Originally Posted by
moondog
Off the top of my head, and in no particular order:
-Chengde
-Goose and Duck Ranch
-beijinghikers.com
-Qinghuangdao (sp)
-Jinan (there's really not much to see there, but the train is pretty convenient; it is fairly close to Mt. Tai)
-Commune by the Great Wall (Kempinski)
hot spring resorts (Jiuhuashanzhuang in Changping is the only true resort I've been to, but I've heard there are several others)
-Shenyang (surprisingly nice)
-Dalian (maybe a bit too far for a weekend train ride)
-Taiyuan (probably the least appealing option on this list, but I'm including it because it is reasonably close)
Thanks for all the suggestions Moondog. Qinghuangdao has come up before and you've finally prompted me to look it up -- i think we'll do that one for sure. I have to go to Jinan on a Friday anyway so will probably spend a couple of nights there.
Will investigate the rest of your list!