Hotel hunting has to be my LEAST favorite part of planning a trip. It’s time-consuming, and depending on budget/reviews, sometimes discouraging. In this post, I’m going to share three hotels in Enshi China which I’ve personally stayed at. I’ll also explain why they might be the only three hotels you’ll actually need.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, and I was not asked to write reviews for any of these hotels (though I totally would have if they’d asked!) All opinions expressed are my own and written of my own volition without any incentive or requests from these hotels.
The 1 thing to know Before booking your hotels in Enshi China
First off, before planning your trip ANYWHERE in China, you need to know one VERY important thing:
Not every hotel in China accepts foreigners!!!!
Before you take it personally, just understand that this has EVERYTHING to do with licensing and nothing to do with you. China in general is friendly to foreign tourists, and Enshi was probably the friendliest place ever!
This is only because foreigners are required to register wherever they stay in China (this applies even for those of us who live and work here, we will register at our apartment’s office building).
How To Book Hotels As A Foreigner
Start with your favorite travel app for booking hotels (I alternate apps depending on the deals I find). Search for hotels as usual.
The rule of thumb that we’ve noticed while traveling in China is this:
The bigger the city, the more likely that hotels will be able to accept foreigners. And conversely, the smaller the city, the more limited hotel options you’ll have.
Enshi is a very, VERY small city, so even if hotels CAN accept foreigners, there’s a high chance that they’ll have a bit of trouble checking you in since they rarely check foreigners in. Contact them in advance before booking, and be prepared to spend some time waiting at check-in.
Usually, I’ll find hotels on the app with recent reviews from other foreigners, since this indicates to me that the hotel’s recent policies allow them to accept foreigners. I’ll also contact them, just to be safe.
A few times, I’ve booked a hotel only to find out later that they couldn’t accept me. In all cases, they fully refunded me, and some even recommended options that they thought were more likely to be able to accept me.
Hotels in Enshi China That I stayed At
Now, I’ll be sharing about the three hotels I stayed at in Enshi China.
Honestly, they may be the only three hotels you need. In my post about an Enshi China Travel Map, I pointed out that a lot of Enshi’s sites are SUPER far apart from each other.
These three hotels that we stayed at put us strategically near a certain site or two, so that daily travel to those sites was cut down significantly.
So the following three hotels:
- CAN accept foreigners (as of Spring 2023, but contact them to check first),
- Are in close proximity to some of Enshi’s must-see tour sites,
- Are good quality and worth staying at, in my opinion.
Without further ado, here they are!
Argyle Hotel (In Enshi City)
The Argyle Hotel is close to the Tujia Daughter City, and is a short taxi ride away from the downtown, where you can shop, sightsee, and find some local restaurants.
The breakfast at this hotel was AMAZING–SO good that we were waking up early for it even though we were exhausted from all of the hiking and walking.
The rooms are clean and comfortable, and the entire hotel is quite beautiful. For about $60 USD per night (breakfast for 2 included), the price is DEFINITELY worth the stay! Click to enlarge the photos below.
Narada Hotel (Xuanen)
Located closer by to Pingshan Canyon and Wujiatai Tea Plantation, the Narada Hotel will give you a five-star experience plus breakfast delivered to your room at the whopping price of… $50 USD. Yep, that’s it.
Honestly, our jaws dropped when we saw the room. Big bathtub. Floor-to-ceiling window. Warmed toilet seat…I was so sad that we didn’t have more time to spend at the Narada. Oh, and they delivered breakfast to our room.
My favorite part of this hotel was actually the location. Xuanen town has a large river cutting through it, with plenty of restaurants and entertainment venues lining the river.
They also have a water fountain and laser show in the evening near the main bridge which crosses the river in Xuanen. The locals are some of the kindest, friendliest people I’ve ever met. They just seem to really enjoy life.
And staying at this amazing hotel was just the cherry on top. We only stayed for one night, and if I could go back, I would have done at least 2-3.
So DEFINITELY stay in the Narada Hotel if you’re going out towards Enshi’s southwest attractions!
Nverzhai Hotel (Near Enshi Grand Canyon)
This resort is literally parked facing the Enshi Grand Canyon, and the ticket office/train to the canyon is at the far side of the resort. Super convenient!
This hotel was also about $50 USD per day with breakfast included. It was probably the least fancy of the three hotels we stayed in, but still worth the price-tag, and quite cozy.
Restaurant options in this area are EXTREMELY limited, but thankfully the resort has one. Just check about when the breakfast and dinner hours so that you don’t miss them (dinner is an additional cost).
As I said before, these three hotels in Enshi China are beautiful, comfortable, and located conveniently nearby to Enshi’s most popular tourist sites. If you plan to visit Enshi, I hope these recommendations help you as you plan out your trip!
You may also like:
Enshi China Top 10 Must-See Tour Sites
Enshi China Travel Map: The Ultimate Guide