So after a bit of deliberating with myself, and looking through guides/Wikipedia pages, and multiple sources on various places... I ended up booking the Hilton Sozhou (with a pre-paid rate).
A good bit is due to that fact that there is a bus (about 1-2 an hour) right between PVG and Sozhou. Yea, 2+ hours on a bus isn't my idea of a great time, but it beats the multiple options from PVG-->Train-->other places (then I'd still have to get from a train station to a hotel).
Once I'm in Sozhou, I'll probably just use Didi to get to the Hilton. Although if I'm feeling adventurous (after time on the bus), I may try out their metro system (they have 2 lines, but more under construction).
The property gets pretty good reviews...both here on FT and other sources. The town also seems like a place where I can relax, stroll around some water, take a boat, etc. And they have a new-ish 10 lane 50m pool.
So if anyone has any tips, must-see things I should do, please chime in. As it is pre-paid, it is pretty much a done deal now. Well my travel is in 2-1/2 weeks, so I wanted to get something finalized anyway.
Some things I really want to do:
1. Visit Bookworm:
Home - The Bookworm Suzhou
2. Take a boat cruise on the water (perhaps at night):
https://www.chinadiscovery.com/jiang...and-canal.html
3. Spend some time at the Suzhou Museum:
http://www.szmuseum.com/En/Home/Index#page1