Places to Stay?

[kevininpudong]

I have seen the posts about Yang and Xie's places, but my wife and I are hotel snobs who barely ever get a chance to go on vacation. We were looking for a place nearby the consulate that is pretty new, has an indoor pool, nice restaurants, etc. We've both been to Guangzhou before, and are now just looking for a place to relax for the week. I was all set for the White Swan, but then found out our interview would in fact be nowhere near there. I am looking at the Ramada, but it seems to be on the other side of the train station from the consulate. I live in Shanghai at the moment, and if the Guangzhou Train Station is anything like the Shanghai station, I'd rather not have to maneuver my way through that before the interview. Any suggestions are appreciated!

[pkfops]

Here's the metro map and the hotel index from Ctrip (you can sort by district).

 

http://www.johomaps.com/as/china/guangdong...gzhoumetro.html

 

http://english.ctrip.com/Destinations/Dist...sp?District=152

 

Metro Info:

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/...Metro-BR-1.html

Edited November 9, 2006 by pkfops (see edit history)

[FuManChu]

The two best hotels in GZ currently is the Asia International Hotel and the Garden Hotel, that are both "closer" to the embassy. This is true until the new Sheraton opens around May 2007.

 

Really hard to find an international "5star" in GZ at the moment. Avoid the China Hotel at all costs. Listed as 5 star, but its old and dirty.

[corvette]

The two best hotels in GZ currently is the Asia International Hotel and the Garden Hotel, that are both "closer" to the embassy. This is true until the new Sheraton opens around May 2007.

 

Really hard to find an international "5star" in GZ at the moment. Avoid the China Hotel at all costs. Listed as 5 star, but its old and dirty.

 

Garden is nice and it's often fully booked. The service of Asia International Hotel sux. China Hotel is old, but I don't think it's dirty. Their service is actually very good. Not sure when you stayed at China Hotel, my stays there were quite pleasant. Dong Fang Hotel is great too and value for money.

[SirLancelot]

The two best hotels in GZ currently is the Asia International Hotel and the Garden Hotel, that are both "closer" to the embassy. This is true until the new Sheraton opens around May 2007.

 

Really hard to find an international "5star" in GZ at the moment. Avoid the China Hotel at all costs. Listed as 5 star, but its old and dirty.

 

Garden is nice and it's often fully booked. The service of Asia International Hotel sux. China Hotel is old, but I don't think it's dirty. Their service is actually very good. Not sure when you stayed at China Hotel, my stays there were quite pleasant. Dong Fang Hotel is great too and value for money.

 

This is something that I don't understand about GZ. GuangZhou/Canton has been an open port city to the west for a LONG time. It's supposedly a pretty rich area--as far as China goes. It's not a new city like ShenZhen. So why has it taken SO long to have more international 5 star hotels open up down there?

 

OP: Take your wife to the Four Seasons in PuXi. I promise you you won't regret it.

Shanghai has many, many international 5 star hotels--and many have been there for a long time.

 

1) Four Seasons

2) Ritz Carlton

3) Grand Hyatt

4) The Westin

5) Sheraton

6) Hilton

7) Marriot

8) JW Marriot

9) Le Meridan

10) St. Regis

11) Inter-Continental

12) Sofitel

 

There are more hotels which aren't really 5 star international ones (Holiday Inn, Radisson, etc) but the list above certainly gives a taste of what Shanghai has to offer in terms of good 5 star hotels.

 

It's really too bad the IV unit is not at the US Consulate in Shanghai.

Edited November 11, 2006 by SirLancelot (see edit history)

[ct_shore2000]

pkfops' suggestion is a good one. I've had good luck using www.ctrip.com to book hotels in my travels in China. However, to be on the safe side bring their customer service phone number with you when you go to the hotel.

Also, I hear the train station in Guangzhou is a very unsafe place (makes Shanghai's look good). Be careful and try to stay elsewhere.

[pkfops]

pkfops' suggestion is a good one. I've had good luck using www.ctrip.com to book hotels in my travels in China. However, to be on the safe side bring their customer service phone number with you when you go to the hotel.

Also, I hear the train station in Guangzhou is a very unsafe place (makes Shanghai's look good). Be careful and try to stay elsewhere.

 

If I see a hotel on CTRIP I also try to cross reference it with other hotel

guides and google it for reviews.

 

I do spend a lot of time planning; too much from my wife's point of view.

 

She thinks I worry too much.