China in April
 

We're planning to travel to China in April. I'd appreciate any comments on
our proposed itinerary and hotel choices:

Beijing - 3 days - Grand Hyatt

X'ian - 2 days - Hyatt Chongqing

Huangshan - 2 days - Golf hotel and Xi Hai

Guilin - 2 days - Sheraton Guilin

Hangzhou - 2 days - Shangri-la

Shanghai - 3 days (day trip to Suzhou) - Four Seasons

I can't comment on all of your hotels, but here are the ones I'm familiar with:

Guilin: I would HIGHLY recommend that you stay in Yangshuo instead of Guilin. The Yangshuo Paradise Resort (which I THINK is the nicest hotel there, but you should check) isn't up to the standard of your other hotels, but it is MUCH better to stay in Yangshuo than Guilin.

Hangzhou: Good choice - if there's any chance you can get on the business (club?) floor, do so. They have a wonderful lounge with floor to ceiling windows and a wrap-around outdoor patio with fabulous views of the lake. It's a great place to retreat and relax when you're not touring around. Good location, too.

Shanghai: The Four Seasons is fine, but unless you're getting a special rate or frequent stay points, there's not a lot to recommend it over some other hotels in that price range, IMO.

The Portman Ritz Carleton is just a few blocks away, but is located in a little compound that includes a bank and ATM, Western grocery store, Western restaurants (Element Fresh is an expat favorite), the Long Bar (another expat haunting ground), and a theater with regular acrobatic performances. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the hotel just because it has those things, but it's enough to tip the balance between it and the Four Seasons, IMO. The Portman is also closer to a metro station if you think you might take the metro.

Other luxury hotels include:

* Grand Hyatt, probably the nicest hotel in Shanghai, with great views but on the "wrong" side of the river (NOTHING within walking-around distance, main part of town 15 - 45 minutes away depending on traffic).

* Sofitel - Maybe not as nice (haven't seen the rooms), but great location right on the chaotic neon-lit section of Nanjing Lu that is one of the most photographed Shanghai scenes. Great walking around area, near the Bund, etc.

Good luck!

Can't comment on the hotels but you have an excellent itinerary. Been to all the locations except Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) which we plan to visit in October. Please post a trip report on Huangshan after you return! Thanks.

Looks like an interesting itinerary but I do have questions about the logistics. Do you have additional days set aside for intra-city travel? If not, this looks like a very hectic schedule. Those on the forced march of tour groups (with others in charge of your transport) do this all the time, but it looks pretty tough if you are travelling independently. I will also be in China in April for a roughly equivalent period of time but I just couldn't squeeze all those places in while having both: a) enough leisure time to explore and b)enough time to give me "wiggle room" if things go wrong (as they often do.)

We are also traveling to China in April, for 24 days. There are 4 of us and we are making our own arrangements, including hotel accomodations as we go. I wish I had some Hyatt free nights to burn!

We are allowing a day of travel time between each stop on our itinerary. Here's our tentative, flexible schedule -
Beijing - 6 days
Qingdao - 2-3 days
Xian - 4 days
Luoyang - 2 days
Pingyao - 2 days
Beijing - 2 days
travel days - 5 - by train or bus except plane from Qingdao to Xian

I'm interested in any feedback. Thanks.

Thanks for the replies so far.

According to Hyatt, the Hyatt Chongqing won't open for about a year. Wonder how our travel agent plans to book it in April. We'll investigate the hotel recommendations. Alas, no special rates at the 4S.

Our stay in Huangshan was prompted by the desire to do something outside and recent exhibitions of paintings of the Yellow Mountains. Will try to report when we return.

Times include intra-city travel, just about all of which is by plane. Our tour group consists of the two of us and a guide & driver in each city. I hope it isn't too hectic.

Are you going to Chongqing or Xian? There's a Hyatt in Xian that's definitely open (has been for a while). The Hyatt in Chongqing won't open until the end of the year(?).

We're going to Xi'an. It's likely the travel agent meant the Hyatt Regency Xi'an rather than the Chongqing, but the agent is in China and communication is slow.

http://www.hyatt.com/corporate/hyatt....jhtml?ssnav=1

Any thoughts on the Hyatt Xi'an?

In Xian, the Hyatt is a good choice with a convenient location within the city walls. It's not on par with the Grand Hyatt's in Asia but comparable to a U.S. Hyatt Regency. The club floor has a nice lounge.

Hi, we've just returned from Guilin and Yangshuo. We went directly from the airport to Yangshuo, stayed at the Paradise Resort for 3 nights, very disappointed with this hotel which others have recommended. Much of the facilities were closed at this time,(the pool and the bar) the staff were unfriendly.But it is low season, we had looked at other small Guest House type of establishments and imo they would have been just as good there are many in the tourist area around West Street for much much less money. The rooms were disappointing, we paid for an upgrade which was slightly better. For a four star they do not match other hotels in China. In Guilin we stayed at the Sheraton for just one night, at this time of the year they too had closed some of the facilities including the air-conditioning! However the position was good within easy reach of Elephant Hill Park, Fubo Hill, Solitary Beauty Peak etc. We travelled independently and used taxis for sightseeing but could walk to many of the local sights from Hotel. Also lots of good dining options within walking distance, staff service was among the best and they were very friendly! We paid for an upgrade to a river view room - not worth it really as the river was too low. Hope this helps.