Hi:<BR><BR>My boyfriend and I are planning to travel to Shanghai/Hong kong/tokio at the end of june for about 10 days. We are in our middle 30's and we would like to know your sugerences about:<BR>1. how many days we should spend in each place?<BR>2. Are the marriot's hotels good and wich one is the best located?<BR>3. Places of interest in each city,<BR>4. the weather during this time of the year.<BR>Thanks,<BR>Raquel<BR>

I stayed in the Marriott (China Hotel) in Guanzhou, China and it was 5 star. One of the nicest hotels I've stayed in.

Of the 3 cities I have only been to Shanghai recently - I can stay a week in Shanghai and not run out of things to do, but I think for most travelers, 3-4 days will give you enough time to see the sights and get a feel for the city.<BR><BR>None of the existing Marriott brand properties have what I would consider a good location. Your best bet would be the JW Marriott Shanghai but I don't know if it will be open in time for you (on their website it shows June 2002 for the opening date). Both the Shanghai Marriott and Renaissance Yangtze are out by the Hongqiao airport and the Courtyard property is in Pudong. As I haven't stayed at these properties, I can't comment on the actual facilities.<BR><BR>Recommended sites - the Bund, People's Square/Shanghai museum, walking around the old town/yu yuan area and the Nanjing road pedestrian shopping section, taking the elevator to the top of Pearl or Jin Man towers on a clear day, maybe getting out of the city for a day (if time permits) to visit surrounding areas like Suzhou or Zhou Zhuang. If this is your first trip, I would suggest taking an organized 1/2 day tour to get your bearings and then explore on your own. There is a very good street map with subway (metro)stations marked published by the convention/visitors bureau which you can pick up most hotels. Walk or take the subway everywhere, and you can really get a feel for the city. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help!!

We stayed at a Chinese hotel (vs chain) in Shanghai which was wonderful. It is just north of the Bund, with a view of the river and Bund. It is called the Panorama. There are regular rooms and large rooms. We had a larger room which had floor-ceiling window with a view of the river.It was one of the nicest hotel rooms we have had, and we generally stay at high end hotels. The cost was less than $100 per night. The only negative is that the people who work there only know enough English for check-in, etc. If you need a concierge who can help with sightseeing, stay elsewhere.

We stayed at the Yan An Hotel for 300 yuan which is less than $40. It was a modern very nice hotel with almost the same amenities in the room as the 5 star Prime Hotel in Beijing. About a 25 yuan ($3.00)cab ride to the bund.<BR><BR>The reservation was made by a Chinese friend of a friend who neglected to tell them we were not Chinese. The price was 200 yuan until we arrived and they saw we were western. The price then went up to 300 yuan - still a bargain. It includes a buffet breakfast of so-so Chinese food. <BR><BR>Main problem, lack of English. Only one woman at the front desk spoke enough English to communicate fully with us.

I think that is very important to say that we don't speak chinesse, just english and spanish. So is very important we can communicate at the hotel. Thanks for your advice. has everybody travel during this time of the year, how is the weather??

You'll probably want to stick with an international brand hotel as most of their employees will speak English.<BR><BR>I haven't traveled in June but have traveled in July, and it was very hot and in the south, humid too. What I couldn't get used to (I'm from California) was that it was even hot in the shade, you couldn't get away from it. I probably wouldn't choose to go during summer again but then I have a very low tolerance for heat/humidity. I actually much preferred Beijing in December when the temperature was right around freezing. The best time of year to visit China IMO is the fall from late-September to November, just try to avoid the one week Labor Day holiday in October.