I am planning (my first) trip to China in March. I'll be visiting Beijing and Shanghai in this trip. I have done some prelim reserach in this forum's past threads and looked at a guidebook. I still had some questions and would greatly appreciate some help. I am planning to stay in Beijing for 4 nights.

1. Beijing Hotels. I have looked at a map and shortlisted some options after looking at the location and rates for my dates in March:

- St Regis (US$ 230 room only or 10k starpoints per night)
- Peninsula Palace (US$180 incl airport transfers & breakfast)
- Crowne Plaza
- Great Wall Sheraton (US 130 on exec level)
- Kempinski Hotel (US 180 incl breakfast, exec club & one-way airport transfer)

My main criterion for choosing was based on looking at a map and seeing which hotels were most centrally located and thus walkable to the main sightseeing/shopping attractions. (This would sort of eliminate the last two hotel options if I'm reading the map correctly.) Any other suggestions...
Also I'm an SPG Plat with enough starpoints to get the St Regis on points. (I have read all the great reviews on the St Regis, but looking at the rates, I think it is comparatively steep, given that there is no breakfast or transfers included.) The Peninsula Package seems really tempting and great value for money. So which would be better and what are the main differences between the 2 hotels. I could do split stays and do 2 nights each at two different hotels. Any input on an ideal combo...

2. Do any of the hotels (above or otherwise) offer an airport pickup service that includes meet at the aircraft gate and guide thru customs/immi etc (like some hotels in BKK do). Any ideas about the charge for this. Also what is the charge for a 'regular' hotel pick-up service?

3. How tough is immigration/customs at PEK. Time taken etc.

4. Is there any prepaid limo/cab service at PEK airport? And if so the charge?

5. In terms of walking, how suitable is Beijing. (Based on past threads, I would want to avoid the hassle of using cabs as much as possible).

6. Is it a safe city for a solo traveller who does not speak Mandarin/Cantonese. Both in terms of personal safety and money fleecing/overcharging.

7. In terms of exploring the Forbidden City, Tianenmen, Temple of Heaven etc would the hotel have a sort of day tour and what would the charges be like... Or is it just better to ignore this and do everything individually.

8. Great Wall: How expensive will it be to hire a guide and car thru the hotel for a day trip. Alternatively any group tour options for this...

9. Any shopping advice. Particular shops, goods, areas, malls etc.

10. What is a reasonable amount to allocate as a basic perdium in PEK for food, transport etc.

11. Should one purchase some Chinese currency before getting there, or leave till reaching PEK.

Okay. That's enough questions for now. I'll leave the Shanghai questions for another thread!

Thanks a ton in advance.

cheers
AJ

Goodness, what a lot in one go! I've answered what I can remember.

1. Beijing Hotels.

We stayed in the Peninsula Palace in September and thought it was really good for location and food. Would definitely recommend it.

3. How tough is immigration/customs at PEK. Time taken etc.

This used to take a while a few years ago but last year it took us about 10 minutes to get thrugh after coming off a 747. The airport has improved a lot in recent years.

5. In terms of walking, how suitable is Beijing.

The distances are usually further than you'd think. Taking a cab is OK. You will be a bit over charged but it's much cheaper than here anyway. Make sure the meter is on and take your destination on a card written in Chinese.

6. Is it a safe city for a solo traveller who does not speak Mandarin/Cantonese.

Yes, a lot better than most Asian cities! Last year I went with my husband and a few years ago I went on my own and both times I felt safe. As in the taxi question you will be overcharged a bit but the actual sums are quite small.

7. In terms of exploring the Forbidden City, Tianenmen, Temple of Heaven etc would the hotel have a sort of day tour and what would the charges be like... Or is it just better to ignore this and do everything individually.

Really you can do this with a good guidebook as the hotels will charge a lot extra. Even on my own I went to places and was fine.

8. Great Wall: How expensive will it be to hire a guide and car thru the hotel for a day trip.

We hired a car from the Peninsula to take us there. Last time I went to Badaling but this time I wanted to go to a quieter area. We got the car to take us to Jin Shan Ling, from there we walked to Simatai where it picked us up again. Fantastic walk but tiring - four hours or so. Much better than Badaling was, more atmospheric. We can't remember exactly how much it was but we both felt it was really good value as it's several hours outside Beijing and the car had rear seatbelts (useful!) which the local taxis don't.

