MAN Flyer

I am only due to be there 48 hours, arriving Thursday at 06.30, departing Saturday at 08.45. Meaning I'll miss the Maglev.

I am thinking more of how long I'll need to get back to PVG on a Saturday morning for an 08.45 flight and would prefer to stay at IC or Hilton as I have status with both groups.

Any comments/advice appreciated.

moondog

that's an easy decision: hilton all the way. while it might be an extra 3 or 4 minutes from pvg when all is said and done, it is an infinitely more interesting part of town.... and its highway access is unparallelled (greatly offsetting the fact it is about 10 km further from pvg as the crow flies). plus, if you are in a penny-pinching mood, you can take the #2 bus to the airport, the terminus of which is less than 1/4 mile from the hilton.

fwiw, i met some guys on the plane last week who were going to the hilton by taxi and my bus beat them by 15 minutes (because busses use special lanes and i didn't have to deal with the taxi queue). however, going to the airport on a saturday, the special lanes and the taxi queue are not relevant so the taxi would certainly be your most convenient option and will still cost less than $20 (v. $2.50 for the bus).

RichardInSF

A recent thread here points out the Maglev will be operating from 7am through 9pm through Friday, so you could ride it on arrival, although they will only take it up to 300km/hr during extended hours -- still pretty interesting.

MAN Flyer

Excellent stuff moondog, thank you for the advice. ^ Is the IC (or the area) that bad ?.

RichardInSF, I saw that post but it's only for a week and I wont be there then. Disappointed as I did want to try it out.

moondog

The IC is mediocre IMO and, for lack of a better word, the area is "bad"

I read an article in the paper today that intimated that the new schedule may well be here to stay (as long as ridership results from the first week are encouraging).

2andFro

Interesting comment Moondog. I need to make a 1 day trip to Shanghai soon and since I have status with IC, was going to book there. However, may change the booking. Why is the IC mediocre and the area bad? Most of my time will be spent in the hotel so proximity to city center or tourist sites is not important. Proximity to airport is.

Many thanks

moondog

there is nothing wrong with the ic, but it simply doesn't have the same managerial sharpness that separates some of the better hotels from their chinese counterparts.

since you're in beijing, i'd like to posit the jingguang, landmark, and even the ic there as examples of this concept. all are owned by foreign parties, but they are certainly not in the same league as hilton/ china_world/ kerry/ hyatt/ st_regis. the food isn't as good, the swimming pools are cloudy, and the service doesn't really command 5 stars.

however, in the case of the ic, these are nitpicky points that don't warrant a whole lot of consideration.

the ic's location is, far and away, its biggest drawback (the same goes for the st regis and holiday inn). it is 2 or 3 subway stops past lujiazui, getting to puxi during rush hour is a big ordeal, and there aren't a lot of nice restaurants over there. to be sure, the area has gotten a lot better over the course of the past 5 years and continues to improve; it's just not convenient to the shanghai most people want to explore. moreover, with the exception of lujiazui and the science park, there aren't a lot of first-rate companies in pudong so getting to and from meetings requires a lot of taxi time.

regarding airport proximity, it is true that the ic is substantially closer to pvg than anything in puxi (about y40 cheaper by taxi). however, its highway access isn't very good so this isn't much of an advantage. plus, if you're coming from beijing, you'll probably want to use the other airport because there are a lot more flights (~35 v. ~6).

all that said, since you don't care about being near town and are an ic loyalist, i see nothing wrong with you staying at the ic. (the op's case is a little different)

anacapamalibu

Last month hung out near the IC with a friend for a few days. Went to 3 different restaurants in that area... had some pretty different Chinese food..donkey, snake, and peacock. Must say it was very tasty. Could not find any snake in Beijing....but many dog hot pot restaurants.