With Dandong being one of the cities I have both lived and spent a lot of time, I have stayed in a lot of hotels. My favorite among them though, is by far Dandong Railway Hotel, or as we know it Dante.
Sadly it has been four years since I have either been able to come here, or had a house here. Covid-19 was indeed tough. But, back I am and fresh from learning that hopefully North Korea will reopen soon. This meant that we deduced on a sojourn to Dandong, the border city between North Korea and China.
What the Dandong?
Quite simply one of, if not my favorite city in China and there are a number of reasons for this. Firstly there are quite literally North Korean restaurants everywhere, but also some truly fine street food, reminiscent of North Korea. And yes I will give this its own article.
There is though much more to it, with you able to look over the water into North Korea, play around the bridges, as well as see North Koreans going bout their trading. In fact we liked it so much we had a house here for many years.
You can read the YPY guide to Dandong here.
What the Dandong Railways Station Hotel?
Train station hotels tend to be a let down, or at least not that close to the actual station. This is not the case for the Dandong Railways Station Hotel, or Dante as it is lovingly known.
This quite literally connected to such a way that the entrance is next to the train station entrance, you can see the trains from your window and it is very much stationed. If you want a Maoist state owned hotel experience in Dandong, then this is truly your place.
And in case you have any trouble finding it? Look for the big ass statue of Mao, who is quite literally pointing to the Dandong Railway Station Hotel.
Dandong Railway Station Hotel Address;
Dandong Railway Station
Railways Station Road
Zhenxing,
Dandong,
Liaoning,
Peoples Republic of China
Dandong Railway Station Hotel Amenities
If you have come here for the amenities then you are at the wrong place! If you have come here for some “East is Red” nostalgia then you have hit the jackpot.
The rooms here are simple, but cost from $20 up per night and the halls look a bit like the shining. There is a very Chinese restaurant on the second floor of the hotel, which serves pretty decent Dong-Bei Cuisine.
Of most use to myself though and something I needed to call upon at difficult times was the shop at the front of the hotel. Here one can buy bad Chinese beer like Snow, as well as North Korean banknotes and souvenirs. Dandong truly is a unique place and this is something epitomized by the Dandong Railway Station Hotel.