Sheraton Guilin Hotel — Arguably the Best Location of Any Guilin 5-Star, a 5-Minute Walk to Elephant Trunk Hill
Picture a 5-star hotel where you pull back the curtains and the Li River (漓江) is right there in front of you; where you walk out of the lobby and in under five minutes you're at Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山), the symbol of the city; and where another short turn brings you to Two Rivers Four Lakes and the Zhengyang pedestrian street. That's the appeal of Sheraton Guilin Hotel (桂林大宇喜来登饭店), a 5-star riverside hotel at 15 Binjiang Road in Xiufeng District — a spot guests describe with one voice as arguably the best location of any Guilin 5-star. Score 9.1/10 from around 4,876 real guest reviews. What people praise most is the breakfast buffet with Guilin rice noodles made to order, the leafy atrium garden in the middle of the building, and the river-and-karst views from the rooms. Honestly, if you want a hotel you can actually walk the city's headline sights from — without flagging a taxi every time — this is the pick that gets it right. Just go in knowing the building has a fair few years on it.
Here's the first thing that sets Sheraton Guilin apart from the other 5-stars in town — the location. The hotel sits on the Li River (漓江) in the heart of Xiufeng District, at 15 Binjiang Road, just a ~5-minute walk from Elephant Trunk Hill (象鼻山), the symbol of Guilin. Across the water is Two Rivers Four Lakes (两江四湖), and a little further on are the Zhengyang pedestrian street (正阳步行街) and Central Square. Put simply, nearly all of the city's headline sights are within walking distance. Reviewers agree this is the main reason they chose to stay here — you don't have to summon a DiDi every time you want to head out; you just walk out the door and your trip is underway.
Praised just as often is the breakfast buffet, which is generously varied with both Chinese and Western options — but the star everyone mentions is the Guilin rice noodles (桂林米粉), made fresh to order at the counter. If you've come all the way to Guilin you'll want to try the city's signature dish anyway, and getting it from breakfast onwards is a nice bonus. The building itself has a leafy atrium garden at its core that keeps the feel open and airy rather than boxed-in. There's a well-kept swimming pool and gym, and many rooms face out onto views of the Li River and the karst hills — the kind of view you rarely get from a typical downtown hotel.
One guest recalls: "Fantastic location — only a 5-minute walk to Elephant Trunk Hill, and the riverside stroll past Two Rivers Four Lakes at night is stunning. Breakfast had Guilin rice noodles made fresh and they were delicious. The staff were friendly and helpful, and our room looked out on the river and the mountains. The building is a touch older than the newer hotels, but it's clean and well looked-after. Great value for this kind of location."
On service, guests say it's the dependable Sheraton-brand standard — friendly staff who are happy to help, especially with arranging the Li River cruise and trips out to Yangshuo, which are the two things almost every visitor to Guilin wants to do. The hotel's riverside position also makes it easy to walk to the dock for the evening Two Rivers Four Lakes cruise — gliding past the illuminated Sun & Moon Pagodas (日月双塔) and the lit-up bridges is a highlight not to miss. And if you're planning a split-stay — Guilin city plus Yangshuo — this location works beautifully as a base for the city side before you take the road or river on to Yangshuo.
Now for the honest gripes, compiled from real guest reviews, because they're real and worth knowing before you book. The first and most important is that the building dates to 1988 and was only renovated in 2021, so the overall design still reads classic and somewhat older — a number of guests feel the rooms or bathrooms show their age next to newer competitors. If you're expecting a sleek, brand-new modern room, temper that expectation first. The second is the small stuff a few reviews flag — furniture or fixtures here and there that match the building's vintage — though cleanliness and upkeep still score well overall. If you can live with the classic feel and you weight walk-everywhere location above all, this is excellent value.
Standard rates start at around ~¥520 (฿2,600) a night for an entry-level room; in normal periods they swing roughly ¥520–900 depending on season, room type and view, with river-view rooms a notch higher. The thing to watch is that Guilin hotel prices swing hard with the seasons and holidays — over Chinese New Year, the Golden Week holiday (Oct 1–7) and the summer (Jul–Aug), which is peak Li River season, rates jump several-fold and rooms fill fast. Off-season and winter generally get you the lightest prices. If you want a good deal, book several weeks ahead and pick a free-cancellation rate to be safe. One more reminder — Guilin has no metro. You get around by city bus, taxi/DiDi and high-speed rail (Guilin Station 桂林站 / Guilin North 桂林北站), with KWL airport about 30 km away. That makes the hotel's walk-everywhere location all the more valuable.
So, friend to friend — Sheraton Guilin Hotel suits travellers who put walk-everywhere location first, want a dependable 5-star standard, a good breakfast, lovely river views, and a base for Guilin city before moving on to Yangshuo. Couples, families and anyone who loves walking and taking photos will really enjoy this riverside spot. But if your heart's set on a quieter riverside resort with sprawling grounds, look at the Shangri-La on the east bank (七星) in our list; or if you want a landmark hotel with a façade waterfall show at night, the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel on Central Square is worth comparing before you decide.
Summary from Booking & Agoda
- ✓ Riverside location on the Li River — a ~5-min walk to Elephant Trunk Hill, walk to Two Rivers Four Lakes / Zhengyang St
- ✓ Varied breakfast buffet with Guilin rice noodles made fresh to order
- ✓ Leafy central atrium garden; many rooms look out on the river and mountains
- ✓ Dependable Sheraton-brand standard, friendly service, well looked-after
- ! The building dates to 1988 (renovated 2021), so the design reads classic and somewhat older
- ! Some rooms or bathrooms show their age next to newer hotels
- ✓ You can genuinely walk the city's headline sights — no need to flag a taxi every time
- ✓ Easy walk to the dock for the evening Two Rivers Four Lakes cruise
- ✓ An ideal base for Guilin city before heading on to Yangshuo
- ✓ Well-kept swimming pool and gym
- ! Furniture / fixtures in places match the building's vintage — check room photos if you want sleek-modern
- ! Over Chinese New Year / Golden Week / summer, rates jump several-fold and rooms fill fast
- 💡If you want a sleek, brand-new modern room · this building dates to 1988 (renovated 2021), the design still reads classic, and some rooms/bathrooms show their age · Fix → look at the Atour Hotel (亚朵) on Zhengyang St, which opened in 2022 with newer rooms, or the Shangri-La on the east bank in our Guilin hotel list
- 💡If you want a quieter riverside resort with sprawling grounds · the Sheraton is downtown on a busy road, so the atmosphere is livelier · Fix → look at the Shangri-La Hotel Guilin on the east bank (七星), set away from the downtown bustle with large riverside grounds (though it's a taxi, not a walk, into the pedestrian zone)
- 💡If you want a landmark Central-Square hotel at a lighter price · Fix → look at the Lijiang Waterfall Hotel facing Shan Lake, with a façade waterfall show at night around 20:00, from about ¥350, or the Universal Hotel, the best score-to-price location in town, from about ¥130