I’ve recently been moving content from my Dalian City Guide to a newer, better location, but it seems there’s at least one listing on there that I’m gonna have to remove pronto.
This hostel is actually located on a warship, and looks like quite a neato place to stay. But it looks like at least one person ran into some problems. He contacted me, in order to warn others:
“hey this is T (we’ll call him T),
I was trying to post a review of the dalian hostel but got some crazy error messages about spam reports when i clicked send. can you add my coment manually? since your site comes up at the top of the serp for this hostel, i really do hope i can leave this
comment to warn everyone about them. thanks!!!
T from Beijing
Hi this is T__ from Beijing. Was in Dalian for a day last week and booked a room in advance at the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel on Zhongshan Qu (Warship #104). But upon arriving at the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel I was met by a hostile (not to be confused with hostel) receptionist who refused to allowme through the front doors, claiming that FOREIGNERS ARE NOT ALLOWED at the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel!
I was with my Chinese traveling companion, and we met with the manager of the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel, reminding them that “international” usually means everyone, not just Chinese, and that the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel’s racist, exclusionary policy of refusing westerners contradicted the basic tenants of YHA and HI.
They retorted that because the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel was located on a naval facility that the government had established the NO FOREIGNERS ALLOWED at the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel rule, but then how did the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel ever get authorized to use the HI logo on the front of the boat? My intuition says that they were just holding out for
Chinese tour groups because that’s where the real money is, but I will email HI and YHA just in case.I should also add that the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel is located about an hour’s bus ride from the train station and quite a drag to find, especially if you are carrying a big pack. I was quite p.o.’d at having to return all the way back to Shengli Square to find a luguan (cheapest one from a tout for 35rmb), since there are no other affordable accomodations in the area.
It’s a real pity that the Dalian Sea Rhyme Youth Hostel does not allow foreigners, or that any hotel in China has the right to refuse western guests because of the color of our skin, but I hope leaving this post will start some change.
That’s just ridiculous.
So, needless to say, if you’re coming to Dalian you might want to consider scratching this hostel off your list.
For a list of accreddited hostels in China, please go to:
.
And take note that there is no hostel listed on that site for Dalian.
Surprise surprise…

Popularity: 12% [?]
19 Responses
Chris (Eyes East)
May 20th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
1Maybe change the listing to a warning, but leave it up so people know.
Btw, are we blogging about the new project now?
admin
May 20th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
2I thought I’d mention it in passing.
But yeah, fuck it. Let ‘er rip.
Maybe we can run a test podcast tonight.
T not T who went to Dalian
May 20th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
3I am in Suzhou and three or four local hostels display the HI sign that aren’t listed on the IYH site. In fact, not a single hostel is listed here. At least TWO restaurant in town display the Lonely Planet sign and one, YangYang, used to be on there but got taken off because it has fail local health certification three times.
dezza
May 21st, 2007 at 12:09 pm
4interesting. i knwo of foreigners who have stayed at the warship hostel and had a great time and got along with the workers there.
i’m not so sure that it’s a ‘racist’ policy more than a ’stupid’ policy from the government. perhaps the warship hostel hadn’t applied for the permit to host foreigners as a hotel/hostel and did so (previously) without a permit? that’s just my guess..
trust me, that boat is a piece of crap. no tour groups would stay there..unless it was an ultra cheap tour group i guess?
Alex
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:15 am
5Yeah… Legal regulations are a bummer. Displaying the sign incorrectly is a bad thing. There’s no reason to pull a listing though… information about something bad is no less than information about something good.
Perhaps worth a Guides post about calling ahead of time too, and making it clear that you’re a foreigner. In the long run it would do a resort good if this was all clear and in the open.
I’ll send an email on my thoughts about site publicity, but my thoughts have aligned with yours, Rick and Chris.
The Humanaught
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:12 am
6I am siding with Dezza that it’s a lot less likely about the colour of skin and much more likely about protection of government secrets… though perhaps if there are any military secrets in a hostel… China’s got bigger problems then letting some backpacker see them.
The Hao Hao Report
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:16 am
7International Youth Hostel in Dalian does not allow foreigners…
Dalian’s “International” Youth Hostel is not living up to its name and is denying access to foreigners. Racially spurred or just a silly law in regards to it being located on a navy vessel… we may never know. Apparently it’s crap anyway - still, …
dezza
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:10 am
8come on alex, is ANYTHING in china “clear and in the open”?
you can’t even buy fresh produce in the market at a ‘clear and open price’! haha
The Humanaught
May 24th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
9No reason not to expect better though.
Jenn
May 24th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
10When I made reservations for a hotel in Macau, I asked for a specific one that I had looked up on ctrip.
