Just wanted to share my recent fantastic experience at Beihai LTL school! When I was booking, I didn’t see a lot of student experience reviews of this school so wasn’t sure about booking. However, I had an amazing time so thought I’d share the highlights and summary, any questions please feel free to comment and I will answer as best as I can.
SCHOOL STAFF & TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: Firstly, Savannah the school director was amazing from the first time we spoke. She arranged my airport pickup and kept me informed of all the upcoming activities before I arrived in China. My flight was delayed a day due to a typhoon, but it was no trouble for the school to rearrange everything their end.
SCHOOL BUILDING: Beihai School is located above a huge shopping mart in Beihai! Super convenient for grabbing lunches, coffee and snacks during the day. The school itself is quiet and peaceful with bright classrooms, a common space with kitchen and games, and even a terrace. All the teachers at Beihai are really friendly and you’ll feel like a part of the family as soon as you arrive. Generally the teachers and students all have lunch together which is lovely, I had struggles using a takeout app the first day but Savannah kindly ordered my lunch for me on her app so I didn’t have to go out to get it.
BEIHAI CITY: Beihai itself is really different to all the Chinese cities I’ve visited before. There’s definitely a small city feel, but everyone is extremely friendly and the foreigners here are so few that you’ll regularly get people want to chat with you and ask why you are visiting. I visited in September and the weather was hot and humid (as expected of course) but I loved it - happy to escape the cold UK weather! Taking a taxi to get around is extremely cheap, but if you’re there a while, the best way to get around is an electric scooter (also super cheap). If you have a sunny day, then you can head over to the beautiful Silver Beach for a sunbathe or dip in the sea!
In terms of areas to stay, I spent half my time in Old Town and half my time in the Silver Beach area. If I had to choose again, I’d probably stay in Old Town for it’s proximity to the school and friendly feel.
ACCOMMODATION: I spent half my time in a hotel and half my time in a home stay! My host family were so lovely, they cooked delicious dinners and took walks with me in the evenings to go and watch the square dancing and local activities. I know if you’re not happy with your homestay, then the school are happy to find a new location for you, so don’t hesitate to book this option. I also enjoyed staying in a hotel as it gave me my own space and I have a lovely sea view. This option is really down to you, but if you want to try a few options then I know LTL are super flexible with how you want to plan your accommodation. If you’re going for a really long time then it can be daunting committing to one option for so long, so just ask the school what options you can do!
LANGUAGE - the reason I nearly didn’t book Beihai was because I was worried most people didn’t speak mandarin, but spoke a dialect / cantonese instead. This wasn’t the case at all, as most people spoke mandarin as well as a dialect. I will say, that the Beihai accent is very strong and different from Northern accents. It’s definitely one of the more difficult accents for me when it comes to speaking with native speakers, but I soon got used to it and people were happy to continue trying to talk with me, even if I didn’t understand everything. I’ve travelled all around China and accents always differ greatly between cities anyway, but they all spoke mandarin so don’t believe google if it tells you they only speak a different dialect there.
FOOD - Lots of lovely food to be found around the city, Old Town is where you will find mostly seafood places. The school also arranges various meals for different occasions, so you’ll get to try lots of different nice restaurants during your stay. Like all of China, take out is super convenient and extremely cheap. There’s also a Luckin Coffee Shop underneath the school for your coffee fix if you need it! Definitely go out and explore different food markets and stalls, one of my favourite things to eat was from a little cart in old town - he made the most amazing beef filled savoury pancakes for 12RMB!
If you’re looking for an amazing place to get a drink, there’s a bar called Milo Bar near Old Street - super friendly staff and they make amazing cocktails!
THINGS TO DO: There is so much to explore in Beihai, the school arranges regular weekend and evening activities so you’ll get to see the best of the city with them if you want. My time was short, so I did some solo trips to: Beihai Underwater World, Women’s Shopping Street, Silver Beach and a weekend trip to Guizhou! The High Speed Railway Station in Beihai isn’t too far from the school and you can go to some amazing places in 4-5 hours, Guilin being the most famous! One trip I didn’t have time for was a trip to WeiZhou island - there apparently the snorkelling and sea swimming is fantastic.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? Go for longer! I already miss all the lovely teachers and fellow students from the school. I’d also rent an electric scooter as they’re so convenient to get around and park.
thanks for sharing Jemma!