10. What is a reasonable amount to allocate as a basic perdium in PEK for food, transport etc.

If you eat in Western hotels all the time you could be about �50 per day but if you try the good local places �20-�30 should cover it easily.

11. Should one purchase some Chinese currency before getting there, or leave till reaching PEK.

I think you have to leave it until you get there as you can't get it outside the country.


I was in Shanghai last year too so would be happy to answer any questions on that if it helps.

Sure others will disagree with me, but I like the HI Lido. Its a 5 star hotel, masquerading as a 4 star hotel. Problem is its a long way out of town, but there are regular shuttle buses (free) into the tourist area - they drop off at the silk market. However, I haven't stayed in any of these, I used the Jiangquo when staying in the centre of town. It was ok, but not great.

2. Do any of the hotels (above or otherwise) offer an airport pickup service that includes meet at the aircraft gate and guide thru customs/immi etc (like some hotels in BKK do). Any ideas about the charge for this. Also what is the charge for a 'regular' hotel pick-up service?

don't think so as the Chinese are generally very strict about who gets airside (think UK rules). However, many of them do do pick-up services from the airport, and there is a desk in arrivals you can go to to be met and sort out the transfer. When i was last there, I was paying about �5 IIRC for the minibus to the hotel.

3. How tough is immigration/customs at PEK. Time taken etc.

I've always found the US harder than PEK. They've improved the english on the forms (the medical form used to be if you signed it you were saying you had all the notifiable diseases - or that was my reading of the chinglish), and whenever I've gone it its been formal, but routine. Try and find a white queue.. Chinese immigration can be pretty racist, and Africans and some other Asians will take a lot longer to get through. Allow about an hour - 1.5 hrs.. that includes baggage reclaim too.


4. Is there any prepaid limo/cab service at PEK airport? And if so the charge?

Don't know, always used hotel buses.

5. In terms of walking, how suitable is Beijing. (Based on past threads, I would want to avoid the hassle of using cabs as much as possible).

Its very easy. But do also consider the underground, which is very easy to use as well.. spend 10 minutes working it out, and it saves you a lot of walking. Very cheap too, but be prepared for some stares, the Chinese aren't used to seeing westerners on it.

6. Is it a safe city for a solo traveller who does not speak Mandarin/Cantonese. Both in terms of personal safety and money fleecing/overcharging.

Its not bad actually. Be very aware of pickpockets in tourist areas. But I've walked around by myself without incident, and I don't speak mandarin or chinese - be prepared to haggle though

7. In terms of exploring the Forbidden City, Tianenmen, Temple of Heaven etc would the hotel have a sort of day tour and what would the charges be like... Or is it just better to ignore this and do everything individually.

Most hotels offer tours, also out to places like the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. But Tianamen can be done very easily (i found it by mistake). I never quite made it to the others, so amn't too sure.

9. Any shopping advice. Particular shops, goods, areas, malls etc.

Like many tourists I ended up in the silk market near the Jiangquo hotel.. only to discover the bargaining was better in the market near the HI Lido - I think at the silk market, they are used to tourists not being able to bargain, whereas at the smaller markets, they don't get so much traffic, so are more willing to make the sale if you walk away. Also check out the friendship stores and other places like that before hitting the markets, it gives you a guideline as to where you should be starting the haggling from. Be friendly, and remember haggling (Chinese style) is actually very good fun.. Do check the quality - the quality of North Face Jackets (for eg) is very variable.. some are as good as the real things, others aren't. If buying dvds, some are fine, some aren't, ask around for a reliable supplier.

10. What is a reasonable amount to allocate as a basic perdium in PEK for food, transport etc.

It depends where you eat and what you do.. and how much you shop

11. Should one purchase some Chinese currency before getting there, or leave till reaching PEK.
IIRC rates are better in China.. but try and get hold of some small change for tips etc

Sure others will have other impressions etc, its been a few years now since I was out there, and China is changing sooo quickly

Thanks a heap EEB and Jenbel!!
Exactly the opening I was looking for

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390281

I'll be flying to China on LH via FRA. So I have an option to fly either FRA-SHA or FRA-PEK. (And then go to the other city.) So would PVG be 'better' than PEK as the entry point into China?

