Dali

This page is about **Dali**. Look above at **"Discussion"** to post or answer questions.Use the **table of contents** on the right to help you navigate through this page. If you want to **add stuff**, use the edit button on the right (also see tips on the Guidelines page).

=General Dali Information=

toc

=Dali Hotels=

Dali Lily Pad Inn

 * Location**: Just outside the walls at the west gate of old town Dali. See link above.
 * Contact**: +86 872 2677807, +8613988569807
 * Description**: Small independent inn, travelers lodge.
 * Price** (approx): 200-400 RMB (rates vary depending on season and type of room).
 * Kid Friendly Features:** This property doesn't have specific kid friendly features per say, however not much of Dali seems to offer anything kid friendly. This property did have various family rooms available. Some standard family rooms consisted of 2 beds--one large (180cm), and a second bed medium (150cm). If your kids can sleep in a regular bed, they are certainly big enough to include them. Bathrooms do not have baths--only the mixed shower "room" concept (no separate shower space, but you shower in the whole bathroom... typical in Yunnan). The staff were especially friendly and caring (and tolerant!) with children. Kids enjoyed running around the common areas (fairly safe) though there weren't specific toys or kid things around to entertain them. Each room has a TV, though ours didn't work (and we didn't ask). They also offer cheap meals, laundry facilities, and tour/transport organization services.
 * Other Details:** This property is clustered with other hostel/hotel buildings. What makes this place special is that they have a lovely staff, and it is fairly quiet. It is also a bit more traditional in local style and culture, so you still get that Chinese feeling/vibe, but there are staff that speak excellent English. It has a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, yet it's a great place to lounge, unwind, and even share a few drinks in the patio.
 * Pictures of the rooms**
 * Trip Advisor Page**

The Jade Emu Family Suites

 * Location**: Just outside the west gate of the old town Dali City wall.
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**: A travelers facility which actually has 3 separate buildings, all next to each other. The Family Suites cater to the needs of families. The other properties are more social and "backpacker-like" in feeling.
 * Price** (approx): 150-300RMB for the family suites. The Jade Roo and Jade Emu Int'l Guest Houses have dorm rooms as cheap as 25RMB, apparently. See their website.
 * Kid Friendly Features:** The family suites are large, and have access to shared kitchen facilities, and outdoor covered dining/lounge area. Baby cots are available. There is a covered play area outside in the courtyard, especially for children, which includes trampoline, play structure and other toys. The owners have children of their own, and are receptive to family needs. Just ask! Restaurant meals are available on the other nearby properties, just outside, including BBQ, Italian restaurant, and daily breakfast.
 * Other Details:** This property is more western in style, and caters to the needs of foreign travelers. Their website (link above) and facility does a pretty good job of helping travelers find their way around and learn about the things to do. It can be bustling during meal times in the Jade Emu space, but the family suites provide a quiet escape from all that. This is literally in front of the Lily Pad Inn.

Hotel 3

 * Location**:
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:**
 * Other Details:**

=Dali Restaurants=

Birds Nest Cafe

 * Location**:
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:** Not much kid friendly here, but spaces are colorful and bright. Spiral staircase leads upstairs--tricky for kids to navigate. The whole cafe is calm, peaceful and inviting, however.
 * Other Details:** Coffee is good.They have a hostel across the road. Rooms seem decent like any standard accommodation, but the whole space appears to be a bit dark and cave-like. Clean though.

Bad Monkey

 * Location**: Renmin Lu
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:** absolutely none. They are NOT a kid-friendly place, but they are a mommy and daddy friendly place with local (yummy) beer. If you sit on the benches outside and only go during the day, you can enjoy sunshine and a drink with your kids (beer? banana shake?), and avoid cigarette smoke. They have okay food too.
 * Other Details:**

Restaurant 3

 * Location**:
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:**
 * Other Details:**

Restaurant 4

 * Location**:
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:**
 * Other Details:**

Restaurant 5

 * Location**:
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx):
 * Kid Friendly Features:**
 * Other Details:**

=Other Information=

Rent bicycles

 * Location**: Various rental locations all over town, and also from hotels.
 * Description**: Things can take some time to get around. Many places are 1-2 km away, which is not far for adults, but can be a tiring walk with toddlers or babies.
 * Price** (approx): 20-50rmb/day.
 * Kid Friendly Features**: Several places have baby seats that can be attached to bicycles. Some places even have special bikes with little toddler seats (and special footrest and handlebars) that sit just in front of the rider. Tandem bikes are also common.
 * Other Details:** It can get crowded during holiday times, so be careful as there can be lots of cars in town.

Walk the city wall

 * Location**: South gate, you can walk the whole south-west corner of the wall
 * Description**:
 * Price** (approx): free
 * Kid Friendly Features**: Tell your kids it's a princess' castle--we were lucky to catch a couple taking wedding photographs and convinced our daughter that she met the castle's local princess. :) Haha!!
 * Other Details:** It's a bumpy ride, so might not be ideal for strollers. Great views of surrounding area and Er Hai (lake) to the east.

Visit the Three Pagodas

 * Location**: west side of the city walls, north about 2km.
 * Contact**: +
 * Description**: Three large pagodas from appox 800-900AD still stand. They are in a large very popular park.
 * Price** (approx): 100rmb pp.
 * Kid Friendly Features**: Lots of green space to run around, koi pond, pretty views.
 * Other Details:** Plethora of photo opportunities, if the weather is good!

=Getting There and Around= Getting to Dali is easy enough for travelers, but tough if you have kids.
 * **Flights** - flights from Kunming are about 45 minutes.
 * **Train** - trains from Kunming can take approximately 7 hours. If you get a soft sleeper seat, there are 4 per compartment, and the compartment doors can close, so you can be separated from the rest of the crowd on the train (get 4 tickets together so you can have your own compartment). It's a long ride, but you can have privacy and relative comfort, and be able to walk around. Hard sleeper seats are six per compartment, and the doors to the compartment do not close. Be aware, as there can be lots of smokers on trains, and if in a hard sleeper compartment, there is no separation from the rest of the train.
 * **Bus** - The bus ride is about 5-6 hours, and includes 1 stop midway. The bus can be hit or miss. There is a cheaper bus, around 100RMB one way. The more expensive "luxury" (don't be fooled) bus has a toilet, and is 150RMB. Again, don't be fooled by the concept of a toilet. There is one, but it was padlocked shut the whole time when we took it. If you have a toddler, you will have to argue with the driver and service person to get them to actually open it, otherwise they typically want you to wait until you get to the rest stop so you can wait in line with the 100 other people also trying to use the toilet. The rest stop toilets are actually cleaner than the toilet at the bus stations, but all are squatters. The rest stops usually include a convenience store, toilets, and various options for food. Nothing kid-friendly, just standard benches, and sometimes a proper Chinese restaurant. The buses are not that spectacular (in cleanliness) but it seems some buses are better than others. To get a good bus would just make you lucky. The seats are also very tight, so if you are tall or large, be aware.
 * **Car** - If you have 4 people and were willing to pay 150 pp for a bus ride (total 600RMB), you might as well hire a car and driver. In peak National Holiday season, we reluctantly paid 800RMB for a car one way. Off peak, it can be around 500-600RMB. The drive time is the same as the buses, but you have the luxury of space and flexibility (and potential cleanliness). The major pitfall is that drivers can be a little crazy, speeding up and then suddenly slowing down, and weaving between cars (same with buses)--not ideal for toddlers that get motion sickness.