Name: Songtsam Cizhong Lodge
Address: Cizhong Village, Yanmen, Deqin, Deqin, Deqin, Deqin, 674500, China
Rating: 10

Air conditioning

24-hour reception

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Heating

Security guard

Ticket assistance

Express check-in/check-out

Garden

Terrace

General

Non-smoking rooms

Indoor Fireplace

Hairdryer

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Wardrobe/Closet

Slippers

Toiletries

Rooms

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Accessibility

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Wake-up service

Services and amenities

Coffee/tea for guests

Breakfast

Restaurant

Bottled water

Kettle

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet access

Internet

Car rental

Airport transportation

Transfer services

Transfer

English

Chinese

Languages Spoken

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Library

Hiking

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Conference Hall

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

At the hotel

Room amenities

Songtsam Cizhong Lodge

Deqin

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

This Songtsam hotel is - as their other properties - a truly unique and fantastic experience. We really enjoyed the great service e we received, the excellent food, spacious rooms and the dedication of all the staff members (incl tour guides) to make a great experience for their guests

Outstanding service, great environment and unique experience

We stayed one night on an 8-night Songtsam tour of North-West Yunnan. This is the oldest of the Songtsam lodges and it is quite beautiful. It is upstream of a recent dam on the Lancang (Mekong) river that has formed a huge lake, which is rather stagnant looking. Many villagers have been relocated to a newly-built town that the hotel overlooks. The rooms are great, hotel grounds are beautiful, staff are friendly and competent. A farm just downhill of the lodge grows much of the food you will eat there. Meals are excellent (on our tour were served multiple dishes and could order additional plates of them; I’m not sure how a la cart dining works there.) This is an excellent place to stay for a visit to the Golden Monkey National Park nearby. Not much English spoken in this part of Yunnan, it would be tough if nobody in your group speaks Mandarin. Roads are in poor repair in this area following recent flooding, watch out for rocks and livestock wandering or napping in the middle of the main road. Having a driver and guide allowed us to enjoy the sights fully.

Lovely boutique lodge overlooking changing China

My family enjoyed the stay, kids were shown into the garden by friendly staff and loved picking radish, carrots and beans, which we had with our BBQ dinner, prepared by the expert chef. Room was pleasant and breakfast yummy

Cizhong

Finding this lodge was really difficult. The entry into the village of Cizhong is over an old bridge and then onto a dirt road that winds up into the village. As the road in the village is under construction, lots of huge trucks ply the route. Driving is hazardous as the dirt road is only passable to a vehicle at a time. After much difficulty, we arrived at the gate of Songtsam Cizhong to find it chained and padlocked. I guessed that given the state of the village, this lodge has stopped receiving guests temporarily. The grounds are still well-kept and pretty.

Closed due to village road construction

We loved all the Songtsam hotels in our week long tour but this one was the weakest. The main problem is the massive infrastructure work (new superhighway along the river, a bridge suitable for a massive city being built to the tiny village) it's ruined the rural village and by association this hotel. I felt sorry for them but it wasn't the best experience. If you have to miss one out - this would be the one.

Lovely hotel in a pretty village

As with all of the other Songtsam lodges this is set in the village and the staff are incredibly helpful (especially Jessica).  While there a visit to the Catholic church is a must - especially if a service is taking place.  We were taken on a trip up into the mountains to a majical mountain lake above the snow line.  The views were fantastic and the wildflowers most unusual.
The lodge itself is quiet and comfortable and the food is excellent.  We were fortunate enough to visit a local farming family and ate their excellent peaches and drank their unusual - and strong - home made wine

Beautifil area

Songtsam Cizhong was the fourth stop in our 7-day circuit with Songtsam Lodges across northwestern Yunnan.

Lying on a plateau hemmed out of the imposing Himalayan mountain, the peaceful village of Cizhong hangs above the Lancang River nearly 100 m below. The Lancang becomes the great Mekong river several thousand miles downstream.  

Reaching the village is an adventurous exercise.  It involves driving down a very steep one-way dirt road to the banks of the river, crossing a single-lane bridge, and finally chugging back up slowly to the plateau where sits Cizhong.

The geographical isolation of the village is further strengthened by the lack of roads (this is unfortunately changing quickly with a suspension bridge across the Lancang linking the main highway and Cizhong scheduled to be completed soon).  The car ride ends at the entrance of the village, from where a ten minute walk through Cizhong to the lodge enables the visitor to absorb first impressions of the place.  
 
The Songtsam lodge is located at the far end of the village, commanding a spectacular view of the place, amidst vineyards, wheat and cereal fields with the Lancang River valley as a backdrop.
As with all Songtsam lodges, service is outstanding; we did not even see our luggage being carried to the hotel, and we were warmly greeted by the staff at the entrance.
A beautiful Buddhist stupa shrine wrapped in a myriad of colorful Tibetan prayer flags marks the entrance of the hotel grounds.

The architectural style of the lodge is distinctly Tibetan, built in grey-stone with the typical trapezoid shaped windows.  In front of the entrance door is a wide and neat terrace that seems to be suspended above the Lancang River.  Tables and chairs are provided to enable guests to rest and soak in the local atmosphere.

The lodge has nine to ten rooms only.  We felt particularly pampered since we were the only guests that day.
Our room was spacious and homely, tastefully ornamented with woodworks.

Dinner and breakfast were very copious with simple but delicious local dishes.  The fried potato chips seasoned with curry and cumin was our favorite, and we had three servings in the end.  Veggies and rice are plentiful.  The pride of the locals is their locally made red wine which the restaurant at the lodge serves free of charge.  Apparently, they use a home grown grape variety called rose honey grape.  The taste of honey and rose does indeed penetrate your palate, but overall you have the impression of drinking very sweet grape juice mixed with... rubbing alcohol.  Certainly not for wine aficionados, but definitely an experience.  After all, where else could you taste red wine made according to techniques passed on by French missionaries more than a century ago?  I do not quite remember whether they also produce white wine...  If they do, perhaps the taste is better.  I would give it a try again should we go back to Cizhong... More out of curiosity than real interest.

The highlight of Cizhong is its catholic church.  A wonderful piece of architecture combining European tradition with distinctly Chinese elements, everything blends in perfectly to make it a truly beautiful monument.  For a place as small as Cizhong, the size of the church is impressive, and it reminds me of those small medieval churches you find scattered all across European villages, only you are in the middle of Tibetan China.  The priest is a jolly fellow whose first question when meeting foreign visitors is whether they come from France.  The French missionaries of old have obviously left a profound imprint in Cizhong.  He is very proud of his home-made wine which is used at all his masses, and he is more than happy to invite guests for wine tasting.  Bottled in recycled Pepsi or Coke 2L plastic bottles, the wine has a distinctly strong and sour taste.  I think I preferred the rose honey grape wine from the lodge.  I declined to have a second drink.  
The village of Cizhong itself is interesting to wander around and get lost in its narrow alleys and surrounding wheat and cereal fields.  The locals live in perfect harmony with nature and seem completely serene.

Songtsam Cizhong makes for a wonderful one-day stop on the way to Deqin and Meili Mountain.  Located in a village with a very relaxed atmosphere and friendly villagers, the lodge provides an ideal setting to chill out.

Songtsam Cizhong Lodge

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