JI Hotel Lijiang Ancient Town — A Clean Chain by the Old-Town Gate, Modern Rooms, Soft Beds, and an Easy Walk into the Lanes

The first selling point here is a location on the edge of the old town that lets you walk into the lanes yet still sleep away from the bustle inside. The hotel sits at No. 259 Minzhu Road in Gucheng District, the road that skirts the northern rim of the old town. Guests say the same thing again and again: a few minutes' walk from the door brings you to the Big Waterwheel (大水车), the landmark that marks the North Gate of Dayan Old Town. Step into the stone lanes from there and you reach Sifang Street (四方街) in the heart of the old town, with its restaurants, cafés and bar street. Black Dragon Pool Park (黑龙潭), where you can photograph Jade Dragon Snow Mountain reflected in the water, is just to the north — a walk or a quick ride away. It's a base that lets you sightsee the old town on foot and come back to a quiet room, without dragging a case over stone lanes that no car can reach.

On getting around, it helps to know that Lijiang has no metro, and Dayan Old Town is car-free — you walk. Most travellers fly into Lijiang Sanyi Airport (LJG), about 28 km to the south, then take a taxi or transfer into town in roughly 40–50 minutes; others arrive by rail at Lijiang Railway Station (丽江站), about 10 km out, with trains to Kunming in around 3–3.5 hours, Dali in about 2 hours and Shangri-La in about 1.3 hours. From the airport or the station, a car can drop you near the hotel, and you walk the last stretch. In town you rely mainly on DiDi or taxis. This kind of location suits travellers who want to explore the old town on foot and call a car now and then for further-out spots like Jade Dragon Snow Mountain or Shuhe.

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On the rooms, it helps to understand the JI (全季) brand first — this is Huazhu's flagship select-service midscale chain, known for clean, understated modern rooms in wood-and-grey tones and a steady standard across every branch. There's a good spread of room types here, from an entry-level Queen/King at around 22–26 sqm that's compact but well-organised, up to a Deluxe at about 28–32 sqm that's roomier and, in some rooms, has a small sofa by a window looking over the old town or the hills. The recurring praise is for cleanliness, a bed and pillows that are soft just right, a large TV, a fridge and tea set, and hot water that stays strong and steady — which matters a lot in a town where the nights turn cold.

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The criticisms are real and worth knowing first. The first: this is a modern chain hotel, not a traditional Naxi stone-courtyard inn. If you're dreaming of an old wooden courtyard, a lotus pond and the atmosphere of a lane-side kezhan (客栈), this will feel like an 'in-town hotel' instead — the trade-off being cleanliness and a predictable night's sleep. The second: the entry-level rooms are on the compact side, and not every room has an open outlook; if you want a roomier room or an old-town / mountain view, choose a Deluxe or above and request it when you book. And one you can't ignore: Lijiang sits at around 2,400 m above sea level, so some people feel tired easily on the first day or two, get a little short of breath, or sleep poorly from the altitude. Take it slow at first, drink plenty of water, and rest enough.

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A score of around 9.2/10 from over 1,700 real reviews reflects how pleased guests generally are, especially with the cleanliness, the location by the old-town gate, and the value. The repeated praise is for clean rooms, comfortable beds, easy old-town sightseeing, and staff who'll arrange a car to further-out sights. This is a chain focused on good rooms and a good location, so it doesn't carry resort amenities — there's no swimming pool and no large spa. If you want a rooftop pool, panoramic snow-mountain views or a full spa, look at the 5-star resorts such as the InterContinental Lijiang, the Pullman or Banyan Tree in our list instead. But if your main aim is to walk the old town and come back to a clean, quiet room, this does the job in full.

Standard rates start at around ~¥420 (฿2,100) per night, with a typical range of ฿2,100–3,500 depending on season and room type. China's long holidays — Golden Week (October 1–7), Chinese New Year and Labour Day (May 1–5) — plus the summer peak (July–August), when domestic travellers head up to Yunnan to escape the heat, push rates up and fill rooms fast, so book several weeks ahead if you're coming then. The honest summary, friend to friend: the old-town branch of JI Hotel in Lijiang is for travellers who want to wander Dayan Old Town, photograph the waterwheel, visit Black Dragon Pool and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, and have a clean, modern chain room by the gate at a sensible price. If you can live with a compact entry-level room and no pool, and you'd rather have the steadiness of a chain than the atmosphere of an old lane, it's excellent value — but if you want a traditional wooden courtyard or a snow-mountain resort, compare it against a lane-side kezhan or the 5-star resorts in our list first.