hotels in Beijing
 

Hey guys! havent posted here in a while! my husband just surprised me with tickets to Beijing for my Birthday! we'll be going in one weeks time...
now i have to find us a hotel in Beijing...
so - any recommendations?
we want to be close to the main touristy areas (Wang Fu Jing Street?) and need a decent place 4 stars is ok... but we ideally dont want to spend more than $100 per night (less would be great!) as our tickets were very expensive, and we'd be out touring most of the time anyway.

i'd love to hear what hotels anyone can recommend, or what online sites to book through.

thanx tons!

Julia.

still havent found a hotel in Beijing! anyone out there willing to advise?
need something modern, upper scale, but at best value for money...
our tickets are about $3500- and i KNOW we need lotsa money for shopping... so ideally do not wish to go much beyond $100 per night...
please guys - suggestions!

Julia.

Have you tried the Novotel Peace Hotel? You can go google and go to their website. Elong and Ctrip have last minute specials. It looks like there are some great last minute specials!

Actual price will depend on dates. On some dates, the Wangfujing Grand may fit your budget. Or the Novotel Peace like withkids mentioned. Beijing International is a little bit east of Wanfujing, but within walking distance.

All should be around or under $120.

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). I have not posted about this hotel on my blog http://travel.chinafinds.com but you may want to check it out
Other than that you will have to prepare to pay more than $100 / night. Beijing is getting pricey. Here are some other possible hotels:
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
Rosedale Hotel (located near the DaShanZi area - near Lido Holiday Inn)
The North Garden Hotel

anyone tried priceline in China, i have used them in HK and Europe

No, haven't tried Priceline for Beijing. Their Forbidden City/Wanfujing area only has 3*, which really limits its usefulness. Very very few reported bids on biddingfortravel.com.

Shanghai seems to be more useful.

Firedragon:

We just stayed at the Crowne Plaza on Wangfujing...it was excellent in every way. We went directly to their web pages and got a rate of 1050 RMB for a king non-smoking which was about $135 plus 15% tax. Beautiful atrium-design hotel, very helpful concierge staff. We don't do buffets but the ala carte breakfast menu is varied and excellent...Just two blocks down Wangfjing to the pedestrian segment, night market across the strteet and many restaurants nearby.

Don't let anyone kid you...it's a taxi ride to Tiananmen and Forbidden City...cost about 11-14 yuan....well worth every yuan! ($1,80 tops)...Otherwise, a better than 20 minute walk across the most nutty and chaotic , no-holds-barred traffic in China.
Stu T.

Stu T.

Another hotel that meets your budget requirements but is a little south of Wangfujing

http://tinyurl.com/2ytkmz

Aloha!

I just returned from a 10 day trip to China in which I stayed at the Lu Song Yuan Hotel while in Beijing. The hotel is located in the Hutons, just a short distance from the Forbidden City. They have a car that they can send to the airport to pick you up, and drop you off as well. The staff are all bi-lingual. The price can't be beat. I paid $60.00 per night (two to a room) for a standard room off the central garden. My room was very comfortable and private. The Hotel was converted from a residence built during the Yuan Dynasties for one of the Generals of the Emperors army. Look them up on Trip Advisor at,

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...l-Beijing.html

I enjoyed the neighborhood, and all the different restaurants in the area, and it's just a short walk to both the Drum Tower and the Bell Tower.

This is not a "four star" hotel, but it is actually much nicer than I had though it would be and nicer than many other places I have stayed.

mcv
thanks so much, that's exactly what we need, a clean room at a good location that one can rent without breaking the bank.

Hello mcv,

how do we book this hotel, directly at their web site?
how much did the car cost for airport pick up and how do we go about booking it, many thanks.

Their web address is:

http://www.the-silk-road.com/hotel/lusongyuanhotel/

They currentley have a "hot deal" that includes airport pickup, daily breakfast, and room for two, for two nights, at $227.00, but you can do better by asking for a discount at the desk, and taking a longer stay. The cost for the pickup by itself was $30.00

I know you can get cheaper transportation, (taxi) but after a long flight I find that it's not worth the hassel to save a few bucks.

The rate I received was for four nights, three people, breakfast each day, courtyard room with extra bed, at $66.00 per night.( sorry, not the $60.00 I mentioned earlier, exchange rates and all that, also I was wrong about when the place was built, it turns out it is from the Qing Dynasty, not the Yuan Dynasty)

You can call them direct at (86 10) 6404 0436, and arrange for the pickup. Nice car (sedan) and driver, no tip necessary.

Good luck and I hope all turns out well. I wish I was going with you!

mcv- we looked at the wed site of Lu song Yuan, looks like it's from the old Chinese movie set, just wonderful, thank you so much for sharing this with us.

No problem, happy to be of assistance. Another suggestion is that you try the Pass by Restaurant located just up the alley, from the hotel. When you come out of the hotel turn to the left, and walk to the first intersection. The Restaurant will be on the right hand corner. There is a coffee shop/bar/café all in the same building, run by an expat English teacher. The staff are bilingual, and so is the menu. Good food, cheap, and filling.

I loved walking all through the area, to the Drum Tower, and the Bell Tower, which are close by. But, take a taxi to the Forbidden City, that was a longer walk than I thought it would be. You can have the desk clerk write out the name of the place you want to go, and then you show that to the taxi driver. Pick up one of the cards at the desk that has the name of the hotel and a map on it, which you can give to your return taxi driver. That takes a lot of the hassle out of getting around. If you go to the Forbidden City you will be hit up by a lot of folks who will want to sell you their services as guides, for the palace complex, and for tours to the Great Wall and other places. You can strike a good deal, but be aware that they will also want to take you to several “factories” where you will see jade being carved and things like that. The main objective of the stops will be to get you to spend money in the attached show rooms, for which the guide will receive a kick back. Still, it’s not a bad way to spend an afternoon, and if you know what’s up, it can be fun.

mcv - thanks for the restaurant lead, will certainly check them out.
you were in BJ for four nites, what other city did you visit, any lead there?
Many thanks.

After we left Beijing we took an overnight train (Hard Sleeper) to the city of Bengbu where we stayed in an apartment at the Anhui University for three nights, then we took another overnight train (again a Hard Sleeper) to Xian. In Xian we stayed for two nights at the Han Tang International Youth Hostel, located in central Xian, close by the Drum Tower. There we had a triple room w/ bath which cost us approximately $12.00 per night (total). That included a mini-van pick up from the train station. The Restaurant was OK, but we only ate breakfast there. If you go to Xian try eating the mutton stew that is served in the Muslim Quarter. It’s really, really good.

http://www.lonelychina.com/xian/xian...th-hostel.html

http://www.hostelxian.com/hantanginn.html

Then we took a third overnight train (this time Soft Sleeper) back to Beijing and caught our flight home.

Thankyou all for your most valuable information.

mcv, sounds like you had a great trip and i will definitely try the mutton stew, wife doesn't like lamb.

Han Tang international hostel, a clean room with private bath for $12.oo Wow!sounds like you had reservation ahead of time, may be we can reserve from BJ before we leave for Xian.

Thankyou so much for all your help.



















Thanks so much for your help