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Hotel Reviews and Trip Advisor – be careful

Administrator — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:56:32 +0000

My spouse and I both have used and continue to use the references made by multiple travelers on Trip Advisor to various restaurants, hotels and other sites around the world. I know how difficult it is in many cases to decide on where to stay and/or eat while in a completely new to you city (and in many cases culture). Thus the service provided by TripAdvisor is certainly well meant and useful.

Having said that we have come across some alarming incidents on that site — as I am writing this posting, my spouse is getting her next trip to Beijing organized. Since we moved back to the States, both of us have done numerous trips and in a true sign of how fast China and Beijing are changing, we have started looking into new hotels as the ones we knew so well have either raised their prices or have not been renovated, or we just wanted to find out some new / exciting hotels. So today we were checking out Hotel G on Trip Advisor and came across some pretty disturbing findings…The hotel is ranked very well — one may think Way too Well — if you follow the link you will find that it has 50 Excellent reviews!!!

Let me put it this way — this has not happened in our experience — we have not seen such extremely high marks for any of the hotels we have stayed at. And we have stayed in some excellent hotels! China World (Beijing) for example does not have as good reviews as the “fabled” Hotel G……

Needless to say, this is very suspicious. When we dug into the situation we came across some information that Hotel G has been pumped up by someone closely linked with the establishment…..So this is a word of caution about using Trip Advisor (and any other reference material on the Web for that matter) — always try to verify information if possible by using more than one source.

Before we came across this issue with Hotel G in Beijing — we actually started summarizing information about hotels in Asia — here is the link (or you can just search for “hotel” and “review” on this blog)

I hope you can find what you need with good reliability, and as always — have a good trip!

Places to See in China / Beijing — Beijing DongYue Temple Visit

Administrator — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:32:35 +0000

One of the less visited temples in Beijing is the DongYue (East-Mount) Temple. This Taoist temple is located at 141 DongYueMiao ,ChaowaiDaJie in ChaoYang district of Beijing (interestingly enough it is right across the street from busy shopping malls), but often overlooked.

If you want to visit you can take a cab to the address above or use the subway. The temple is located near by the Chaoyangmen station.

The temple has been rebuilt in multiple dynasties since its establishment in the 14th century The stone tablets in the temple represent apparently one of the largest collection of those in China. Some of the 90+ tablets are inscribed by famous caligraphers and date back to the centuries of the temple’s first operation.

Today the temple is a nice place to visit and both experience some very interesting architecture and get a glimpse of Taoism, as well as just to enjoy the piece and quiet of its many courtyards. Here an older Chinese gentleman is enjoying an exercise….

The situation with the Maglev Train in Shanghai – new developments

Administrator — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:29:42 +0000

Many of you have probably looked for information on-line or from friends on how to get from Pudong airport to Shanghai. Right now one of the options is the famous Maglev train, which goes to Longyang station in Pudong. There has been a lot of debate as to the utility of the train as it goes only a relatively limited distance into Pudong and does not reach the older section of Shanghai proper — if you are using the Maglev train you will have to transfer to the #2 subway line or get into a cab to get to any destination in Shanghai (across the Bund) or in the business or residential districts of Pudong.

So, the local government had decided to extend the Maglev train to Hanghzhou — a neat idea, but as of last week that idea met with relatively strong opposition by local Shanghai residents. Check out the summary and video posted on Shanghaiist in an article on that protest

These developments have impact in several aspects — it is a sign of increasing awareness of local residents in their power to protest local government decisions, as well as support for the notion that “growth at all / or any cost” is not acceptable in the now more affluent cities like Shanghai.

So, if you were planing on leveraging that cool Maglev train in your next trip to Hangzhou, you may have to plan alternative transportation for time being…

Quick Review of Beijing Shangri-La, China World, Kerry Center Hotel, Traders Hotel, and Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven

Administrator — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 16:33:28 +0000

So you are planing for a trip to Beijing. Your next question is, which hotel should I stay in. Aside from Corporate requirements (if you are on a business travel) or room availability, you can consider what area of Beijing you will have to spend most of your time in. Here are some recommendations and brief reviews:

Technology area of Beijing – Haidian District, ShangDi area:

If you are visiting the technology area of the city — i.e. Haidian Disrict or ShangDi, you will be better off staying in the Shangri-La. The hotel is located near the 3rd loop road in the Northwest part of town. The rooms are very nice and comfortable, the rates are great (probably a lot to do with the fact that the hotel is a bit out of the main downtown area of the city). The outside of the hotel does not look very impressive, but do not let that convince you not to stay there. The inside is completely renovated. In the back of the hotel there is a very nice Chinese garden (with the “mandatory” courtyard pavilions), which is a place for a nice afternoon tea or a walk. The hotel staff is very attentive, Cafe Cha has a great breakfast and dinner buffets, and if you desire you could sample the good Japanese restaurant. Overall a very comfortable hotel. One additional bonus, for those of you with business plans for visits to technology companies in Haidian district, the location of the hotel will save you the hassles of the 3rd loop road (if coming from downtown).

