The Best Place to Stay in Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie City is located in the Hunan providence, in south central China. It is known for its rivers and mountains and is a nature lovers paradise. People flock to Zhangjiajie City each year to visit its many National Parks, the big three sights being Zhangjiajie National Park, Tianzi Mountain and Tianmen Mountain.  

When researching for our trip, there were so many options for hotels and neighborhoods in Zhangjiajie that I found it overwhelming. I knew our flight was coming in late, and I intended on taking an early train out on departure, so I liked the idea of staying closer to the airport and train station. This meant booking something closer to Tianmen Mountain so we could be close to most of our destinations. Luckily, I came across The Asgard Lodge-XMAN on booking.com and picked it for its super high reviews and reasonable price. Little did I know this would be the very best experience we could have had on our trip to China. 

The Asgard Lodge is tucked aside in a small residential neighborhood on the road to Tianmen Mountain. It took us about 5 minutes to reach the mountain gates by taxi and about 15 or 20 to reach the airport or train station. The trip to Zhangjiajie National Park and Tianzi Mountain was about 40 minutes by taxi, on well traveled highways with only one tiny winding part, making it an easy trip. 

We arrived in the dark of night, tired and a small bit anxious about being in the countryside. Thankfully, the hotel arranged a private transfer for us from the airport at no cost. The transfer was easy to arrange, as communication was thorough and quick through WeChat (once I figured out how to use it!). The driver had a sign with our name on it and got us to the accommodation post haste. We were greeted upon check in at the front door, with a beautiful water feature and soft lighting guiding us through the tall glass doors. The common area had several comfortable seating options, a billiards table and a breakfast nook, complete with beautifully appointed traditional decorations. Check in was smooth, we paid with Alipay, and the hotel offered to book our tickets for us for the next morning to Tianmen Mountain. Upstairs, our room was just as wonderful. A sweet living area gave way to a large western style bathroom with a glass encased shower. On the other end of the suite a bedroom of two comfortable beds draped in fluffy white bedding framed large windows and a generous balcony. We were so relieved to have such fantastic accommodations for our three days in the Zhangjiajie. 

In the morning, we were greeted downstairs with four breakfast options- Rice noodles, noodles, wontons, or dumplings. I intended to try something different each day but after tasting the delicious noodles on the first morning I was hooked. There is something so satisfying about a bowl of homemade warm noodles in a salty broth for breakfast, topped with chicken, eggs, and a bit of chives. Yum yum yum! We were also given some local tea- Zhangjiajie Berry Tea- and I was instantly in love with it. After fueling up, I sat with the girls in the lobby and charted our course for the next two days. They were eager and enthusiastic to answer all of my questions, using a hand held translator to give me fantastic advice and special tips. They even arranged round trip transport for us which really took the pressure off. Armed with my two marked-up maps, we departed for our first day adventure: Tianmen Mountain. We began our adventure at the Mountain entrance and took the cable car to the Fortune Skywalk. We then took the escalator from the square to Tianmen Cave. From there, we continued on the trans mountain escalator to the plateau at the top. Our hosts recommended we take the Western Glass Bottom Cliffside Path to the Suspension Bridge and then to Tianmen Mountain Temple. From there, stop at Yunmeng Fairy Peak, and then make our way back down the mountain. It was a cold and cloudy trip but we were thankful to have the guidance!

That evening, after returning from a long, wet day, we were greeted once again at the door- this time with a cup of delicious hot ginger tea. They helped us order dinner to be delivered from a local establishment, and we showered and warmed up while we waited. Dinner was everything I could have asked for, chicken stir fried with hearty veggies and a side of white rice. And tea of course.  

We slept wonderfully that night and woke early to depart for Zhangjiajie National Park and Tianzi Mountain. Since tickets and transport were again pre-arranged for us, we had a stress free morning. Breakfast was superb, and then we got into the car for a lovely 40 minute drive. The driver dropped us at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Entrance, where we entered the gates with our passport. Our first view of the Avatar Mountains was awe inspiring. It was everything we had heard it would be and more! How exciting to finally arrive at such a magical place. It was fairly simple to find the route along Golden Whip Stream, a leisurely riverside walk that weaved along the foot of the giant sandstone pillars. We stopped dozens of times along the 7.5km walk to admire the views and take photos, although we couldn’t capture the beauty of the land around us adequately enough on film. The giant sandstone pillars had emerged from centuries of uplifting and erosion to make these mountains seem floating in the clouds. It took us about 2.5 hours to complete the walk, which ended at Water Winding Four Gates. From there, we took a bus to the Bailong Elevator, then up up up 1000 feet to the upper area of the National Park. Unfortunately for us, that 1000 feet took us square into the clouds. Which means we did not get the epic upper view of the Hallelujah Mountains. However, we did get a few harrowing rides on several busses connecting us to Tianzi Mountain and then a completely foggy, spooky ride down the cable car to the Wulingyuan Entrance of the park, where we caught a taxi back to the hotel. Honestly, the walk along Golden Whip Stream was so epic we weren’t totally disappointed in our trip, but I really hope that bad luck doesn’t pass on to anyone else. 

Once again, the hotel made our evening exceptional, ordering us in another scrumptious dinner of shredded pork and carrot stir fry, which we ate in our comfiest jammies curled up with some hot tea. That evening, I was asleep by 5:15pm and slept a full 12 hours. It was glorious. 

Our final morning at the Asgard Lodge-XMAN, breakfast had a surprising twist. In addition to the eggs and chicken, this noodle ramen had tomatoes, generous chunks of ginger and garlic, and roasted sweet potatoes. I could literally eat this every day. And the BERRY TEA- have I mentioned it? We took a taxi into the Old City for some shopping, finding so many great treasures to bring home. We returned one last time to gather our bags and thank our lovely hosts for making our time so memorable. Sadly, our trip to Asgard Lodge-XMAN came to an end, but we will be forever grateful for the kindness and hospitality shown to us during our stay. 

Zhangjiajie City and the surrounding National Parks are a unique paradise, made only better by the best place to stay! We hope you get to go and have a great visit, just as we did!