Was in Beijing over Thanksgiving.
1.. Stayed at the Grand Hyatt on the Club Floor. Because it included breakfast it was a good deal. Big breakfast and snacks on the street made it easy to go all the way to dinner.
2. The shopping mall connected to the Hyatt was disappointing. It was all American and European stores, big name brands. But it had a food court which was good for lunch. You must first buy a plastic card at the cashiers for a set amount of money. Then you visit the food stall you like and then debit that card you have. Lots of very interresting Asian food.
3. At the airport you can get a taxi downtown for about 100 Yuan. You -MUST- be careful and insist on price and meter before hand. Look for the official taxi stand and queue. You will be hassled unmercifully by other drivers. One had grabbed our luggage and was halfway inside the parking garage when he finally said he wanted 400 Yuan. If we hadn't known 100 was the going price we would have really been taken.
4. Good rule of thumb is always make sure the taxi you are in has a meter. Taxis aren't very expensive. The hotel will give you a card with its address on one side and the address ofd your destination on the other. The doorman will tell the driver and also give him the card. And the doorman will make sure it is metered. That takes the risk out of the taxi situation. We took taxis on the street as well, making sure they were memtered and then showing the hotel's card. We were not so successful showing the drivers a map of Beijing. Most drivers could not read the map.
5. The street signs are in Chinese and below that the same sound in Roman letters. The hotel can give you a good tourist map that also has the streets in the Roman letters. Not hard to figure out where you are.
6. If you get lost the people are very friendly and willling to help. And it helps if you make some attempt at pronouncing the name yourself.The young people especially are not hesitant to try out their English. (Several times very young children approached us and spoke English just to see if we would respond.)
7. Beijing distances are enormous. Think of it as Los Angeles on steriods. Those one block distances are -very- long.
8. The subway tip was good one. We took it often to a neighborhood, got off, and then just explored. Again the signs are in Chinese and the Latin letters. Good maps on the platforms. I recommend the subway as well. My best recommendation if you enjoy walking is to do the same. Beijing is flat and easy to explore. (If you can stand the air pollution.)
9. WE hired a driver for $50 for the day to take us out to the wall. About a 2 hour drive and well worth it.
10. The China Club is a private club that the hotel can get you into for a dinner. I highly recommend it. It is in an old home converted to a club. Need to take a taxi to it - it is well beyond the central district.
11. Get money when you arrive via the ATM machine.
12. One last note the fabled pollution is bad. We took a picture at noon that you would swear was taken at 6P - all gray. I took lots of Vit C with me and kept popping it. Don't know if it kept me from getting a respiratory thing but it eased my mind.
13.. Beijing is walkable, enjoyable, and has many friendly people. A great place to visit and explore. It is -not- old China and do not expect to see lots of olds neighborhoods etc etc. It is in the midst of a giant building boom. I honestly felt as if I was in Los Angeles with the vast distances, wide boulevards, traffice, and unfortunately the smog.
14. One final note - the Forbidden City is impressive but the buildings themselves are pretty empty. The one thing missing from Beijing is a sense of what China was like (furniture, textiles, picutres, etc.). Guess the Cultural Revolution took care of all of that. Even the national art museum is pretty disappointing. Sad.

Welcome to FT Bonnerbl

And thank you for a first post that surely must rank among the very best in terms of information and helpfulness. ^

Don't know how you plan to split your time between the two cities but I'd spend longer in Beijing than Shanghai. There's lots more to see.

i'll second that suggestion.

other thoughts:

-don't bother with organized tours. i know i've said this countless times before in this forum, but i'm saying it again and will surely repeat myself in the future. there's simply no advantage to paying through the nose just to get the wisdom of a guy who knows less than the lp and has relationships with gift shop employees and currency traders throughout the city. for close destiations, just grab a taxi and get another one when you want to leave. to go further (e.g. decent great wall sites, fragrant hills, tianjin), hire a cab for the day.
-imo the lido IS too far away.
-the sheraton is very worn, but i always try to stay in that vacinity when i'm in beijing (better food and less traffic than downtown)
-the silk alley no longer exists; see last week's economist

I also think the Holiday Inn Lido is too far away. I stayed there a few years ago when I was travelling to work in the north for a few weeks. If you want to avoid too many taxis, it'd be pretty difficult from there.

