When arriving in Tunxi by train from Yangshou we feel quite let down by Tunxi Lodge having stayed a few nights at lovely Bamboo Leaf Hotel. Ok, it is perhaps not fair to compare these two hotels, but lets just say that, in the end, even our guide agreed never to use this hotel in their tourist programme again. She and the receptionist had quite the argument over the room we were given and it did not sound nice.
Yes, the only good thing about Tunxi Lodge is its location. Right at the Tunxi Old Street which offers a charming walk among quaint shops and local restaurants and gives quite the authentic old China feeling. We like this. What we don’t like is however a small and dark room in the annex of Tunxi Lodge with a window facing the grey and dull backyard.
It really does not matter how many flowers you have painted on the wall in the room, it simply does not do the trick. The flowers were the main reason they gave us this room they said. You will like the hand painted flowers, they said. Well, hello there – you should just have said you thought the dumb scandinavians would not have the nerve to complain about being given your worst room. Painted flowers? Give us a bed that would not double as a ironing board when it comes to comfort instead.
Tunxi Lodge seems to consist of three separate buildings: the main building, which is where the better rooms are (one should hope anyway), the annex, where we stayed for two nights, and the breakfast room. For western tourists, the breakfast is set and you are served coffee, one fried egg, milk and cornflakes, two slices of toast and a glass of orange ”juice”. Not too bad, but far from enough food to keep you full until lunch. Perhaps you could have asked for another toast, but it feels unlikely.
The air in the room is quite stuffy, the bed is rock hard, the bathroom is extremely small and the room smells of mould and old cigarette smoke. Not our idea of a cozy hotel room. At all.