Central part of Beijing (near TianAnMen, GuoMao, WangFuJing, the Forbidden City, Panjiayuan Market…)

If you are going to spend most of your time in the Central part of the city then China World, Traders Hotel, Kerry Center are all good options.

China World — probably one of the fanciest hotels in Beijing (aside from the Grand Hyatt, Peninsula, or St. Regis); Very conveniently located – a subway station is located in the underground floor of the shopping mall under the hotel; Also in the underground mall you can find a grocery store, as well as some other stores. Behind the hotel is a parking garage (if you need to meet with folks living in Beijing — they will need a place to park — believe me a good choice for those of us who live in Beijing and have had to meet people coming to visit), across the street is an extension of the shopping area with some restaurants. The South Beauty Sichuan restaurant is a good choice. The rooms of the China World hotel are very posh — and the entire hotel is very beautiful.

Traders Hotel - this is a more budget oriented (business fare wise) hotel, member of the Shangri-La chain. The rooms are definitely a bit more worn out (in comparison with China World and Kerry Center) but still a relatively god deal given that the hotel has the same location as China World.

Kerry Center Hotel – this is considered one of the most visited business hotels in downtown Beijing. Another hotel part of the Shangri-La group, so your membership card for frequent stays in properties associated with Sheraton, Westin, Starwood, etc should work. The rooms in this hotel are good. However if you consider the price and quality, you may be slightly disappointed. Now, if you are new to Beijing, you should definitely consider this business hotel. The reasons are many — airport pickup service (will get you through immigration, etc. very fast), English speaking staff — will answer your many questions and make recommendations on restaurants, places to meet, place to go shop; location in a shopping mall – near by (underground or at same ground level) shops for food, clothing. So, all in all, a good choice for short visit and a good place to start your experience in Beijing.

Area near the Temple of Heaven and HongQiao market

And finally if you want to be still near major sites like the Temple of Heaven, but in more low key hotel, then the Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven is a good choice. The hotel is new, the staff is very pleasant, and actually a good choice for stay in Beijing for someone familiar with the city and at least rudimentary knowledge of Chinese language. You will need those skills to navigate around (get a cab, ask for a place to be taken to, etc) — but the hotel is a good value. My wife and daughter stayed there in March of 2007 as we had moved from our Beijing house — and had an executive floor room with breakfast (in the business club lounge) for about RMB800 per night. An excellent deal!

And here is my daughter’s opinion on these hotels: (I am not kidding — these are her viewpoints — so take it from a 8 year old):

Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven — her rating is “Awesome!” Why? If you visit out of season, you will be one of the few guests and that means you get great service from the staff, and plenty of attention.

China World — a really fancy hotel, with a shopping center underground, very beautiful, with wonderful music being played in the lobby by a string orchestra + a piano

Here is an album with photos from hotels worldwide:

Hotel_Views

I will keep updating the set with images from multiple cities and regions. Keep checking back for more

Hotel Reviews: Hong Kong Island Le Meridien, Kowloon Sheraton, Shenzhen: Venetian Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Shangri-La (LuoHu)

Administrator — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 18:41:54 +0000

I have been asked on a number of occasions for recommendations on good / convenient hotels in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. There are many travelers (both business and tourist alike) who need to spend time in both cities and/or stay in one and have to do business in the neighboring one as well…long story short, here is a brief set of views of hotels in Shenzhen and Hong Kong:

Hong Kong Island: Le Meridien Hotel

This hotel is located on the South side of Hong Kong island, in the area called Cyberport, located near by Stanley.
The hotel is relatively new — my first stay there was in the Fall of 2004. It is a modern hotel with very good amenities, attentive staff, and excellent rooms. At the time (2004) it was one of the hotels I knew about that had flat panel TVs (plasma TVs) in each room
Here is a link to some photos from the hotel:

Hotel_Reviews_SouthernChina_HongKong

Kowloon: Sheraton – this hotel is located on Nathan Road very near by MTR station and near by plenty of pubs, restaurants, and shops. If you are craving for some British pub atmosphere (if you have spend a tad too long in Asia) you can visit a great pub in a basement near by the Sheraton and have some good beer and pot pie. The hotel itself is very comfortable. Great rooms, the rate is bit on the expensive side, but given the location that can be expected. You can get to the hotel with a shuttle bus from the airport (same for going to the airport).

