Old Yanan Cave Dwelling Hotel

When you visit Yanan it is all about staying in a cave hotel, so I was delighted to find one that looked great and was extremely good value. This was the imaginatively “does what it says in the tin” titled Old Yanan Cave Dwelling Hotel.

And while it was a bit out in the boonies – more on that later – it was indeed well worth the money.

Click to read my Yanan Guide.

What the Yanan?

Yanan is a medium-sized city in northern Shaanxi Province with a population of around two million including the wider area. It is most famous as the base of the Chinese Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948, when Mao and the Party leadership were based here after the Long March.

It is known for its revolutionary history, cave dwellings, and numerous Communist-era sites. There are many museums, memorial halls, and reconstructed buildings linked to the Party’s time here. It is also a major domestic tourism destination, especially for organised tours and school trips.

Click to read about Shanbei Cuisine.

The Old Yanan Cave Dwelling Hotel

Relatively recently opened, the owners are really trying to push this place. This means giving things like free lifts to guests and being constantly on Chinese TikTok. This means numerous occasions of them coming past with the camera and mentioning that they had a “foreigner staying”. Modern business in China is honestly cancer and seemingly involves streaming constantly.

The owners though are nice, the hotel itself is beautiful in a rustic type of way and is seemingly a rebuild from what were formerly residential caves. The hope is obviously that this area, the Jin Yanan Scenic Area, booms with tourists. Well the early signs are good.

The Rooms at Old Yanan Cave Dwelling Hotel

There’s only about 15 rooms at most here, although there’s also other cave hotels as far as the eye can see. The rooms are basically split between slightly smaller ones downstairs, with the kind of suites upstairs. Can you guess where I went?

So, the bigger rooms have massive beds which are heated underneath, a big flat screen TV, living room type area and a decent bathroom. Outside you have a shared balcony type area which looks over the mountains of Yanan. Overall it is very chill.

Standard cave / kang rooms:
RMB 130 – 220
≈ USD $18 – $30

Mid / courtyard cave rooms:
RMB 220 – 350
≈ USD $30 – $50

Larger / suite-style rooms:
RMB 350 – 500
≈ USD $50 – $70

Location

OK, so it is only about 30 minutes from the train station, or 20 from the revolutionary sites, but it is basically unmapped and new, so taxis don’t know where it is. Therefore the hotel offers a free shuttle to the bus stop. From here I would get a taxi. This is basically offered all day.

They also offer a free drop off and pick up for the “Golden Yanan”. This is a big theatrical performance at the new scenic area. Said new scenic area is built to look like an old scenic area. Think of what most Chinese cities do. The show is weird but awesome and basically tells the tale of communism. The moral? The communists win and everyone lives happily ever after.

But you know what it really made the trip