The Jiuzhaigou of My Dreams, Here I Come!!

This trip was decided on a whim after a few drinks, so much so that when I woke up the next morning, I half wondered if it had all been a joke. Still, there was something to that old saying about alcohol loosening the tongue and revealing the truth. I'd been holed up in this southern city for ages. Sure, I'd thought about getting out and seeing the world, but one flimsy excuse after another kept me grounded. A friend once told me: stop making excuses—if you want to do something, just do it. If you talk yourself out of your own ideas today, tomorrow you might not have any ideas left at all. So after five days of less-than-thorough preparation, we flew to Sichuan.
The moment we landed in Chengdu on day one, the city spread out before us. I'd expected it to take my breath away, but it was just the opposite—it reminded me a bit of old Changsha. It was already 10:30 in the morning and the sky was still a hazy gray. Safe to say there's a fair bit of air pollution here. Since it was the weekend, traffic was light and we reached our hotel in no time.
Chengdu's modern buildings aren't particularly striking, but its ancient alleys and streets have a charm all their own. Our first stop was the entrance to Kuanzhai Alley. The second we stepped out of the car, an old hotpot restaurant appeared right in front of us. We were already starving, and the aroma of hotpot drifting through the air practically dragged us inside by the nose.
Honestly though, the hotpot wasn't as amazing as I'd imagined. We were hungry and ordered a whole table's worth, but it didn't leave us craving more. Maybe we just didn't find the most authentic spot. Next time I'm definitely looking up which place is the real deal online! After eating our fill, we started wandering the alley. It began with a row of snack stalls, all sorts of treats laid out neatly, filling the air with fragrance—red chilies, green cilantro, golden sesame oil... the colors came together so beautifully it was a feast for the eyes. On both sides were row after row of dazzling little shops, decorated in a distinctly ethnic style, their goods bursting with color.
Kuanzhai Alley is divided into Wide Alley and Narrow Alley. Even the Wide Alley can't handle the sheer number of visitors—we just shuffled forward with the crowd. After making our way through the beautifully uneven lanes, we grabbed a taxi to Jinli Ancient Street. The two spots aren't far apart, about a 10-minute drive. Compared to Kuanzhai Alley's mix of simple design and old architecture, Jinli has a stronger ethnic flavor—every building is steeped in old-world charm, and the goods on sale lean heavily toward traditional culture. What both share is color everywhere you look. Maybe it's passed down through generations, but Chengdu locals seem to have a gift for color coordination—whether it's food, clothing, or household items, there's always a bright splash of color. Never jarring, always beautiful.
We spent from noon until about 5 PM exploring both spots. After dinner and picking up some snacks for the rest of the trip, we headed back to the hotel to rest. The hotel we stayed at that night deserves a proper introduction.
Location: Right inside Kuanzhai Alley, known as "Chengdu's living room."
Metro: Line 4 is right at the entrance to Kuanzhai Alley.
Geographic position: The location is genuinely fantastic! Right inside the Kuanzhai Alley scenic area—step outside and you can stroll and eat to your heart's content. Super convenient. Chunxi Road, Taikoo Li, Tianfu Square and other spots aren't far either—you can take the metro or grab a taxi for about ten yuan.
Hotel style: The overall aesthetic of this boutique guesthouse is exactly my kind of thing. The rooms have a Japanese-inspired design, built entirely from natural wood. There's a unique fragrance in the room that's incredibly soothing. The room also features handcrafted Shu embroidery and a wren bird painted by a master artist.
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
The hotel is filled with calligraphy, paintings, and antiques that the owner went to great lengths to collect. Every detail shows careful thought—there's nothing to fault.
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
The room: The door uses an electronic lock, so security is solid. Everything—the decor, the bed—is made from plane tree wood, giving the room a faint woody scent that's deeply relaxing.
There's a dedicated dining area in the room, and both lunch and dinner tasted great.
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
Chengdu Jiaoliao Humanities Boutique Hotel
Bathroom: Whether I'm staying at a hotel or a guesthouse, the bathroom is always what I care about most. How clean the bathroom is can make or break my mood. Jiaoliao's bathroom gets full marks from me! The details reveal a quiet luxury. Five-star-plus amenities: Carnation linens, King Koil mattresses, Kohler fixtures, a TOTO smart toilet—you can feel the care the owners put in, right down to turning on the tap.
Washing area: Worth mentioning is that the washing area is separated into wet and dry zones. You can take a shower or lie back in the bathtub for a soak—the hotel even provides bath salts.
The three-piece bath set is from June Jacobs (a high-end spa and skincare brand from New York). I'd used this brand before at a Sheraton in Guangdong and loved it, so I was thrilled to find it again in Chengdu. According to the butler, June Jacobs created a custom treatment method specifically for the hotel, drawing on local culture, environment, and climate, combined with traditional Chinese therapeutic techniques, to create the hotel's exclusive "Jiaoliao Nest in the Woods" experience.
Bedding: Lying down was pure bliss—I fell asleep in minutes. The quilt and mattress were both soft and gentle on the skin. I love sleeping on buckwheat pillows, and the hotel thoughtfully provided one for me.
The biggest highlight is the hotel butler team—such a warm and enthusiastic group. When I was about to arrive at Kuanzhai Alley, the butler contacted me in advance and even came to the alley entrance to meet me, introducing the culture of Kuanzhai Alley along the way. That alone made me feel great about this hotel. After I arrived, when the butler learned I can't eat spicy food, they specially prepared non-spicy wontons for my breakfast.
To avoid the hassle of booking hotels and attraction tickets piecemeal, we signed up in advance for a three-day, two-night tour from the 25th to the 27th covering Chengdu–Huanglong–Jiuzhaigou. Looking back, that was a very smart decision—having the guide handle food, accommodation, and transportation along the way really saved us a lot of hassle. Since departure was at 5:30 AM, we woke up at 4 AM the next day, groggily got ready, and waited in the hotel lobby for our pickup. That's one perk of joining a tour—you don't have to arrange your own transport. Chengdu is about 8-9 hours by bus from Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou. To make sure we didn't lose time at Huanglong that day, tour groups typically leave very early. Sleep was definitely insufficient. After listening to the guide's lengthy introduction and instructions, the whole bus full of people dozed off. By 7 or 8 AM, the sky was getting light and the guide started chattering again. Having eaten barely anything that morning, exhausted from the ride, and with the guide's droning voice filling my ears—talking about the Wenchuan earthquake and how many people died—my stomach started churning. I really wanted to yell "Shut up!" but I didn't have the guts to offend the person who'd be controlling my life for the next few days. Motion sickness pills are absolutely essential for long bus rides! Luckily we stopped at a rest area and I got some fresh air, which saved me from throwing up. The restrooms at these roadside stops are all run by locals, so they charge 1 yuan, and the conditions are... various degrees of disgusting. I don't even want to think about it. At noon we arrived at a hotel for lunch—or rather, to fill our stomachs. The guide had already warned us about the food. I personally don't have high standards for meals, but if even I say it's bad, it's genuinely terrible. But what can you do? When you're at someone else's mercy, you make do. Next time I'm definitely bringing my own chili sauce—that'll keep you eating well and feeling great! After lunch we hit the road again, winding up S-shaped mountain roads. The peaks on either side grew steeper, the vegetation more varied in color, giving the illusion that we were about to enter some hidden paradise. But the car swaying left and right kept yanking us back to reality. We wound around like this until about 2 PM when we finally reached a medical service station near the Huanglong scenic area. Once the bus stopped, a staff member came