Beijing and Xian: which hotel room or apartment for a family of 4 ?
 

Our 2 kids are 14 and 8 years old. We usually book Accor Hotels chain where Novotel usually accomodates 2 free kids under 15 in the same room with parents, bedding configuration: 1 double bed + 1 sofa bed or 2 double beds.
Unfortunately in Beijing all Accor Hotels can accomodate max 3 people including children in one room. So we are looking for a hotel with a family room for 4 or an apartment. Our budget is around US$ 150/night, travelling in september, 4 nights in Beijing and 3 in Xian. thanks !!! fabio

For Xian, check the Citadine Apartment Hotel, central location 5 minutes to the Bell Tower and Muslin Qtr, the airport bus drops you 1/2 block from it. It has kitchenette, not sure about bedding configuration, check on tripadvisor for comments.

> Unfortunately in Beijing all Accor Hotels can accomodate max 3 people including children in one room.

This regulation is China-wide. But as another poster (here? Possibly somewhere else) was recently able to demonstrate, major foreign-run hotels do not always enforce this. He booked for three, got a room with two doubles, and simply left wife and one child out of sight when checking in (if I remember correctly). I'm not advising this course, as being caught breaking regulations always puts you in a difficult position, but apparently it sometimes works.

However, for Beijing, Google Fraser Suites: at least two locations with a range of prices. The Peninsula also has some mini-suites designed for families, but these will probably be beyond your price rage. Worth checking, however.

Peter N-H

We stayed in the Hq hostel in Xian (six of us). Actually it is not a hostel, it is an apartment in an apartment building with the owners living a couple of apartments over. Nothing special but a lot more room than a hotel room, well within your budget and a great location. The fellow is from New Zealand and his wife is from Xian. She speaks excellent English.

Trip advisor reviews have been pretty positive with one little hiccup recently.

http://hqguesthousexian.com/

PS - look up Kelly's Courtyard Hotel in Beijing. We were the first to review it on Tripadvisor. The two reviews after ours were even more positive.

thanks a lot as usual !!! very helpful hints !!

Check out Lee Garden Service Apartments in Beijing:
"We easily check in to the Lee Garden Service Apartments. It is right next door to the Peninsula Palace Hotel. Our 2 bedroom apartment, with kitchen and living room, is pretty nice. The people at the front desk are helpful and speak some English, but we are not always able to communicate very well, so we keep the communications simple."
This is from http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-lifetime.cfm

After some research and contacts to various properties, also trying to stay within our budget, we have booked as follows:

Beijing: 4 nights at Fraser Residence, CBD East Beijing, RMB 988/nights incl breakfast for the 160sq meters executive apartment. It looks great for us !

Xian: 2 nights at HQ Guesthouse, a 2 bedroom apartment, 100sq metera, RMB 500/night, free pick up at railway station and fre use of a local mobile phone. I have read positive reviews from other travellers.

... Connecting the two cities with an overnight train, soft berth compartment for 4, so that we still have 3 full days in Xian !!

Once back after 9th september I will write down a feedback. Does anybody know these properties ?

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