The woman just responded, “This hotel is not suitable for foreigners. You must choose somewhere else.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by this and I was too stunned to ask. Did she mean it was not nice enough for foreigners and therefore only Mainlanders should stay there? Or did she mean I wasn’t allowed to stay?
Maybe I should do a fake inquiry about making a reservation there again and actually ask why this time instead of being like, “Um, okaaaay..??”
Chip
May 29th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
11Hotels cannot legally deny you for being a foreigner (unless they have government secrets like this one, har har), so ALWAYS call them on it. I was travelling in Gansu a while back. I found one hostel that looked nice, and the lady in there said “sorry, we can’t allow foreigners to stay here”. I told her that her actions were illegal and offered to call the local police station to verify for her. Her face went white, and immediately started the discussion of prices. I purposely continued to haggle with her, and once we agreed on a price, I smiled at her, and told her I’d still be staying at the polite hostel next door. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS call them on crap like this.
PIYAGARN
May 30th, 2007 at 12:55 am
1231st May 2007, this a date that will be remembered, the long awaited Launch of Hostels247.com has finally arrived.
There are other online hostel booking sites, and then there is Hostels247.com in a league of its own.
24 hours 7 days a week, just search and go, best Hostels247 No booking fee No hassle, simple and easy to use. Hostels247.com is the prime location for all travelers and connoisseur of budget accommodation.
The youth travel market is changing fast and growing day by day, it’s all about affordability, inexpensive and budget accommodation, when we say Budget we mean clean and Affordable accommodations, not run down dives. The youth of today are nimble and globally savvy, they know what they want and at what price. They want to be able to get up and go at the drop of a hat and not restricted by boundaries.
They require a fast and easy to use service where they can Search, Book and Go, the last thing they want is Hassle.
Hostels247.com understands the youth travel market and has developed an easy to use, No hassle site that offers a budget and inexpensive accommodation booking, Travel Tips and Guides and a lot more. Unlike other web sites, that I am not going to mention, that claim to know what youth of today and backpackers want, they operate web sites with no clear means of contact, and charge for even to use credit cards on their site, Hostels247.com is made for youth market and Budget travellers, we travel in the same circle and we believe in Get Up and Go and Can Do Attitude.
admin
May 30th, 2007 at 4:51 am
13Might I interest you in buying some ad space, Mr. Piyagarn?
It’s cheap, affordable, and hassle free.
Sergey
July 24th, 2007 at 11:16 am
14Hey, everybody, may anyone tell me what are the phone numbers of the hostel, Dalian Sea-Rhyme International Youth Hostel. I have some but can’t reach.
admin
July 24th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
15Hi Sergey,
I would recommend trying another hostel or hotel, because it seems that for some reason or another, the Sea Rhyme Hostel does not allow non-Chinese people.
Maybe try this one:
大连华南国际青年旅舍
Dalian huanan guiji qingnian lushi.
西岗区迎春路1号
xigangqu, yingchun lu 1 hao.
#1 Yingchun Road, Xigang District.
ph: 82496830

See photo
Sergey
July 27th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
16hello, tnanx for reply. trying for many days to reach the hostel (大连华南国际青年旅舍
Dalian huanan guiji qingnian lushi. 西岗区迎春路1号 xigangqu, yingchun lu 1 hao.
#1 Yingchun Road, Xigang District.
), it seems impossible. the number is wrong, maybe you know other cheap accomodation in Dalian?
I have read that the person ( so called T) has found “I was quite p.o.’d at having to return all the way back to Shengli Square to find a luguan (cheapest one from a tout for 35rmb), since there are no other affordable accomodations in the area”. Do you know what is it? And how to find it, maybe it’s possible to contact the person for more information like phone numbers, adress etc. Please, contact the person.
Thanx in advance.
admin
July 28th, 2007 at 7:22 am
17Sergey, I have a short list of 3-star hotels here that maybe you could try.
http://www.pandapassport.com/dalian/?cat=34
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with the other numbers.
Sergey
September 1st, 2007 at 10:59 pm
18About Huanan International Youth Hostel (华南国际青年旅舍 huánán guójì qīngnián lǚshě). The hostel is no more exist. You can find here HUAYUE BUSINESS HOTEL. Adress is the same: 1, Yingchun Lu. Tel: +86-411-82588666, +86-411-82588866. You can reach the hotel just taking 706 bus from Zhongshan Lu close to Qingniwa shopping area and Victory Square. Rates start from 118 RMB for a room. It was in a high season.
Sergey
September 1st, 2007 at 11:02 pm
19dear Admin change please information on this page http://www.pandapassport.com/dalian/?p=80
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