Unbelievable Nanjing Getaway: Hi Inn Lishui Shangli Town Awaits!
Unbelievable Nanjing Getaway: Hi Inn Lishui Shangli Town Awaits! – A Review That’s All Over the Place (But Hopefully Helpful!)
Okay, buckle up buttercups, because this isn't your average, pristine hotel review. This is the messy, honest, and probably a little too-honest, review of the Hi Inn in Lishui Shangli Town, Nanjing. I just got back, my brain's still swimming in jasmine tea and the lingering scent of… well, everything. So, let’s dive in, shall we? And yes, I'm going to ramble – it's the only way I know how to process this experience.
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- Meta Description: A brutally honest review of the Hi Inn in Lishui Shangli Town, Nanjing. From the luxurious spa to the slightly-confusing-sometimes-delicious food, I spill the tea (and maybe some coffee) on everything. Accessibility, cleanliness, and that damn outdoor pool – all covered!
Accessibility – The First Hurdle (And We All Stumble, Right?)
Alright, so "accessibility." That's where we start, yeah? I have to say, I’m not wheelchair-bound, but I do appreciate a hotel that thinks about people who are. And at Hi Inn, well… it's a mixed bag. There's an elevator (thank god!). Facilities for disabled guests are supposedly "available," but I didn't see anything super obvious. The pathways seemed okay, but things like the buffet layout… I'm just picturing a lot of reaching. Check with the hotel directly on this before you go, seriously. Don't be afraid to ASK.
On-Site Accessible Restaurants/Lounges: This is where I totally blanked. I mean, I saw restaurants and lounges, but did I actually consider the accessible angle in a detailed way? Nope. Rookie mistake. My brain was too busy trying to figure out what that mysterious dish was. Lesson learned: next time, I'm asking the staff about it upfront.
Internet – The Wi-Fi Whisperer (And the Occasional Glitch)
Okay, so FREE Wi-Fi in all rooms! That's a HUGE win. Thank goodness. Because as much as I wanted to disconnect and be all "zen," the reality is I need to check emails, download a silly amount of podcasts, and… well, stalk everyone on Instagram. The Internet access – wireless was pretty solid, never dropped out on me (unlike my attempts at Mandarin). I did notice a little Internet access – LAN, so maybe bring a cable if you're old school and need super-speedy internet. But honestly, the Wi-Fi was fine.
Cleanliness and Safety – Sanitized or Not? (The Real Question)
This is where things always get interesting, right? Post-pandemic, the world is all about hygiene, and… well, the Hi Inn seems to have taken it seriously. There were Hand sanitizers everywhere, and I felt reassured (even if I was also a little paranoid, which I always am).
- Anti-viral cleaning products – I assume, because the place smelled clean. Not hospital-clean, but clean-clean.
- Daily disinfection in common areas – Good, good.
- Rooms sanitized between stays – Another check!
- Staff trained in safety protocol – They seemed organized, efficient, and friendly.
Room Sanitization Opt-Out: I didn't even know this was a thing. Good for them for offering it, I guess? I just wanted my room cleaned, so I didn't opt out.
However, I had a slight moment of panic when I realized they didn't provide individual wrapping on the coffee cups. Is it a problem? Maybe. But still, made me pause.
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking – Buffet Battles and Culinary Adventures
Okay, the food. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FOOD! This is going to be a long section.
- Breakfast [buffet]. This was the big one. The battleground. The culinary adventure! It was included, which is a good start.
- Asian breakfast. Noodles! Congee! I was in heaven!
- Western breakfast was also there, but, I wasn't there for the eggs and bacon. I was there for the tofu and pickled vegetables.
- Buffet in restaurant: YES! I love buffet-style. It's a free-for-all.
- Restaurants, Cafe, and Snack Bar All available to take your money.
- A la carte in restaurant I tried this! It's good to try new things, the chefs were so inventive.
- Coffee/tea in restaurant and coffee shop. Yes. Coffee! Needed it!
- Bottle of water. Thank you.
- Happy hour? Now this is where the details escape me. I don’t believe there was a happy hour.
- Asian cuisine in restaurant Yes. Delicious.
- International cuisine in restaurant I'm sure I saw some, but, I was only focused on the local food!
- Poolside bar I don't believe there was a poolside bar.
- Room service [24-hour] I didn't order any.
- Salad in restaurant and Soup in restaurant. Healthy options are good, there are so many other options though!
- Vegetarian restaurant. I'm not sure, but, I'm sure they'll cater to any dietary requirement.
