Homestays in Gansu, China

the hotel is small, but the room is nice, in the old town & night market. There are many shops & restaurants around and a shopping mall is just cross the street. The only thing is the car can’t access directly to the front of the hotel near to walk to the major road. The receptionist is very friendly & helpful even-though she is only one to take care the whole tasks. We recommend the owner should hire 1 more staff to assist the front desk, so the check in will not consume lots of time & waiting.

For our first night in Dunhuang, we definitely opted for a desert stay (Dunhuang Shazhou Wild Luxury Camp Hotel). For the second night, however, we needed something a little less rugged. Staying in the desert means sand everywhere, constantly – on your head, on your face, even packed into your ears! But the kids absolutely loved playing in the sand; they could spend the entire day there, even under the blazing sun. Be sure to apply plenty of sun protection; the desert sun is incredibly intense. Guesthouses are better than regular star hotels because star hotels have high foot traffic, and it's important to be mindful of protection against common illnesses like flu and respiratory infections. So, we completely skipped the Huaxia, Guoji, Tianhe, and Shazhou hotels in the city center. If your budget is tight, the Mumei Kachi Desert Camping Base is also a viable option, though it's not actually at Mingsha Mountain. If you're staying a third day in Dunhuang, you might consider some of the larger, standard hotels in the city center that have swimming pools. Also, the Sheraton in the city center is a stripped-down Four Points by Sheraton, and it doesn't have a pool.

This hostel is the best stay for my trip. Everything ais good. The hotel is decorated with woods, so mostly all are wooden made. Very classy & super clean. Very friendly & helpful stuff. Have free cleaning services. The hostel just in front of the old town which at night u can walk around. Also very near the Fu Si Miao about 15 min walks. There are plenty of restaurant just outside the hostel. Good taste and not expensive too. All the below are within walking distances

Wonderful place and wonderful family! The best accommodation we stayed in in China. Perfect position very close to the monastery. Very clean. As soon as we arrived we were greeted with a snack of dried dates, bread, butter and tzampa, accompanied by some delicious tea. We stayed with this family for two days and they always offered us breakfast, the first day with house tea and fresh bread, the second day with coffee and fried bread. We spent the evening with them and they always kept offering us food and tea, always making us feel welcome. The house is wonderful, ******* style, wooden, always very clean. The beds are really comfortable, and they have a warming blanket. Inside our room we also had an electric heater to warm ourselves, which made the room really warm and cosy. The bathroom has hot water. You can fill your water bottles from the drinking water containers they have in front of each room. We always saw them cleaning the common areas. The owner, his wife and their three children welcomed us warmly like family. I will recommend them to all my friends. Really recommended!

Best hotel I’ve stayed in on my trip. The family made me feel so welcome. The room was very comfortable and quiet. Lots of hot water. Food was great. They gave me a bike to cycle to the grasslands and did my washing for free! Also dropped me at the bus station. So kind and lovely. And the owner speaks perfect English.

Amazing, the hosts/staff were so friendly and helpful. From giving great advise on what time to visit different areas of the canyons to avoid crowds, driving you to scenic areas too far to walk and even dropping me off at the railway station at midnight when I couldn’t get a taxi. Just fantastic! Room was comfortable and great size, amazing showers, super peaceful and mostly importantly amazing views of the canyon (including lights being projected onto the canyon at night). I definitely recommend for a great experience!

My parents went to Jiayuguan for fun, and I booked this for them. I chose Moluo Inn purely because of the reviews, but the feedback from my parents proved that my choice was right. The environment is very clean, the breakfast is exquisite and nutritionally balanced, there are three-fort tea, and herbal bags for foot bath. Because my parents are older, the boss also provided free pick-up and drop-off services, and helped to contact a chartered car for sightseeing the next day, which made people feel the warmth of a strange city. The room is also very clean and quiet. You can see the Qilian Mountains in the distance from the room, which is very suitable for complete relaxation.

This was our third trip to Dunhuang, and we chose Molan Homestay this time because we saw it was newly opened. The pictures looked good, so we booked it. The homestay is located in a village, a bit out of the city center, but it's very quiet. There's parking right in front, which is convenient, though no EV charging. That's understandable; installing chargers isn't simple and requires grid approval. I chatted with the owner, and he said they're working on it, so hopefully, next time I won't have to go elsewhere to charge. The homestay environment is lovely, just like the photos, perfect for photoshoots. The front desk staff was super enthusiastic. After we checked in that evening, they must have noticed us eyeing the bar's liquor, because they proactively poured us two large glasses of craft beer. And I have to say, the craft beer chosen by the owner was absolutely fantastic, it really helped shake off the fatigue from driving all the way from Delingha to Dunhuang. Kudos to the owner! For breakfast, the owner was very thoughtful, asking what we'd like and if we wanted it delivered to our room. The food tasted good, and the dishes were healthy, catering to most tastes. When we left, they even gave us some essentials for the road, like wet wipes and compressed towels. All in all, this trip was tiring, but the experience was wonderful. Oh, and one minor regret: I came at the wrong time. The Li Guang apricots at the homestay weren't ripe yet. Otherwise, I could have experienced an all-you-can-eat apricot feast! I hope next time I visit, the apricots haven't all been picked. I definitely want to pick the first ripe one (though the owner will probably get it first, haha). That's all for now, see you next time!

