Good evening fellow travelers,
My wife and I (35-40 yrs old) will be heading to China for the first time next year in April-May for two weeks. We've been 10 times to Thailand, 5 to Japan, etc. but never made it to China so we had to make it happen.
Our goal is to be swept off our feet by the landscapes, the rich history and if possible to have nice hotel experiences and not to be all the time packing / unpacking.
The itinerary I've worked out works so far as such:
- ZRH-FRA-PEK: LH C
- 3 nights at the Peninsula Beijing, booked through FHR - Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, Summer Palace, etc. are our main goals but I haven't researched much yet beyond that.
- 3 nights in Guilin, most likely at the Shangri-La. It sounded a bit much for the region at first but factoring in travel, we will most likely end up arriving in the late afternoon there. Idea is to see the landscapes and do a river cruise (tips welcome) until Yangshuo and then head back to Guilin
- 2 nights in Hangzhou - very much hesitating between the FS West Lake, Amanfayun and the brand new Shangri La Silk Lakehouse, apparently the new luxury flagship of SL
- 3 nights in Shanghai @ MO Pudong - location does not seem to be as good as say Peninsula or Waldorf Astoria but the price is also nearly half of the PEN and the reviews are pretty good
What I would love to know from experienced China travelers:
- Do the cities cover a good ground for a first trip? (Xi'an was voted out by the wife)
- What do you think of the hotels?
- Any strong opinions on the type of internal travel?
- Guides needed everywhere to be able to make the most of the trip? I was thinking to take some in Beijing and Guilin.
Many thanks!