The Great Buffet Debacle (And My Emotional Attachment to Pickled Vegetables)
Let's be honest, the buffet was the highlight and the challenge. The sheer variety was overwhelming. I ended up piling my plate high with things I'd never even heard of. There were triumphs (those pickled vegetables! I'm dreaming about them!), and there were… well, let’s just say I learned a few new flavor profiles. The soup was unexpectedly spicy. The desserts were… intriguing. My stomach ached just to think about it!
The setup was a little cramped, which made navigating the buffet a bit of a contact sport during peak times. This is where the "physical distancing" of at least 1 meter went right out the window. But hey, that’s the buffet life, isn’t it?
Services and Conveniences – Lost Luggage and Last-Minute Souvenirs
- Concierge: Always helpful. Especially when I was panicking about not being able to speak Mandarin
- Daily housekeeping: The rooms were always tidy and cleaned.
- Elevator: YES, please.
- Convenience store: Perfect for late-night snacks and, you know, that forgotten toothbrush.
- Luggage storage: Useful!
- Laundry service, dry cleaning, ironing service: I did not use any of these services.
- Car park [free of charge]: Amazing, no stress at all.
- Front desk [24-hour]: Always a bonus.
- Cash withdrawal, currency exchange: Helpful.
Things to Do, Ways to Relax – Spa Days and Swimming Pools with Views?
- Fitness center: I am sure the fitness center was great!
- Pool with view, Swimming pool [outdoor] and Swimming pool: This is what I'm talking about! The pool! It's… well, it's beautiful to look at, perched on the edge of somewhere and overlooking the beautiful scenery of Lishui Shangli Town. I was too chicken to go in. The weather was… not exactly tropical. Plus, a little bit of me was lazy. But if you're a water baby, this is definitely a selling point.
- Spa, Spa/sauna, Sauna, Steamroom, Foot bath. Oh, the spa! The massages… I didn't get a spa treatment, which I now greatly regret.
- Couple's room. Well, that's exciting, but I didn't experience this!
Rooms – The Comfort Zone (And the Occasional Quirky Detail)
- Wi-Fi [free]: Thank god, again!
- Air conditioning: Essential.
- Blackout curtains: Crucial for sleeping in.
- Bathrobes, Slippers, complimentary tea: Those little touches make a difference!
- Desk, Laptop workspace, Mini bar, Refrigerator: Everything you expect.
- Extra long bed: Perfect for the tall, or the sprawlers.
- In-room safe box: Always a good idea.
- Mirror. Yes. Plenty of Mirrors.
- Non-smoking: Thank god!
- Satellite/cable channels: I never watched any.
- **Se
Alright, buckle up buttercups, because we're about to dive headfirst into the absolute beautiful chaos of a trip to Hi Inn Nanjing Lishui Shangli Town. This isn't your perfectly polished, Instagram-filtered travel blog; this is the raw, unfiltered, slightly-hungover reality.
Day 1: Arrival and the (Possibly Misleading) Charms of Shangli Town
- Morning (ish - I'm a late riser, sue me!): Landed in Nanjing. The airport? Fine. Typical airport-y stuff. Immigration? Painfully slow. Felt like I was watching paint dry, but hey, now I'm IN CHINA! Grabbed a surprisingly decent coffee and muttered a prayer to the travel gods that my luggage hadn't decided to vacation in Dubai.
- Afternoon: The train to Lishui. I was a bit nervous, I’m not going to lie. Train travel always make me a bit anxiuouse… and don't even get me STARTED on navigating the Beijing subway! Found the Hi Inn. Okay, clean enough, but the "view" from my window was a brick wall. Charming. (Note to self: Request a higher floor next time, assuming there is a next time).
- Late Afternoon/Early Evening: Shangli Town. Ah, the town. Initially, I was charmed. Cobblestone streets, little shops, the whole "authentic Chinese village" vibe. Ate some baozi (steamed buns) from a street vendor - delicious! Felt a surge of pure, unadulterated joy. "This," I thought, "is what travel is all about!" Then I tried to find a decent map. Nope. Then I got lost. More than once. Then I realised I was being stared at. A LOT. Okay, maybe the charm was wearing thin. Still though, baozi are the truth.
- Evening: Dinner. Found a restaurant that seemed to be run by a family that was mostly ignoring me. Ordered something that looked like noodles. Ended up with something that tasted like a slightly salty swamp. Dejected, I retreated to my room. Watched some truly baffling Chinese TV. Attempted to decipher the bathroom appliances (seriously, what does that thing do?). Woke up at 3am needing to PEE, the bathroom was a terrifying maze.
Day 2: The Ancient City and A Lesson in Humility (and Food)
- Morning: Breakfast at the hotel. I ate, I'm pretty sure, what was essentially congee. I've had worse, but I've also had… better. A solid 5/10. Decided I needed to escape Shangli.