Hi AJLondon:

I'm planning a similar trip, but in late Feb, and with my 4 year-old.

So far, my plans include flying into Shanghai, stay perhaps for 2 or 3 days, and then take the overnight train (see this website for a review http://home.wangjianshuo.com/archive...o_shanghai.htm - looks pretty nice), and then onto to Beijing for 6 days/5 nights.

Keep in mind that if you stay at a SPG hotel for 4 nights on points, you automatically get the 5th night for free (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/prefer...anding.html#10) We plan to consume 40,000 SPG points stay at the St. Regis for 5 nights (which works about to 8K points/night). Not too bad.

And I've read in other posts that Gold and Plat members have access to the executive lounge @ the St Regis (i.e. free breakfast and evening snacks) <Readers: If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me >

So far, we plan to visit the following in Beijing:
1. Great Wall (mutianyu) http://www.travelchinaguide.com/chin...g/mutianyu.htm - it has a 1 mile (or is it 1 km) toboggan ride. My 4 year-old will have fun with this, though it might be kinda cold in late Feb.

2. Tiananmen Square

3. Forbidden City

4. A hutong - use the opportunity to remind my daughter not to complain about our life in the US

Sidenote: As a techie, I'm planning to setup a blog of our travels, and then use my soon-to-be-purchased GSM 1.3 MP cameraphone to take pictures, e-mail them to flickr, which will in turn post the pics to my daughter's website (assuming all technical difficulties have been resolved). Mummy will then see what mischief we've been up to.

My little one's quite a traveller. When she was 3, she travelled to Asia twice, and earned about 60 K frequent flyer miles. When she received her NWA Silver Elite card, she said "goody, a credit card. Let's go shopping". Methinks she has been shopping with mummy too often

5. Various temples

Have fun

Thanks again for the input everyone. ^ ^ Much appreciated.

Ok, so the remaining questions:

1. Out of these two hotels, is the Pen the obviously better deal, or is the St Regis still worth the supplement
- St Regis (US$ 230 room only or 10k starpoints per night)
- Peninsula Palace (US$180 incl airport transfers & breakfast)
AFAIK, after searching FT, only evening drinks are free and NOT breakfast. And all hotel guests have access to this lounge. (Not just Golds and Plats).

2. Do any of the hotels (above or otherwise) offer an airport pickup service that includes meet at the aircraft gate and guide thru customs/immi etc (like some hotels in BKK do). Any ideas about the charge for this. Also what is the charge for a 'regular' hotel pick-up service?

4. Is there any prepaid limo/cab service at PEK airport? And if so the charge?

8. Great Wall: How expensive will it be to hire a guide and car thru the hotel for a day trip.
moondog, thanks for the advice about this. I read in one of the earlier threads that you know some reliable operators to hire a cab/guide from? Would you be kind enough to advise... Also any input about the charges.. (Especially for the Great Wall day trip).

-- You need to recheck that. When I was there at Thanksgiving did a site visit to the St. Regis and specifically asked if they offered breakfast or some sort of club amenities. The answer was no. When I pressed the guy on how they met the competition his answer was that most of the people that stayed there preferred to eat in the restaurant or in their room -- which I took to mean they don't see breakfast as a competitive feature.

-- Mutianyu was where we went. I absolutely recommend it. And we took the ski lift up to the wall and then the toboggan down.--

regarding #4, just get a taxi: insist on using the meter and (ideally) know where your going ahead of time. if problems arise, ask the hotel bellman to help sort things out. the fare from the airport to the st regis // penn shouldn't be much more than y100. the airport is really easy to navigate --> your "get met at the plane" idea is unnecessary and would likely slow you down.

as for #8, i know a few cabbies that have taken many friends and fters to the great wall and beyond. to be honest, any cab will take you there, but my guys are good because we've been handing them business for years. expect to pay around y400 for a day-trip (4-6 hours) to simatai or huanghua in a citroen (those are the 1.6/km cabs, usually red). the driver won't bother while you're there, but it's a good idea to buy him lunch (very cheap). feel free to email me any time.

Thank You.
I will email you soon, once I get my booking and dates sorted.

cheers
AJ