White Birch International Youth Hotel, Hostel in Urumqi

To be honest, this hostel was going under some serious renovations while I was staying there (May 2008). The common area seemed nice enough...two internet computer and sofas for people to watch TV together. The english speaking staff was really really helpful. Bathrooms could have been better. There was only one communal shower on the second floor and two bathrooms. The sinks were out in the open. Hopefully, they'll put up some mirrors and some hooks or shelves to rest your items. Noise level wasn't too bad. Neighborhood is a bit out of the way from the central area, but since taxi's are so cheap, it wasn't a problem getting around. The hostel is next to a fairly large park, so it's nice to walk around there. KFC and Carrefours are close by, but they don't open until 10am, so don't count on them for early morning coffee. Rooms and beds are comfortable, but also need shelves/hooks/storage space.

Sung, USA

Be wary of making travel arrangements through the hostel. We ran into several upsets during our tour to Tianchi, which resulted in poor treatment of us as foreign guests.

Jason, USA