- Mid-morning: Went to the Confucius Temple in Nanjing which was a huge hit with all the tourists, including myself. I wandered for hours, taking in the sights, the sounds, and the absolute crowds. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming. But it was beautiful. Truly. The architecture, the colours, the sheer scale of it all… wow.
- Lunch: Tried to escape the crowds and found a small dumpling place that was a true hidden gem. Absolutely heavenly xiaolongbao (soup dumplings). I swear, I could have eaten a hundred of them. This is where the trip started to get REAL.
- Afternoon: More wandering! Felt the exhaustion creep in – the constant cultural immersion, the language barrier, the sheer volume of stuff to see. Found a small tea house and drank a cup of tea that tasted like… heaven! Watched the world go by. I started to feel more in tune with the energy of the city and my anxiety decreased.
- Evening: Back to Shangli. Honestly, I was dreading it. Decided to embrace the weird. Found a street food stall selling some sort of skewered meat. Pointed. Ate. It… was… amazing. The family running it (the same ones who stared at me the day before, but this time with a smile) waved and I felt welcomed. I realized I'd been approaching the trip with an expectation of perfection that it was never designed to deliver. I am not perfect, so why would I want my trip to be?
Day 3: The Great Wall and a Meltdown (sort of)
- Morning: Woke up feeling slightly better. Decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. The Great Wall! A two-hour train ride away. On the train, I met a lovely older Chinese lady who tried to teach me Mandarin. My attempts were laughable. Hers at English, also. We just laughed together. This is what I love doing on trips.
- Mid-day: The Great Wall… OH. MY. GOD. Words. Cannot. Describe. It was a climb. A brutal, breathless climb. But the view… the history… the sheer awesomeness of it all. It was a moment of pure, unadulterated awe. I felt like I was on top of the world… or at least, China. I ate lunch on the wall. Yes, I took a photo. Yes, it was clichéd. I don't care!
- Afternoon: Attempted to walk down the hill. It was a mistake. My knees were screaming. My lungs were on strike. I nearly face-planted multiple times. I kind of had a small panic-induced meltdown (okay, maybe not a full-blown one, but I was close). I stopped, took a deep breath, and got back on my feet. One step at a time.
- Evening: Back in Shangli. Ordered noodles from the same restaurant that served swampy ones on day 1… and they were delicious! Did they upgrade their chef? Did my tastebuds get used to the food? Who knows! The important thing is that I ate. Also, a group of local children wanted to take selfies with me, which was hilarious. I left my hotel room to go pee and I found a group of children waiting for me in the hallway who just wanted to touch me. It was a surreal moment.
- Night: Realized I'd been so busy trying to have an experience, I'd forgotten to live one. Booked a massage. Pure heaven.
Day 4: The Journey Home (and the Lingering Taste of Adventure)
- Morning: Congee for breakfast. 6/10 this time. Checked out of The Hi Inn, feeling a strange mix of relief and… sadness? Yeah, sadness.
- Mid-day: The trip back to the airport was uneventful.
- Afternoon: Said my goodbyes to China at the airport. I even had to leave a small tear. Boarded my flight home.
- Evening: Back home. Exhausted. Jet-lagged. But my soul feels full.
Final Thoughts:
This trip to Hi Inn Lishui Shangli Town and the surrounding area wasn't perfect. It was messy. It was imperfect. It was me, in all my glory and all my flaws. And you know what? It was freaking brilliant. I'd go back in a heartbeat - armed with a better map (maybe) and a whole lot more Mandarin (probably not). This isn't just a travel itinerary; it's a reminder that the best adventures are the ones that surprise you, challenge you, and leave you wanting more. So book that flight. Embrace the chaos. And get ready to get lost, and maybe, just maybe, find yourself!
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Unbelievable Nanjing Getaway: Hi Inn Lishui Shangli Town Awaits! (Or Does It?) - A Messy FAQ
So, what *is* this whole "Unbelievable Nanjing Getaway" thing, anyway? Sounds... dramatic.
Okay, deep breaths. So, it *sounded* amazing. Lishui Shangli Town, some kind of historic village outside Nanjing. The Hi Inn promised comfy beds and maybe *gasp* decent Wi-Fi. My expectations? LOW. My need for a break? HIGH. Honestly, I think I just saw "Nanjing" and "Getaway" and my brain went, "YES! ESCAPE!" It's less "Unbelievable" and more "Hopefully-Not-Terrible". And spoiler alert: it was… well, *sometimes* unbelievable.
Is the Hi Inn… actually good? Because "Inn" often translates to "Slightly-Dodgy Hotel."
