Xian Journals

Hq Hostel Xi'an

A July 2007 trip to Xian by idgemeist

Quote: We stayed in Xi'an for 4 nights at Hq Hostel

Hq Hostel Xi'an

Hotel

Quote:

Hq Hostel is cool, and the service is great. We contacted them through their website http://www.hqhostelxian.moonfruit.com/ which has a wealth of information about the hostel and Xi'an, and they replied immediately to our email inquiry. We were happy to book with them

We stayed in Xi'an for four nights. After the hectic train ride from Beijing, we were happy to be met at the station and taken to the hostel which is perfectly located in the center of town. The owners are Kiwi and Chinese and have both traveled all over the world. They were great, very helpful with organizing our trip, the place is clean and new but very cozy. When we were not out visiting some of Xi'an's amazing cultural sites, most of the time we hung out in their DVD dungeon watching movies or listening to great tunes. They have heaps of DVDs, good music, and a comfy setup. The duvets are big and warm, there is plenty of room and, overall, the place feels as though you were going to stay at a mate's place in a different city. They have a slogan which says "project positive vibes and they will come back to you", and it suites this setup well.

The prices are 50rmb per bunk/night in either a six-bunk or eight-bunk dorm, while they also have a spacious and comfortable double room which goes for 140rmb/night. They provide a good breakfast which includes eggs, toast, cereal, yogurt, and coffee or tea if you let them know the day before, and who can complain about 15rmb to start the day right.
Hq, which stands for "headquarters of the Terra Cotta Army" also offer fruit, yogurt, noodles, drinks, beer, coffee, chips, cakes, etc., all at very reasonable prices (fruit 2rmb/person, beer 7rmb for Qingdao, noodles 5rmb, etc.)
They also have a great shower with 24-hour hot water, washing machine, safe lock-up, an excellent selection of books and magazines for you to read, free tea, and anything else you would like, they can probably get for you. They give "crash chinese" lessons for free, to help with the basics, and saved us a heap of money in souvenir shopping thanks to their advice about the art of negotiation. They also offer guides if you require or are just as happy to point you in the right direction if you want to be adventurous. They helped us organize ourselves to see some of the cultural hot spots, and also sorted out our return train tickets to Beijing. I am told they can help with trips to the Yangtze river and flight tickets all over China as well.
I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is visiting Xi'an. It offers a perfect location in Xi'an while the owners really enjoy meeting new people and helping travelers to get the best possible experience of Xi'an, and China. The East-meets-West management style truly offers the best of both worlds. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on May 4, 2007

Hq Hostel Xi'an
Hong Fu International Apt complex
Xian, China
136-212-00857