Hello David,
As agreed, here is our feedback on our holiday in Yunnan. Overall, we were very happy with it and with discovering the region. The insight into Tibetan culture and the landscapes is brilliant; it really gives you a different view of China.
Jeff was great. He’s super friendly and a very good driver, and the mountain roads are clearly not easy, especially the one to his guesthouse. We also got to meet his wife.
As for the organisation, nothing to fault. We felt everything was very well orchestrated, and Lili is fantastic. Super responsive, whether early in the morning or late at night. Brilliant!
As for the hotels, we liked most of them. We were a little disappointed by two. The first was in Kunming: the pool was out of order, and at breakfast we had to choose what we wanted from a sheet, and it wasn’t very good quality. The second was in Shilin. Being close to the entrance isn’t an advantage, since we still had to drive to another entrance on the opposite side. Then there was the restaurant: you had warned us about breakfast, so we expected it, but at dinner the restaurant had nothing we wanted to eat. The nearby restaurants were closed, so we had to order delivery to our room. We think a hotel in another town, or even a same-day return trip from Kunming, would make more sense. Something to consider.
As for the excursions and activities, at lunch with the Tibetan family we expected more culinary discoveries. The dishes were very good but very similar to what you can eat elsewhere. On the other hand, we really appreciated that it wasn’t a place just for tourists; it felt like being at the home of one of Jeff’s relatives, for example.
When we visited the Bai minority village, we went to a shop where they make the fabric patterns themselves. It was very quick. Here too, we would have liked to really see how they do it and the different steps, not just hear explanations.
And the last point is Napa Lake. Since we didn’t choose the horse ride, the outing was rather short. Perhaps you could plan a hike in the surrounding area with elevated viewpoints over the lake.
Apart from that, we really loved all the little old villages, super cute and welcoming, with cafés. Tea picking with explanations and a tasting. The guesthouses in Xizhou and Shaxi were absolutely brilliant. We met the owners and were able to chat with them. The food was great too.
Really nothing to report for the rest.
That’s our feedback on the trip.
Thanks again for being so quick, as we gave you very short notice.
Hope to see you soon, perhaps for another trip to Asia.
Marine & Guillaume