We stayed only 1 night we had booked a non smoking room but on arrival we were given a room that was defiantly not non smoking we were told we could change rooms but we would have to pay an extra £50.00 I did not want to do this as I thought the amount we had paid was more than any other hotels that we booked in China and they were much better.
We chose this Hotel because of the location and this part we were pleased with ,the grounds were very beautiful.We visited Hangzhou to see the West Lake show and we were able to walk to the show which we really enjoyed it was very impressive.





I would go back to see the show but I would find another hotel t stay in.

It was the most peaceful place on our trip to China. We stayed at this location for two nights. The rooms were pretty simple but the location was great if you want to get away from the hordes of people in China. We had two excellent nights of sleep because you could not hear anything. No construction sounds. No honking of horns. The beds were pretty comfortable even by Western standards. The garden was beautiful to see and walk. You don't have to worry about other people blocking your photos because there is almost no one else around in the gardens. Across the way, you can see the Su causeway and hear/ see all the people walking on the other side.

The only problem with this place is that you need a car to stay here. It is a bit out of the way from most of the tourist attractions and restaurants But I definitely would come back here if I visit Hangzhou again.

We stayed 1 night in this state run historical hotel - which used to be the private club for senior PRC officials, and prior to that - the private residence of a wealthy 'Liu' family.

The compound is large and beautiful, there are great walks by the West Lake. The hotel is housed in separate 1 storey buildings, and the rooms remind you that you are staying at a state run hotel - functional but not luxurious. The external grounds of the hotel is definitely nicer than the rooms inside.

We would stay here again for the location - it is a nice walk at sunset across the lake to Beishan road.

I like to celebrate my birthday with a trip to the West Lake. This is my fifth visit to Hangzhou, but only the first to the State Guesthouse on West Lake (Xihu).

I'd spotted it from the Su causeway on the west side of the lake on previous visits and it had always intrigued me - specially with the mixed reviews I had read here on trip advisor: Peoples' Liberation Army soldiers stationed at the gates, acres of private grounds both on the lake and up in the wooded hillside behind and a promise of something really special as well.

This year we decided to really splash out and stay for a week (six nights) in a suite. Well, as it turned out we left after only three nights and moved to our old favourite "The Grande Olde Shangri-La" on Beishan Lu, also overlooking the lake, at which we'd stayed several times before. So why did we decide to not to stay there the full week?

Well, I suppose there are quite a few reasons really. Firstly, our room was the furthest room away from the Lake. The only view was of the entrance to the carpark and the hillside behind. We asked for a room with a view, but that was not possible, so they gave us a bowl of fruit instead. Secondly, I don't think the room had been used for a while and the dust was really quite thick in places. Thirdly, we had the same bedding for the three nights we stayed there - something we were not expecting for the price paid. Fourthly, as the hotel is quite isolated we decided we would eat there in the evening. The food in the 'international' restaurant wasn't too bad - delicious dongpo pork - but 3/4 hour before the restaurant closed at 830 pm the banging, shouting and general melee started. Not only was it time for the food to be cleared away, breakfast settings to be put out and general mayhem, but you had to make sure you didn't get in the way of the staff barging away laden with piles of newly washed plates. And the chattering and shouting never stopped. Ambiance? What ambiance?

However, that said, the teahouse experience on the lakeside was a fantastic and serene delight. Now, in Hangzhou (and probably other places in China as well) they offer what is called a tea suite: As well as the best quality Xi Hu Longjing tea (probably the best green tea in the world) they serve a wonderful assortment of beautiful treats of fruits, nuts, small cakes and biscuits with the tea. We sat down at a table at the very edge of the lake and enjoyed our treat as the sun went down and darkness fell over the beautiful West Lake.

Across the lake ahead of us was the Leifeng pagoda and as it started getting dark the golden lights of the pagoda glowed in the evening air with reflections shimmering on the surface of the lake. It was absolutely still and quiet all except the distant sound of orioles settling in for the night. A truly memorable experience.

The other great experience of staying in the Guesthouse was to enjoy walking in the hills up behind the hotel. There are some beautifully laid out and paved tracks that take you up to the very top of the hill to the pavillion where Mao reputedly wrote the 'constitution' of the PRC.

When you consider how crowded the walks around West Lake often are, then it surely is a delight to walk in Nature through the woods without hardly ever seeing another human being. Yes, that's what made it a great experience for me staying at the Xihu State Guesthouse.