Honeymoon in Guilin & Yangshuo — Where to Stay?
8 Romantic Riverside Hotels for Couples — Private Villas, Infinity Pools, Karst Views

We open the honeymoon list with the resort couples call the most romantic in Yangshuo — Banyan Tree Yangshuo scores 9.6/10 from around 5,138 real guest reviews. It's a five-star villa resort in southern-Chinese style on the Li / Yulong rivers at Fuli Town, with karst peaks on three sides. What earns it the top spot is that there are top-tier villas with a private pool, so a couple can be completely alone; the rooms are villas looking out over the river and the peaks. Honeymooners say the same things over and over: total privacy, lovely mountain-and-river views, Banyan Tree-level service, and a relaxed mood that's made for two. The honest catch: it's in Yangshuo, ~65km from central Guilin (and Fuli Town is further out again from Yangshuo town), it's not the pick for seeing the city, and it has the highest from-price on the list.

If your couple loves design, this is a honeymoon dream — Alila Yangshuo scores 9.6/10 from around 2,043 real guest reviews. It's a five-star resort converted from a 1960s sugar mill on the Li River in Yangshuo, where the raw brick-and-concrete shells meet contemporary architecture to make a strikingly photogenic backdrop, and there's a pool set on the old sugar-conveyor platform looking out at the karst peaks — the shot every couple takes. Guests say the same things over and over: the architecture is striking, the atmosphere is calm, the service is good, and the mountain-and-river views are worth the trip. The honest catch: it's in Yangshuo, ~65km from central Guilin (a ~1–1.5hr drive), so it's not the pick if you mainly want to see the city, and it's design-resort pricing.

This is the resort that became Yangshuo's iconic couple's shot — Shuidaotian Resort scores 9.4/10 from around 1,880 real guest reviews. It's a Japanese-inspired minimalist design resort set among the rice terraces in the Yulong River Ten-Mile Gallery area, and what brings couples here is the infinity pool floating over the rice terraces — you soak and look out over the green paddies and the karst peaks — plus rooms with 270° floor-to-ceiling windows you can take in from bed. There are top-tier villas with a private pool and terrace at around 400 sqm. Couples praise the views that photograph beautifully from every angle, the calm, restful design, and the free buffet breakfast and afternoon tea. The honest catch: it's deep among the rice fields in Yangshuo, ~37km from the rail station, so it's not the pick for the city and you'll rely on a transfer or rental car, and it's a local property with no review page of ours — confirm foreign-passport check-in when booking.

This is the small boutique that scores highest on the whole list, and it suits couples who want quiet privacy — Li River Resort scores 9.7/10 from around 167 real guest reviews. It's a boutique resort of just 21 rooms on the west bank of the Li River at Shuangtan Village, and what couples fall for is the infinity pool over the Li River, where you soak with a full view of the water and the karst peaks. Because it's a small, family-run resort, the mood is warm and personal, and the English-speaking staff help arrange cruises and bike rentals. Guests praise the views that are lovely from everywhere, and the calm of being away from the crowds while still near the cruise dock and West Street. The honest catch: there are only 21 rooms so it books out fast, the pool is open only in the warmer months (around Apr–mid-Dec), it's in Yangshuo not the city, and it's a local property with no review page of ours — confirm foreign-passport check-in when booking.

This is the in-city pick for couples who want romance but still want to see Guilin easily — Shangri-La Hotel Guilin scores 9.3/10 from around 4,143 real guest reviews. It's the city's flagship riverside five-star, on the east bank of the Li River in Qixing district by Seven Star Park, with spacious grounds to stroll together; the river-view rooms open onto the water with the karst peaks behind, and there's riverside dining for a dinner for two. Guests praise the lovely river views, the reliable Shangri-La service, the relaxing grounds and pool, and the Horizon Club rooms with lounge access. The honest catch: it's on the east bank, not in the walkable sightseeing core (a ~10-minute taxi to Central Square), the city-view rooms don't get the river (specify a river-view room when booking), and it's five-star pricing.

This is the Yulong-riverside boutique that laid-back couples love — Yangshuo Mountain Retreat scores 9.2/10 from around 748 real guest reviews. It sits on the Yulong River at the foot of Wanggong Mountain, in the heart of the Ten-Mile Gallery, and what couples like is the balcony / terrace rooms that open onto bamboo rafts drifting down the Yulong River — you can sip a coffee and watch the peaks and the water all day. There are free bikes for guests to cycle the rice fields together, the English-speaking staff are fluent and help plan trips, and the restaurant does good-value Chinese and Western food. Guests praise the lovely river views, the calm oasis-like setting, and the warm service. The honest catch: it's a mid-size boutique with no pool, it's on the Yulong River in Yangshuo so it's not the pick for the city, and it's a local property with no review page of ours — confirm foreign-passport check-in when booking.

This is the in-city pick for couples who'd rather see Guilin than tuck away in a resort — Sheraton Guilin Hotel scores 9.1/10 from around 4,876 real guest reviews. It's the big-brand five-star with the most central location on the list, on the Li River on Binjiang Road in Xiufeng district, and the standout is that it's a ~5-minute walk to Elephant Trunk Hill and it has Li River-view rooms you won't easily find from a city-centre hotel. Book a river-view room and you can step out for a riverside stroll to Elephant Trunk Hill together first thing, then walk to the Two Rivers Four Lakes for the night light show. Guests praise the walk-everywhere location, the Sheraton-brand service, and the Executive rooms with Club Lounge access. The honest catch: the building has been open a while, so the styling is classic rather than the newest in town, the city-view rooms don't get the river, and rates rise in high season and on holidays.

We close the list with the riverside resort that's in Yangshuo town, for couples who want to be near the West Street buzz at night — Green Lotus Hotel scores 9.2/10 from around 2,348 real guest reviews. It sits at the foot of Green Lotus Peak on the Li River, and what couples like are the river- and Green Lotus Peak-view rooms and the outdoor pool by the river with karst views to laze by. Its edge over the others in the Yangshuo group is that it's a ~5-minute walk to West Street (西街), so couples who want to head out for an evening stroll and a bite have it easy. Guests praise the riverside location near West Street, the river-and-peak views, and the varied breakfast. The honest catch: it's a building that's been open a while (renovated 2021), and some reviews note room soundproofing and a few dated touches, the pool is open only in summer (around May–Oct), and it's a local property with no review page of ours — confirm foreign-passport check-in when booking.