Mehood Hotel Xi'an Lintong — Stay a Ten-Minute Walk From the Terracotta Army and Beat the Tour Buses In
Picture waking up, walking out of the lobby, and reaching the gates of the Terracotta Army in under fifteen minutes — standing in front of Pit 1 the moment it opens, before the coach loads from the city arrive mid-morning. That's the one reason people choose Mehood Hotel Xi'an Lintong Terracotta Army Hua Qing Palace (美豪酒店 西安临潼兵马俑华清池店), a small, British-styled 4-star design hotel in the Lintong district that opened in 2018 with around 76 rooms, set just about 0.7 km from the Terracotta Army and within walking distance of Huaqing Palace. Score 9.6/10 from around 3,600 real guest reviews. Let's be clear from the start: this is not a city hotel you can walk to the Bell Tower or City Wall from — it's out east, next to the Warriors. Understand that going in, and it's about the most convenient, best-value base there is for an early Terracotta Army visit, at a fraction of the price of the hot-spring resorts next door.
Honestly, the single selling point that makes Mehood Hotel Lintong worth a look is its walking-distance location to the Terracotta Army. The hotel sits at No. 8 Shuyuan East Road, Lintong District, only about 0.7 km from the entrance to the Terracotta Army (兵马俑) — an easy 10–15 minute walk — and you can stroll on to Huaqing Palace (华清宫), the thousand-year-old hot-spring site tied to the Yang Guifei legend, in around 15–20 minutes. The Lintong Museum is just ~400 m away too. This is something city hotels simply can't offer: stay in town and reaching the Warriors means an hour each way by car, and you arrive late, into the crowds.
One guest recalls: "Spotlessly clean rooms, really comfy beds, lovely helpful staff. In the morning the Terracotta Army was barely ten minutes' walk away, so we got in ahead of all the tour groups and had space to take photos. The local-style breakfast was good, and there's free parking too. Just bear in mind it's outside the city and quiet in the evening — you'll need to call a car if you want to eat in town."
The hotel itself is a British-styled design hotel with a little bar-and-theatre concept, and it looks more polished than you'd expect for a smaller-city property. The detail people single out is the 3D home cinema with a 100-inch screen on site — handy for an evening when you come back tired and just want to put your feet up and watch a film. There are around 76 rooms in several styles, some with views of nearby Mount Li; most are spacious and clean, with comfortable beds, fibre-optic internet and Wi-Fi throughout. Facilities run to a Chinese restaurant serving a local Shaanxi-style breakfast, free private parking, room service, a conference room and laundry — but to be straight with you, there is no swimming pool, no spa and no on-site hot springs here, unlike the hot-spring resorts next door such as the Angsana. If you want a mineral soak, you walk over to Huaqing Palace.
The point we have to stress is that there is no metro here. Lintong is a fair way east of central Xi'an, so unlike city hotels such as the Sofitel Legend or the Atour by the South Gate — which are a walk from a station — getting around relies on walking to the nearby sights, then taxis, DiDi or the public bus to reach the city. If you want to wander the Bell Tower, the Muslim Quarter, or the Big Wild Goose Pagoda in town, allow around 50 minutes to an hour each way depending on traffic. Another option many travellers use is a short high-speed train from Xi'an Railway Station or Xi'an North to Lintong station, then a local hop. As for the airport, Xi'an Xianyang International (XIY) is about an hour's drive away.
A score of 9.6/10 from around 3,600 real reviews is very high for a hotel in this price bracket, and it shows guests rate it as genuine value. The recurring praise is for the cleanliness, the comfortable beds, the warm and helpful staff, the walk-to-the-Warriors location, the free parking and the local breakfast — drivers and self-drive travellers in particular love it, because parking here is effortless compared with the city. The criticisms are real, though, and worth weighing first.
The most common gripe is that it's out of town, quiet in the evening, and there aren't many dining options right around the hotel — after sunset the Terracotta Army area empties out as the day-trippers head back to the city, so for a proper dinner you'll either eat in the hotel or call a car into town. The second is that it's a small hotel without the facilities of a big one — no pool, no full gym, and a few reviews note the standard rooms aren't huge and that parts of the building show a little wear with age. The third is that it fills up fast over the Chinese long holidays, since everyone wants to stay near the Warriors.
Standard rates start at around ~¥350 (฿1,750) per night, which is light compared with the Lintong hot-spring resorts that start north of ¥1,000. A typical range is ฿1,750–3,000 depending on season and room type, and many rates include breakfast for two. China's long holidays — Golden Week (October 1–7), Chinese New Year and Labour Day (May 1–5) — push rates up and fill rooms fast, so book ahead for those dates. On the whole, if you want to see the Terracotta Army at an easy pace, up early and in ahead of the crowds, without paying resort prices, Mehood Hotel Lintong is one of the best-value, best-placed picks out there.
The honest summary, friend to friend: Mehood Hotel Lintong is for travellers who want to see the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace on foot, be up early and in ahead of the tour groups, self-drive with free parking, or keep the budget down while staying close. If you're fine being out of town, with quiet evenings and no pool or hot springs on site, it's excellent value. But if your trip is mainly about exploring central Xi'an's old quarter on foot, or you want hot springs at your hotel, compare it against the city-centre Sofitel Legend / Atour by the South Gate, or the Angsana Xi'an Lintong resort, in our list first.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ A 10–15 minute walk to the Terracotta Army — in ahead of the tour groups
- ✓ Spotless rooms, comfy beds, warm and helpful staff
- ✓ Free private parking, ideal for self-drive travellers
- ✓ Good local Shaanxi-style breakfast · 3D cinema on site
- ! No metro — reaching the city means a taxi, DiDi or bus
- ! Out of town and quiet in the evening, with few restaurants nearby
- ✓ Walking distance to both the Terracotta Army and Huaqing Palace
- ✓ Polished British-style design, with a 100-inch 3D cinema
- ✓ Excellent value next to the Lintong hot-spring resorts
- ✓ Many rates include breakfast for two · free Wi-Fi throughout
- ! A small hotel — no pool, spa or on-site hot springs
- ! Fills up fast over the Chinese long holidays
- 💡If your trip is mainly about exploring the old town on foot · This is out in Lintong with no metro, so it's a 50-minute-to-1-hour ride to the Bell Tower / Muslim Quarter each way · Fix → for city walking, look at the Sofitel Legend or the Atour by the South Gate in our list, and make the Terracotta Army a day trip
- 💡If you want hot springs or a pool at your hotel · Mehood is a small design hotel with no pool, no spa and no on-site mineral baths · Fix → for resort-style hot springs, look at the Angsana Xi'an Lintong with its 26 outdoor pools (though it costs several times more), or simply walk over to Huaqing Palace for a soak
- 💡If you're visiting over a Chinese long holiday · Golden Week / Chinese New Year / Labour Day draw crowds wanting to stay near the Warriors, so rates climb and rooms sell out · Fix → book ahead, take a free-cancellation rate, and enter the Terracotta Army right at opening to dodge the busiest hours