1. Location: in the middle of an 'old street' area in Chengdu: the Kuanzhai Xiang ('Broad-Narrow Alley'). Set in a beautifully conserved area (if, somewhat commercialised). Easy access (by foot and taxi) to other places of interest in downtown Chengdu.

2. Hotel setting: as the area is made up of conserved buildings, the hostel itself is similarly well-appointed. Nice courtyard area for gathering with other backpackers. However, in keeping with the decor of the general area, the corridors are wood panelled, which can be noisy when other guests return late at night.

3. Rooms: comfortable, clean, with toilets / showers. No TV but with aircon / heater. The room I was in had no windows, which I am ok with but fellow traveller found her room a tad stuffy.

4. Staff: mostly young people, who speak good Mandarin (Putonghua) (a point I make cos some hospitality staff would only speak in Sichuanese, which can be hard for a Mandarin speaker to understand; hard - not impossible) and passable English. Will help when asked but not exactly forthcoming in assistance.

5. Services: Typical backpackers' hostel, with travel services to other parts of the province and country. Laundry services, movie screenings, books are also available.

6. Value: a bit expensive for a backpackers' hostel; but that is cos I picked an en-suite single room to stay in. Other hotels in the downtown Chengdu go for the same amount. Dorm rooms are available though.

This hostel is in a charming historic building in a fabulous area (the pedestrian alleys of kuanxiangzi jie, which are filled with restaurants, teahouses, bar/lounges, and boutiques). however, some of the rooms need a bit of a touch-up and therefore feel grungy. we were there on a peak weekend so we got stuck in an interior room with no windows. the room had a very heavy mold smell and the bathroom was very mildewy. our other friends had a better room with a small patio, but their bathroom also looked pretty poorly maintained. considering we paid over 100 RMB ($15) per person, I would have hoped for better maintained rooms, especially when you consider the higher quality you get for the same price at other hostels in China.

Also, the day I was supposed to arrive, they called me saying one of the 2 rooms I had reserved a week in advance was going to be canceled because they were booked full and I did not pay a deposit. But they never asked me for a deposit! Eventually, they cleared it up and made room for my reservation, but the process was a bit annoying to say the least.

We booked a driver through the front desk to take us to Leshan. He turned out to be the surliest, most unaccommodating driver I've ever hired in China. We had hired him for the day, but once we arrived in Leshan, he refused to take us anywhere within Leshan or even to come pick us up after we had wandered to a different location, claiming he didn't know how to get around Leshan. On the way back, his car broke down and we were stranded on the side of the highway for an hour waiting for another car to come and get us. So if you book a car through the hostel, I would recommend negotiating with them to not pay for all of it until the end of the trip so the driver is more motivated accommodate your requests.

I stayed in the upstairs dorm room, which was airy and comfortable and very cheap at the time. The hostel has pretty, peaceful quality that is a nice respite from the ugliness of much of contemporary urban China. The staff was great -- helpful, efficient and friendly. Don't miss the ladies on the corner selling 1-yuan (then) boxes of spicy noodles to kids after school -- among the best eats in town.

This was one of the most characterful guesthouses we stayed in during our four months in China. With its internal court-yard, red-painted wooden beams, and fish pond that gets its water straight from the sky, it's stays in the memory.
The reception staff were helpful, the rooms clean, and fair priced.
There's also table football and internet access.