Lonely Planet Review

'Where in Kunmíng can you be yourself?' Presumably the hotel intended prospective guests to answer, 'The Sakura, of course', when they printed this soul-searching rhetoric on their brochure. But is the Sakura really more inclined to dole out unconditional love and acceptance than other four-star hotels in the city?

Unexpected touches like green carpeting in the standard rooms and an outdoor bar near a busy intersection suggest unusual forces at work in the management. But what's odd to you is charming to another - and plenty of guests here seem to enjoy their evening apéritif as city buses zoom by. After all, if the Sakura refrains from judging their clients, who are we to judge them? Just the facts then: the hotel has some popular restaurants (Thai, Tex-Mex and a breakfast/lunch buffet), a small health club and pool, non-smoking rooms, satellite TV and, last but not least, a bowling alley. You can get good discounts by booking online.