For more information on eating see China Spa Princess/The Food.

Luna (and Yangshuo Mountain Retreat): After running around Hong Kong trying to find dim sum and constantly being told we were too late or too early, I was a bit worried when we arrived at Yangshuo Mountain Retreat to be told that they had kept the kitchen open for us (what time did it close normally?)

My most important question (after organising our bike ride and the Impressions show) the next day was “what time is lunch?”  So I was over the moon to find out that the kitchen was open from about 7am to 9pm!

I’d love to tell you all about the different places to eat in Yangshuo but, after tasting the great food at our hotel, I ate all but two of my meals there!  (And the reason there are no photos is that I wolfed everything down before I even thought to take any!)

The food at the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat is exactly what you need on this type of holiday; fresh, healthy and big portions; but it wasn’t as spicy or tangy as you might imagine from English - Chinese cuisine, which is why on our last full day in Yangshuo I thought I really should branch out.

I guess it wasn’t that adventurous to visit their sister restaurant Luna for lunch - but when you’re walking miles you need a good lunch!  Luna is actually part of YSMR’s sister hotel - the Yangshuo Village Inn, and it has an interesting Italian-Chinese fusion menu, which isn’t that surprising when you consider how much they have in common.  I can’t really comment on the whole menu as I just went straight for the fried dumplings which were gorgeous and just a little bit more tasty than most of the food I had tried at YSMR.

Like YSMR the restaurant has the most incredible view, the staff are friendly and helpful with great English, and I had a lovely waitress who took the time to chat with me and tell me all about her life in Yangshuo while I waited for my dumplings.  It was so wonderful to hear all about her childhood, her time in Shanghai and how happy she was to have come home to her village to a great job at the Yangshuo Village Inn, and her hopes for the future.  She said what the other ladies at YSMR echoed later - that working here is like being on holiday, that they love coming to work each day and meeting new people.  It was my best lunch in Yangshuo, but that could have just been the company!

Eat: The local delicacies to try in Yangshuo are drunk duck, the beerfish (lots of bones), shrimps (lots of shell), and I particularly liked the spare ribs (small ones on the bone which you just spit out... mmmm...)  But once you get tired of fighting with your food I would recommend anything and everything tofu - you may have tried this elsewhere but the quality of the tofu dishes here was fantastic!

Oh and their fresh baked cookies!!

Drink: Watermelon juice (and jasmine tea!) 

On the downside unfortunately I did not enjoy the coffee at YSMR, so I’d have to say this is an avoid.  If you are craving coffee I would recommend the Nescafe iced coffee cans you can buy in supermarkets or some mini-bars.

Avoid: Sadly my other attempt to branch out in Yangshuo was in a slightly dodgy place in West Street in Yangshuo Town - one I regretted for the rest of my stay in China!  I would recommend that you avoid West Street completely, but if you have to venture here, get a good recommendation from your hotel, go to a place where the locals are eating, or just go to the bakery!