Alright, here's the truth bomb: It depends. My room? Cleanish. The bed? Surprisingly comfortable, which was a MAJOR win. The bathroom? Let's just say I saw ghosts of previous showers and, um, questionable stains. But hey, hot water! That's a win, right? The *real* problem was the Wi-Fi. It was… intermittent. Which is the nice way of saying it vanished more often than my will to live after a particularly grueling day of tourist-ing. I spent, like, three hours just *trying* to upload a picture of a dumpling. The rage. THE RAGE! But hey, you know, sometimes you just need a place to crash after a long day, and for the price, it wasn't *horrendous*.
What about Lishui Shangli Town itself? Is it actually "historic" or just pretending? And what's there to *do*?
Okay, *this* is where it gets interesting. Shangli Town *definitely* has history. Cobblestone streets, traditional architecture, the whole shebang. I swear I saw a donkey cart on one street! (Maybe I hallucinated it after the Wi-Fi fiasco, though). And the *quiet!* Oh, the blessed quiet! You can wander around, soak up the vibes, pretend you’re a time traveler… Basically, it's a photographer's dream if you're into that aesthetic.
As for what to *do*… well, that's where it gets a little… limited. There are some shops selling local crafts (which, honestly, were mostly tourist traps, but charming ones!), teahouses, and restaurants (more on those later). I spent a ridiculous amount of time just… walking. Which was actually kind of *nice*. You know, away from the relentless beeping of modern life. I swear, I think I even started to breathe a little slower.
But be warned: if you're expecting a bustling metropolis, you'll be disappointed. Think charming village, not city of lights. My patience, however, was getting tested, and waiting in line at one tiny shop selling snacks for half an hour was also not a great time.
Food! FOOD! Tell me about the food! Was it edible, or was it a dare?
Oh, the food. Right. Let's be honest, the food was a significant make-or-break element. I went in *hungry*. Ready to sample everything. And... well, it was a rollercoaster. The little noodle shop down the street from the Inn? Glorious. Simple, cheap, the owner was a sweet old lady who looked like she’d been making noodles since dinosaurs roamed the earth. Best noodles I've *ever* had, seriously. One day, I just walked in to a kitchen - they were all in the middle of their lunch, and I didn't want to bother them - and one of them, probably the owner's granddaughter, saw me, and just motioned for me to sit. She looked around and whispered in Chinese, "Too spicy?" I just looked at her, shrugged, and she smiled and brought me the *most amazing* bowl of spicy noodles. Heaven.
Then there was the fancier place advertised as "Authentic Local Cuisine". Atmosphere? Charming. Service? Sloooooooow. The food? Let's just say I'm not entirely convinced the "stinky tofu" was *supposed* to smell like a public restroom. It was potent. I tried a little. Then I tried a *tiny* bit more. And then I just… gave up. My stomach just lurched. Another dish? Spicy duck neck. It *looked* amazing. It *smelled* amazing. One bite? SO spicy my face turned red, my eyes watered, and I genuinely thought my taste buds were going to stage a revolt! I had like 6 bottles of water. My stomach was killing me - I think I wanted to throw up - and there was a family of 8 next to me eating *every single scrap* of it. I'm clearly not built for adventure.
So, mix it with some successes and some failures. The noodle shop? 10/10 would recommend. The "authentic" place? Maybe skip it unless you have a cast iron stomach and a love for the extreme. I ended up reaching for the little instant ramen cup I’d packed, feeling like a culinary coward. I stand by it being delicious.
Any MUST-DO recommendations, or things to AVOID AT ALL COSTS?
Must-Do: Wander. Just wander. Get lost in the alleyways. Take pictures of doors. Sit in a teahouse (even if you don't like tea, the vibe is worth it). Find that noodle shop, seriously. *And* try to catch a sunset over the rice paddies. It's... actually stunning. Prepare to be disappointed, however, because it's possible the day you're there is incredibly cloudy, and the sun won't even peek out. But still worth the effort!
Avoid at All Costs: Expecting perfect Wi-Fi (seriously, lower your expectations). Trying to be "efficient" with your time (just embrace the slow pace). Getting freaked out by the silence (it's good for you, I promise!). And, unless you're a professional competitive eater, maybe skip that “authentic" restaurant.
Would you go back? Be brutally honest.
Okay, this is the million-dollar question. Honestly? Maybe. If I REALLY needed a break from the chaos of modern life, and if the Wi-Fi miraculously improved… and if I could guarantee myself a steady supply of those noodles… then yeah, maybe. But I'd go with *very* low expectations and a LOT of patience. And I would probably bring my own Wi-Fi hotspot just in case. You know, for emergencies. And I may or may not bring a bottle of antacid... It was both kinda awful and kinda great. That's life, right?
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