Nno1monkey## Location
The hotel's location is excellent, right in the heart of the city center, making it very convenient to walk to popular attractions.
* **Parkson Plaza**: Approximately 550 meters, a 7-10 minute walk.
* **Nanqiang Pedestrian Street**: Approximately 1.3 kilometers, a 16-20 minute walk.
* **Kunming Old Street**: Approximately 1.5 kilometers, an 18-22 minute walk.
It's also very close to the Panlong River, which is famous for its Jacaranda trees. Once they are in full bloom, this area becomes a major hot spot. Staying here means you can stroll to the riverside and enjoy the flowers within minutes.
## Local Transportation
As a tourist, I enjoy walking to truly observe and appreciate Kunming's roads, people, buildings, plants, and so on. Rushing around is different from taking a leisurely stroll; many new and interesting things can only be discovered by walking slowly. That's why I often choose to walk, crossing the Panlong River and ambling over to Kunming Old Street and Nanqiang Night Market.
If you don't feel like walking, there's a bunch of shared electric scooters parked right outside the hotel. Just scan the code, and you're good to go. The best part is you don't need a helmet, unlike in other cities where they're mandatory and often quite dirty, which is annoying.
Calling a Didi (ride-hailing service) is also very convenient. The Didi cars can pick you up directly at the hotel entrance, so you don't have to walk somewhere to wait.
Furthermore, there's a subway station entrance right below the hotel. If it's peak tourist season and taxis are hard to find, the subway will be a very reliable and convenient option.
## Dining and Shopping
There's a convenience store downstairs, which makes buying bottled water very easy. Surprisingly, there's also a small local market downstairs where residents do their daily grocery shopping. Prices are very reasonable, likely the standard Kunming local prices, not inflated tourist prices. I bought a large bag of bananas for less than six yuan – such a bargain!
You can also walk to Parkson Plaza to try 'Shangzuo''s Cross-the-Bridge Noodles, which I highly recommend. Parkson also has BA, a bakery with ridiculously expensive but absolutely beautiful bread.
Watsons is also inside Parkson, so if you forget your sunscreen, you can pick some up there in a pinch.
There are also some restaurants on Dongfeng East Road next door. If you're an early riser, you can have breakfast there. However, since I'm not an early bird, I mostly ordered takeout for breakfast and then headed out to explore the sights. This gave me some experience with local takeout, and I can confidently recommend these three places: Desheng Bridge Douhua Rice Noodles (Yunfang store), Xiangzi Teahouse (Xinying Xincheng store), and Cuimanlong Posu Bao (Renmin Road store).
## Cleanliness
I'm a bit of a clean freak, so my main focus is always cleanliness. Even luxury hotels get blacklisted if they're not clean enough.
As soon as I checked in, I wiped down all the tabletops, wardrobes, hangers, power switches, door handles, toilet, and showerhead with disinfectant wipes. I didn't find any instances where the wipe turned completely black, which indicates the hotel does a thorough job of cleaning, paying attention to small corners.
Another thing this hotel does well is that the showerhead is screwed firmly onto the hose and cannot be detached, which is very important.
Based on my many travel experiences, Atour hotels generally have better hygiene for their price range. No matter how remote the four or five-tier city, as long as it's an Atour brand, the hygiene standards are consistently good. That's why I'm sometimes okay with Atour being a bit more expensive than other hotels.
## Decor
I believe cleanliness is paramount. As long as it's clean enough, I find everything about a hotel appealing, almost like it has its own filter.
Therefore, even though the hotel room isn't huge, I'm very satisfied. As for the decor, both the lobby and the rooms have a simple, modern design, which is very comfortable and nice. There's no gym, but there's a laundry room, which is sufficient.
The only minor drawback was some water leakage around the window, which could potentially lead to mold. However, this is a common issue in older buildings and shouldn't be a cause for major concern. As long as the hotel diligently carries out waterproofing and dehumidification work and repairs, it can be quickly resolved. Old buildings are genuinely not a big problem; we shouldn't blindly believe that only demolition and reconstruction are good. With diligent maintenance, they can remain beautiful and functional, just like hotels in Hong Kong.
## Hotel Service
Excellent! They try their best to meet guests' requests within their capabilities. They allowed me to check in an hour early and upgraded my room when there was availability. If I ordered takeout, they proactively sent it up to my room with a robot. They were also very proactive in asking if I needed room cleaning, and they even gave me a small gift at checkout. I honestly can't think of anything to complain about regarding this hotel.
I want to give special praise to the cleaning staff; they are very responsible and do a very thorough job of cleaning!
Since I visited during the off-season, the price was very reasonable, making it a hotel with excellent value for money. However, given its location, I'm unsure how much the price will increase during peak tourist season.
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