old Town, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain over the roofs. Best for travellers who want to sleep inside the old town in comfort, with in-room oxygen at 2,400m and afternoon tea in the courtyard. Opened 2018. Best windows: March to May and October to November.
ANYU sits at the south gate of Lijiang's Dayan Old Town, in two traditional Naxi houses joined into a single hotel: one entrance, two courtyards, dark timber galleries, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain showing over the tiled roofs. There are 30 rooms with custom-made timber furniture, and each one has its own oxygen supply, a real comfort at Lijiang's 2,400 metres. It's a quiet, grown-up base inside an old town that can get busy.
Highlights
- Two Naxi houses, one hotel a pair of traditional Naxi homes joined into one entrance and two courtyards, with dark timber galleries, lattice doors and planted courtyards.
- Inside the old town at the south gate of Dayan Old Town, on its quieter edge, with the lanes and canals on the doorstep and Zhongyi Market about 15 minutes on foot.
- Jade Dragon on the skyline on clear days, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain rises over the tiled roofs from the upper galleries.
- Oxygen in every room all 30 rooms have a whole-room oxygen supply to help you sleep at Lijiang's 2,400 metres, and custom-made timber furniture throughout.
- Tea and time in the courtyard a tea room, Lijiang-style breakfasts, afternoon tea, and coffee and fruit on hand through the day.
- Close to the mountain about 35 minutes from Lijiang airport and 20 from the railway station, and 30 minutes to an hour and a half by car to Baisha and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Inside ANYU Hotel Lijiang Old Town
Staying at ANYU Hotel Lijiang Old Town
01 Is ANYU inside Lijiang Old Town?
Yes. It's at the south gate of Dayan Old Town, Lijiang's main old town, on Yigu Lane off South Gate Street. You step straight out into the lanes and canals, but the south-gate side is quieter than the centre around Sifang Street, and the hotel is set back around its two courtyards. It has its own parking, so arrivals and departures are simpler than at inns deep in the lanes.
02 Will the altitude be a problem in Lijiang?
Lijiang Old Town sits at about 2,400 metres. Most people feel it a little on the first night: shorter breath on the stairs, lighter sleep. Every room at ANYU has a whole-room oxygen supply, which helps. On our routes, Lijiang is also a stepping stone: a few nights here before going higher to Shangri-La at around 3,300 metres.
03 When is the best time to stay at ANYU?
October to May is the dry season, with the clearest views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain from the galleries; March to May and October to November are the sweet spots. Winter days are sunny but the nights are cold. June to September brings the rains and cloud on the mountain. The old town is at its busiest over Chinese New Year and Golden Week (1–7 October).
