"I really enjoyed my stay in this quiet place above the crowded city of Dali. I looked for a place where I can relax and concentrate-here I found the perfect place! And the food is one of the best that I have tried in China! Thank you very much!"
(Consfantin from Germany)

"Very nice place, a place where you can easily stay a couple day"
(Freeliny from Holland)

"Nice hotel, nice service, I will be back soon"
(Pavalin from Bankok)

"This place is fantastic, we came up the lazy way from Dali to discover beautiful views and wonderful people. We even got to help with the cooking, great fun!"
(Wendy)

"This place is " small piece of heaven", the crew here is amazing-really nice, taking care of everything and making sure you'll be satisfied as long as you stat here, we offered to cook dinner which was a lovely experience you feel like you are home. By the end of your staying here, you feel as if time stood still and you want to stay here forever, enjoy the experiment and the holiday."
( Zohar Bashari, Israel)

"What a great place to stumble upon...Beautiful mountain tracks, meadows and peaks, and this wonderful friendly inn. We came for 1 night and have stayed 3 (so far). Thanks Liping and staff for great hospitality."
(Mandy and John from New Zealand)

" If you want to see heaven... This place is will be the place where you dreamed!"
(Lee JongJin, Korean)

"Above the clouds, higher than the temple of heaven, time just stops running. Inner harmony reached amongst you, pure with true ideals. A very warm thank you for everything,Just carry on as you do. Wishing you the best on the track of life.
(Lucile from France)

"Have only just arrived at Higherland Inn and what an impression! We are in heaven! Wonderful view from our deluxe room, friendly family. Will go exploring, so peaceful and relaxing.
(Chris Helen from Perth, Australia)

"Amazing! There are no good enough words to describe this places special 'thing'. Please send only good people here, so the unique atmosphere will be kept, and please do whatever you can to keep Liping's everlasting smile..."
(Omer from Israel)

"Thanks for a lovely stay! The kids enjoyed the place and quiet as much as we did. The meals were fantastic! "
(Jenn from Canada)

"Beautiful peaceful scenery! Wonderful service and community. Eating really made this place a pleasure.(As well as the pets). Thanks for everything."
(Jaime and Luke from Canada)

" I will come back, thanks for everything... You just gave me what I really needed: Peace and great food..."
(Olga from Spain)

"Thank you lady 'Melanie' for finest home cooking, big cushions, massages and all your general knowledge... see you again some day with baby!"
(Another Melanie from London)

"Beaitiful, restful, unexpected, treat. Replenish the soul, balance the spirit"
(Juuean, Alaska)

"Higherland Inn, an excellent place, great food, great people. Excellent for /```/ and a great set off point for the summit."

"Mel, thank you very much for your hospitality! We enjoyed our stay here! It was very nice to talk around the stove in the evening, discussing people's habits in China and Holland. Maybe next time in Tibet."

"How fantastic to have finally found a home! Whilst the whole china is sneezing. We are high up an away from al the hustle and bustle. We have stayed here for 6 days with the intention of staying."
(Angus from England)

"Two days and two nights in Pradise with Liping... A LOFTY NEST WHERE A WEARY SOUJOUNER CAN VIEW THE WORLD BELOW IN PEACE AND IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF JOY"
(Peter from the U.S.)

"" To say that I have fallen in love with the Higherland Inn, is possibly too great an understatement. I don't know if the Higherland Inn is for everyone, but if you love peace and quite, cool mountain breezes, hearty Chinese cooking and long walks along a huge variety of trails, then the Higherland Inn is for you.

To begin with, after having spent five weeks in Nanjing, Beijing and Xian, the quiet of this heaven on earth was worth the sixty-seven hours on the train it took me to get to Dali. The taxi driver who picked me up at the train station was not too keen on bringing me to the chair lift that would take me to with-in walking distance of the Inn. He kept trying to sell me on another hotel, in Old Dali. I was stubborn, and he ultimately left me on my own to try and find the inn. I am told that the taxi drivers get a kick-back from other hotels if their passengers stay at these hotels. I don't know, I just knew that the hotel the driver dropped me at was not the hotel I wanted. I wanted the Higherland Inn, and I am so glad that I made up my mind to get here.

The Inn itself sits just in the cloud-line of the mountain, and nestled in against the mountain and surrounded by clouds my first impression of the Higherland was that it was cozy. I know that that is a too often used word, and can be applied to any number of establishments. However, in the case of the Higherland Inn, it is the perfect word. Cozy, it just fits perfectly. The staff is unbelievably kind, the ambience is rustic and the food is out of this world. Whatever your inclination, the Higherland has something for you. I am a fairly sedentary guest, and I have loved the trails here. There are trails (like the one to the top of the mountain) that are very challenging and I have yet to attempt them. Then there is what is quite adorably called the "Cloudy Tourist Road", and it is a beautiful path that stretches for about five or six hours one way, and about one hour the other-with the stairs leading up to the Inn breaking the two trips up. The entire "Cloudy Tourist Road" is paved in gray stone and has railings along much of the way. There are lovely little Pagoda's strewn along the way, and they are a great place to sit and view the incredible scenery, weather the view is a breath-taking mountain-scape or an amazing little waterfall. So, what ever your taste for adventure, there is a trail for you here. The Inn will also provide you with a guide and a wonderful picnic lunch; it just doesn't get any better than that! I plan to take the guided tour to the top, and camp at the very summit of this mountain before I go.

If, however, your tastes run more towards the intellectual rather than the physical, well the Higherland is still for you. There are many lovely little nooks to sit and read a book in. Along with a library of books and DVD's, Mel has amassed a large collection of art supplies and a studio to use them in. I spend several hours a day studying Chinese Calligraphy with an instructor who comes up here to tutor me in that delicate art form. Mel arranged that for me, and I could not be happier!

The scenery inspires the soul here, weather reading, painting or just staring off into the sunset along the mountain path. All the visitors who have come and gone since I have been here have marveled at what a wonderful place this is. I have had one of the best times of my life staying here. Mel and the other staff members have made me so comfortable, weather just talking in the evenings over chocolate cake and hot coco, walking along the abundant paths around the inn, or making art in the studio with other guests. I can not say enough about how wonderful it is here.

Finally, I want to mention how very "at home" Mel and her amazing staff have made me feel. The food, as I have said before, is amazing, and if you stay here I recommend the family dinners. All of the staff and guests gather around the table and eat like a traditional Chinese family would. It is so fun, and often there are conversations in Chinese, French and English all going on at the same time! The folks that prepare the meals and take care of you during your stay are some of the funniest and most caring people I have ever met. They make me laugh; they stuff me full of food and make sure my needs are taken care of down to the smallest detail. I came here hoping to spend a week maybe two, and now I am not only planning for my third week here, but I also am thinking about my next trip to China and coming back to The Higherland Inn. I can not recommend this enchanting place enough! ""

Jack A. Smith
Assistant Professor
Elon University, Elon North Carolina
USA