A Highly Recommended In-depth Tour of Yunnan! A Dai-Thai Style Retreat Next to the Night Market

Xishuangbanna Jinghong He Puli Yue Resort Hotel (Gaozhuang Starlight Night Market Branch) The essence of an in-depth tour of Yunnan lies in measuring the local customs with your footsteps and perceiving the life with your heart and soul. This time, I encountered the He Puli Yue Resort Hotel next to the Gaozhuang Starlight Night Market in Xishuangbanna. It is like a poetic habitat hidden in the bustling city, using an immersive Dai-Thai experience and extreme details to outline the most moving footnote for my in-depth tour. 🌙 Golden Location: Fireworks in the Left Hand, Poetry in the Right The hotel is located in the core area of Gaozhuang Xishuangjing, a 5-minute walk from the Starlight Night Market. When dusk falls, wearing Dai costumes and shuttling through the night market with lanterns like the sea, tasting a sweet and sour pounded chicken foot, and watching the Lancang River cruise ship sail by with songs, this accessible worldly fireworks is an indispensable slice of life for an in-depth tour. When the morning light floods over the roof, jogging slowly along the riverside trail, watching Dai women carrying bamboo baskets to pick wildflowers, you can turn around and enjoy a freshly baked Dai grilled rice cake next to the bamboo table in the hotel courtyard with the birdsong—the seamless switch between fireworks and tranquility is the ideal rhythm for an in-depth tour. 🌿 Spatial Philosophy: Bringing the Rainforest Secret Realm into Life Pushing open the wooden door of the hotel, the vigorous atmosphere of tropical plants rushes to your face. Beside the atrium water feature pool, Monstera and traveler's bananas are intertwined into a green curtain, the hammock is gently swaying in the through-breeze, and occasionally butterflies skim over the water. The "Kapok" viewing room where I stayed is based on Dai-Thai log aesthetics. The brocade wall hangings and rattan lamps at the head of the bed are all from the hands of local craftsmen. The floor-to-ceiling windows frame the greenery of the courtyard into a dynamic picture frame. Lying on the rocking chair on the balcony in the afternoon to read a book, several wild parrots stopped on the railing and looked around curiously. Intelligent facilities and natural elements coexist cleverly: the electric curtains slowly open with the sunrise, the smart toilet seat always maintains a suitable temperature, and the Dyson hair dryer is hidden in the rattan cabinet. The most intimate thing is that the whole house is equipped with mosquito screens and electric mosquito coils—this thoughtfulness is reassuring for tourists who want to explore the rainforest in depth. The volcanic stone bathtub in the bathroom is especially worthy of praise. After a day of shopping, add the hotel's own lemongrass bath salts to soak away the fatigue, while the tip of your nose is surrounded by the fresh breath of the tropical rainforest. 🥥 Flavor Map: A Dai-Thai Adventure Starting from Breakfast Every day's breakfast is a taste surprise. The freshly boiled purple rice coconut milk porridge is dense, glutinous, and sweet, and adding roasted coconut flakes adds a sense of layering; the soup base of the Dai-flavored small pot rice noodles is made with beef bones for 6 hours, the sourness of the sour bamboo shoots, the spiciness of the millet peppers, and the fragrance of the fragrant willow are layered on top of each other, and you won't get tired of eating it for three days. Limited breakfasts are also launched on weekends—fragrant pandan leaf glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves. When opened, the heat is wrapped in the fragrance of plants, and paired with pickled tamarind papaya, it instantly awakens the desire to explore local ingredients. For dinner, it is recommended to try the hotel's "Rainforest Table". The lemongrass grilled ribs are charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and the meat is permeated with the fragrance of herbs; the pineapple curry shrimp is served in a whole pineapple, and the coconut fragrance and the spiciness of the curry dance on the tip of the tongue; the most wonderful thing is the "Courtyard Tea Break" in the evening, the butler will bring freshly ground Lao coffee, paired with Dai Shagao, sitting under the palm tree watching the twilight gradually thicken, listening to the distant sound of the elephant foot drum, the Banna time at this moment is just right. 💡 Exclusive Opening Method for In-depth Tours ▪ Free cultural experience class: Every Tuesday/Thursday afternoon, the hotel invites Dai Apos to teach short Dai sentences and palm-leaf scripture writing, and families with children can also participate in Dai paper lantern handwork ▪ Local guide service: Inform the butler of your interests in advance, and you can customize niche routes such as "Rainforest Scientific Expedition" and "Ancient Village Visit". We followed the intangible cultural heritage inheritors to go deep into Man Yuan Village and made Dai slow-wheel pottery by hand ▪ One-stop travel photography service: The hotel wardrobe has 50+ Dai/Hani costumes to choose from, and the cooperative photographers are familiar with the hidden spots in Gaozhuang. Shooting in the deserted Great Golden Pagoda Square in the early morning, the film production rate is comparable to that of a professional photo studio ▪ Intimate souvenirs: The handmade Dai paper notebook and lemongrass sachet received at check-out are not only souvenirs of the trip, but also unique souvenirs for relatives and friends 📍 Practical Manual for In-depth Tours - Room type selection: "Kapok" viewing room is suitable for couples, "Chunxuan" family room has children's tents and picture book corners, the first choice for families with children - Staggered peak suggestion: There are few people and beautiful scenery in the rainy season from April to May, the room rate is 30% lower than in the peak season, and you can experience the Dai Water Splashing Festival egg activities - Itinerary matching: Day1 Around the hotel (night market + Great Golden Pagoda) | Day2 Chinese Academy of Sciences Botanical Garden (hotel chartered car with explanation) | Day3 Jinuo Mountain hiking | Day4 Hotel SPA + shopping at Ganbai Street During the 4 days and 3 nights at He Puli Yue, I am no longer a hurried passer-by, but with the hotel as the center, slowly unfolding my understanding of Banna: watching the gardeners pruning frangipani in the morning, learning how to make glutinous rice fragrant tea with the butler in the afternoon, and listening to the guests sharing stories on the journey in the courtyard at night. This is not a standardized accommodation space, but a door to an in-depth tour of Yunnan—push it open, and the fireworks and poetry resonate here, every scent of tea and every green leaf are telling the gentleness and enthusiasm of this land. If you also yearn to meet a soulful residence during your travels, this Dai-Thai secret realm hidden in Gaozhuang is worth a few more days of your time.