I'll be traveling to Beijing and Shanghai in June with my pre-teen son. Approximately how much should I plan on spending per day on hotel, food and sightseeing? I want us to be comfortable (an indoor pool is a must, I think) but I don't need luxury. Is $150 a day reasonable? $200?

i think that price may be shy for all you want, but others can tell you better....indoor pool??

I would think the indoor pool would definitely put your hotel price up, otherwise I would say $200/day for two people in Beijing should be OK. Why don't you visit your neighborhood library/ bookstore, chose a Beijing guidebook & check hotel prices for places that meet your criteria? There is a very wide range in prices. A 3-star near the main station (Harmony) is $55 for a double, for instance, apparently with a pool, but I don't know if it meets your criteria for comfortable. The advance purchase rate at the Hilton, for comparison, is $160 for June.

Thanks for the input. I spoke to a family friend who travels to Beijing every year (and grew up there). She seemed to think $200 would be enough.

I have a copy of Fodor's "Beijing & Shanghai," but hotel prices seem to be all over the place. I've found online deals that I would consider for as little as $50-75 per night.

One other book I looked at suggested that I could in Beijing "in style" for $130 a day (per person, I guess).

None of these discrepancies will be a deal-killer. I'm just shooting for a ball-park figure.

your $150-200 figure is an all inclusive figure i believe, not just for hotel??

a lot depends on what you require for food, etc....that can be all over the ballpark...if you want just to snack and eat lite with nothing at all fancy, you can keep the price down...take out food and eat in your room for instance...

so you have to let us know what you expect, other than an indoor pool, which seems to me to be the least necessary item on any trip to china...

I suppose the pool isn't crucial, but it will go a long way toward keeping my son happy in the kind of humid weather he's not accustomed to.

Because I'm traveling with a child, I don't expect to do a lot of fine dining. I'd like to keep lunches especially simple.

If folks think $300 a day for room, food and attractions is more reasonable, let me know.

get yourself a frommers or fodors guidebook and you will see suggested costs in there and give you a better feel for things...its difficut here without more info from you

How long are you going to be there? I agree with rhkkmk, your son won't be spending too much time at the indoor pool, you may be pleasantly surprised how much there is for a pre-teen boy to enjoy in Beijing and Shanghai sans an indoor pool. Perhaps someone who has traveled with pre-teens to both cities in summer can offer their experience.

The pool idea will certainly limit your choices. We stayed at 3-star hotels in Beijing and Shanghai which came to about US$70 a day and were fine. I'm sure we could have got them cheaper had we not booked ahead due to travelling in the October holiday week. Be warned that the Chinese favour very firm mattresses, but you soon get used to that, especially if you're on the go all day, which always makes for a good night's sleep. If you're familiar with eating Chinese-style (shared dishes, chopsticks) you can seek out local restaurants with English-translation menus or illustrations of dishes - a good meal for two will cost no more than 100 yuan (US$12). Hotel restaurants may be convenient but are very poor value for money.