Shenzhen: Venetian Crowne Plaza. If you are going to do most of your business in Shezhen you might as well stay in Shenzhen (rather than Hong Kong). The hotels are definitely cheaper on the Shenzhen side of the border. The Venetian is an excellent hotels. It is part of the chain that includes the Holiday Inn, but believe me there is nothing in common between the two. Actually, in Shenzhen, there is also a Holiday Inn hotel, which I DO NOT recommend. The Holiday Inn (based on one stay there) is not a hotel that warrants the amount of money you need to spend. If the Venetian is booked then you should opt for the Shangri-La (located near the Shenzhen railway station).
The Venetian is an excellent hotel for both business and tourist travelers. It is located near by the Windows of the World park, and about RMB70 from the Shenzhen airport, or about RMB80 from the Ferry dock (for the ferry from Hong Kong Int’l airport).
The Shangri-La is located in the area called LuoHu. This hotel is conveniently located if you need to make day trips into Hong Kong. You can walk to the border (about 5 minutes from the hotel), cross on foot through immigration, and on the other side get on the MTR (the Hong Kong mass transit railway), and head for TaiPo or Kowloon areas among others.

Adding more to the blog…Hotel Reviews are coming

Administrator — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:31:07 +0000

Well, over the last few years I have spent a significant amount of time staying at various hotels across Asia (in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, India). So it is time to reflect on those experiences and provide the readers of this blog with some additional information on the region – personal opinion (that is all it is ) on the specifics of a bunch of business and tourist grade hotels.

Over the next few weeks I am going to add feedback on the following hotels:

China:

Beijing Shangri-La, China World, Traders Hotel,
Shanghai: Reneissance Pudong, Portman (Nanjing Lu), Hilton
Shenzhen: Crowne Plaza Venetian, Shangri-La (at LuoHu);
Chengdu: Sheraton
Nanjing: Sheraton

Taiwan

Grand Hayatt, Westin;

Thailand:

Patong Beach: Holiday Inn Busakorn Wing

Japan:

Tokyo: Sakura Prince Hotel

Hong Kong:

Kowloon: Sheraton
Hong Kong Island: Le Meridien

Macao:

Hayatt

I will add hotels as I go forward. Happy reading and travels.

Interesting Initiative by the Beijing City Government

Administrator — Sat, 26 May 2007 22:58:31 +0000

In the last couple of years I have observed multiple cities in Asia (e.g. Taipei, in Taiwan) and North America either deploying or planning wireless broadband networks for city-wide access. Today I came across such an initiative by the Beijing City Government as well. Here is a link (in English) to the form which was created to gather input from what it looks like mostly expats.

Of course until that city-wide broadband network is available, you may want to consider the hot-spots which are available across multiple bars, restaurants, etc. in Beijing. I have been compiling those in a list from various sources and personal experience.

Here are some currently active spots for Free WiFi:

Cafe Niro – near Tong Li Studio just off Sanlitun

Fruity Mix – Pacific Place

John Bull Pub – 44 Guanghua Road

Man Pen Xiang Restaurant – Basement of Times Square (Shi Dai Shang Chang)

O’Farrell Coffee – SOHO Block C, ground floor

S.I.T. Cafe – Hairun International Condo No. 2, Jiangtai Road (and other locations too)

Sculpting in Time Cafe == No.1 Building 12 Hua qing jia yuan.Cheng fu lu.
Haidian District. (West of WuDaoKou train station.)
All Sages Bookstore == near South gate of Tsinghua University.

Be There or Be Square Café == Beijing Oriental Plaza, No. 1 East Chang An Avenue , Dong cheng district.
Bar Blue == Tongli Studios, Sanlitun bei lu, Sanlitun bar area, Chaoyang District.
The Drum and Bell cafe == Located at the corner of the plaza between the Drum and Bell towers. 41 Zhong Lou Wan Hu Tong, East District, Beijing
Grandma’s Kitchen == Level B, Jianwai SOHO, Dong Sanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang District

Steak & Eggs == 5, 6 Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang District (favourite with the expat crowd for Sunday brunches)
Top Club & Lounge == 4th Floor of Tongli Studios (South Entrance), Sanlitun.
www.topclubbeijing.com.

Cafe de Niro == 1 st floor Tongli Studios, Sanlitun north bar street, Chaoyang District.
The Den == Expat bar and club == 4A Gongti Donglu (next to City Hotel)
Fruity Juice == 107 PCCW Building, Gongti bei lu,Chaoyang District .
John Bull Pub == 44 Guang hua lu, Chaoyang District.
Mrs Shanen’s Bakery and Café == 5 Kaifajie, Xibaixinzhuang, Shunyi. (near River Garden and Capital Paradise housing developments)
Fishnation == 31 Nanluoguxiang, Sanlitun Area (the little alley between Poacher’s bar and Kai)

Man Pen Xiang Restaurant == Basement of Times Square (Shi Dai Shang Chang).