The house is very clean and spacious. The bathroom is also separated into dry and wet areas, and the toilet is also automatic. Most importantly, there is a balcony with fully automatic screens. When the sun is good in the afternoon, you can take pictures and drink tea there and relax. The boss is also very good and will help you put your luggage. The service attitude is very good. It was a great trip and I will come again next time.

Dunhuang, a place my heart longs to visit. The guesthouse is tastefully furnished, and you can lie on the sofa and stargaze at night. The suite perfectly accommodates a large family; our group consisted of my wife, my father-in-law, and two children, but it seemed like four adults and children could fit comfortably. We drove from Longnan, experiencing lush forests, breathtaking natural wonders of Danxia and Yardang landforms, and finally, Dunhuang, a treasure in the hearts of every Gansu resident. Everything in Dunhuang was exactly as I imagined, and this guesthouse perfectly matched that. No regrets about staying here. The guesthouse is very close to Crescent Lake, about a kilometer walk to the main entrance. If you happen to be there during a stargazing concert, you can take the owner's small electric scooter directly to the main entrance. Along the way, you can see newly sprouted jujubes and camels happily returning home from work. After the concert, you can call the owner to pick you up from the main entrance. At night, you can also ask the owner to escort you to the campsite to photograph the Milky Way. The owner has car washing tools. There were quite a few small insects along the way, and during the summer, many large trucks carrying beehives made a significant impact on the city's appearance after exiting the highway! Since we drove here, it was very convenient to get to Shazhou Night Market. I've already checked it out for everyone. You absolutely must try the scallion beef pancake at Shazhou Food Inn, where the longest queue is! Also try the Northern-style grilled fish, apricot tea, iced tofu pudding, and a steamed dumpling stall inside – that's enough. There's no need to try anything else. Our itinerary was to check in at 4 PM on the first day, then head straight to Shazhou Food Inn (it's located inside Dunhuang Night Market; the guys at the entrance are very enthusiastic and good at attracting customers, but time is limited, so this part of the time is well worth dedicating to Shazhou Food Inn). We bought tickets that evening; one ticket is valid for three days, and children can play in the sand on nights without the stargazing concert. Remember to bring your ID! The next morning at 7:00 AM, we drove to the parking lot at the east gate of Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake. If parking is convenient, you can also park at the parking lot under the large shade structure at the main gate. After entering the park, we first rode camels to tour the mountain (the riding distance here is definitely worth it; pedal firmly and follow the camel's gait without hurting your butt. To be honest, the camels here don't have an unpleasant smell). The camel resting point is near Mingsha Mountain. After eating a really expensive creative ice cream, we started climbing the mountain. Before 9:00 AM, the sand is not hot to the touch, so be sure to wear shoe covers. If you only wear flip-flops or Crocs, they will get stolen. The little sparrows in the desert are quite idyllic. At the top of the ladder, you can see the entire view of Crescent Lake and roughly know where to go next. If you have extra energy and amazing stamina, you can climb further up to the top and see a vast, endless desert. It's very beautiful but a little scary. There are refrigerator magnets with small sand bottles in the creative shops by Crescent Lake. You can take some fine sand home, but they are a little pricey. At noon, we checked out Ga Liu, then went to Dunhuang Bookstore and bought a set of ”The Amazing Dunhuang” for the kids. We also glanced at the Danghe River nearby. It's worth mentioning that Dunhuang's urban area is very unique; there are no high-rises. Even though the architecture is modern, you can still feel the strong Western Region style. The cultural heritage is truly impressive. Then we went back to the room to sleep. At 4 pm, we finished the makeup, styling, and photoshoot for the next morning (during summer, definitely book for 6 pm, those who know, know). In the evening, we had the much-anticipated stargazing concert, which was a pretty good experience, but once is enough. You can sneak a drone; I recommend an Air 3s or better. With lots of people, the lower the risk of crashing at night, the better. On the third morning, we got up very early. Makeup and styling took about an hour. The photoshoot was at a campsite; make sure to bring plenty of water. We had a quick lunch. During peak season, we set off an hour and a half early for the Mogao Grottoes (tickets need to be booked a month in advance; if you don't get them, you might occasionally find tickets at 7 am, 7:30 am, and 4:30 pm, but it's all luck). That concludes our Dunhuang tour.