It takes about an hour to get to the hostel near the west gate entrance of Zhangjiajie Forest Park from the high-speed rail station. This hostel has a unique geographical location and occupies a large area. There are mountains and forests on all sides, the air is fresh, the scenery is beautiful, and the facilities are very modern. This time we rented a suite, which was big enough for three people to share. The hotel is fully equipped with restaurants, swimming pools, public spaces, etc. It is rare to be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the primeval forest and have an intimate accommodation experience.
What is surprising is that this hostel is managed by only a few young people. They are polite, always available, and provide considerate service. Their attitude towards people is more mature than that of many people in their twenties or thirties. There were also two waitresses in the hostel who spoke fluent English, were gentle and very friendly. One of them often accompanied the boy in a golf cart to take us to the entrance of the scenic area and dinner in town. Later I learned that the two girls were recent university graduates majoring in English, and the butler was a local Tujia person. His warm hospitality was worthy of praise.
The hostel has two restaurants, one large and one small. The small one provides breakfast, and the large restaurant is where we can go for dinner. The waitress was a young Tujia woman, wearing a round-brimmed hat. She was smiling and friendly, and offered us fragrant local berry tea. We ordered several dishes including fat fish, fried mugwort cakes, stir-fried pork with vegetables, shredded potatoes, etc., which were very delicious. Especially the fried mugwort cake, which is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a refreshing mugwort flavor, and is very distinctive.
The hostel’s breakfast consists of simple pastries, steamed buns, scallion noodle soup with different toppings, milk, and boiled eggs. The ingredients are fresh and each dish has a fresh and original flavor. After breakfast, the young supervisor will drive us to the west gate of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in a golf cart. His colleagues arranged and explained the full-day itinerary for us in advance. Entering the park from the west is because it is closest to the hostel and most tourists enter from the east. During the May Day Golden Week, it is suitable to avoid the crowds. As a result, our trip went very smoothly and we didn't have to wait long for the ride or the tour. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening when we returned to the hostel. The last dining time at the hostel’s large restaurant had passed, but luckily our young supervisor once again took us to the town to prevent us from going hungry and recommended a local restaurant. After dinner, we were surprised to see the young manager already waiting in front of the store to take us back to the hostel. This enthusiasm is touching!
In addition, the resort originally had two dogs with rough life stories, the pastoral dog Zhaocai and the Border Collie Duoduo. They had been injured by traps before, and many of them were lame. When I learned about them from the Internet, I was eager to get to know them. Unexpectedly, Duoduo got lost three days before we checked in. The male butler loved Duoduo very much and said that he couldn't sleep well at night because Duoduo was lost. Zhaocai is also very humane and friendly to us. As long as the guests call loudly, it will run over from its resting place. I hope that next time I come to Zhangjiajie, I can see Duoduo and Zhaocai waiting for us in the hotel.
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