O’Farrell Coffee == SOHO, Block C, ground floor.

Le Petit Gourmand == South Bldg., 10 Sanlitun lu (North Bar Street), in alley just west of Skyline Bar)

SPR Coffee == Hairun International Condo No. 2. (near Lidu in DaShanZi area)
The Bookworm == Building 4, Nan sanlitun lu, Chaoyang District.
Touch Bar == 8 Qianhai Beiyan, Houhai Area, Xi cheng District.
Salud Cafe/Restaurant == 66 Nan Luogu Xiang.
There Cafe Salon & Restaurant == 97 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng.
Gustomenta
The (new) Bookworm == Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District.
Saveurs de Corée == Swish Korean bistro with free WiFi
Chazhenxiang Tea and Coffee House == Zhongguancun Nan Dajie, next to a KFC
Kerry Centre Hotel == No. 1 Guanghua Road,Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100020,
China World Hotel, Beijing == No. 1 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Beijing 100004, China
(The place itself is really nice, aside from the free WiFi — enjoy )
Cafe Pause == 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu
The Pavillion == Opposite Workers’ Stadium’s West Gate
Sequoia Cafe == 44 Guanghua Lu (beside John Bull Pub)
Stone Boat Bar == Ritan Park, southwest corner
Browns == Sanlitun South, Chaoyang District (above The Loft)

Places to Stay in Beijing

Administrator — Sun, 13 May 2007 07:56:18 +0000

Lately I have seen on many forums questions about finding accomodations in Beijing in the range of US$100/night in a nice hotel (4 star +). So I decided to do a quick posting with my experience from Beijing and will follow with postings about Shanghai and Shenzhen (also frequented destinations). So here are my suggestions for Beijing:

You can get a good rate at the Holiday Inn near the Temple of Heaven. That hotel will also put you near the Hong Qiao Market. The hotel rate was for RMB800 on the executive floor (which includes breakfast plus food during the day on the Club floor lounge).
Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong == I have stayed in this one 2 years ago (when I was relocating to Beijing);
Traders Hotel == I have stayed here too (located behind China World hotel near subway station GuoMao)
Park Plaza Wangfujing == I have not stayed here but have heard it is OK;
Rosedale Hotel (located near the DaShanZi area – near Lido Holiday Inn) == also have not stayed here but have had dinner in one of its restaurants — it was good.
The North Garden Hotel == apparently good hotel with convenient location;

Chengdu Visit – Wenshu Temple

Administrator — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 22:56:43 +0000

One of the more interesting and beautiful sites to see and experience in Chengdu is Wenshu Temple — located in the Northern part of the city – at No. 15 Wenshu Yuan Lu. The temple is usually relatively busy with worshippers but overall there are few tourists. According to the signs at the location, the temple was initially built during the Tang dynasty, but the currect structures are from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Here is some good reading on the Qing Dynasty – China’s Cultural Heritage: The Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912.
The grounds of the temple are beautiful – after all this is apparently one of the best preserved Buddhist temples in China. Here are some images from the temple (check back on this blog – I will post an album):

One of the notable aspects of the temple is the presence of 300 Buddhas, with one of them being a jade one brought by a monk from Burma in 1922.

While you are the temple you could also enjoy a nice lunch in the famous vegetarian restaurant (yes, this is a Buddhist temple after all) in one of the temple courtyards. You can spend a whole day if you so desire. There are many things to see and you can also just relax in the nice gardens.

Renting a Car in China

Administrator — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:54:14 +0000

Recently I was asked “How do you rent a car in China…?”

Well the answer is — This is not that difficult of a problem…There are several scenarios:

Are you visiting China?

do you reside in China?

If you are visiting China for a short period and staying in a hotel, the staff there can help you. Many of the international hotels have even cars of their own that you could rent by the hour or by the day (with a driver). If not the hotel consierge could assist you with some of the local rental companies. In the big cities you could rent from Hertz…

If you are residing in China for a longer period of time, there are many local companies that do that. They provide a wide variety of vehicles – sedans, minivans, with or without a driver. If you need pointers for this case, please email me or leave me a comment.

Another option is for you to negotiate with a local taxi cab driver. In Chengdu I have negotiated with a taxi cab driver and rented his vehicle with him as a driver for RMB500 for the day including driving 100km each way to another city.

So there are many options. Keep in mind — in China anything is possible