China for a week
 

We are going in August for a week to Beijing
Coincides with a friends trip to PVG so we can meet up in Beijing after.

Thanks for the FAQs
Will get started on the Visa in June (within the 3 month window for L visas)

Hotels
Is the Hilton or the Meridien better?
Should we stay near the forbidden city or the outer part near the Great Wall?

The airport appears to be in the Northwest of the City looking at the maps.

Our planned trip
1 Sunday arrive, rest
2 Monday go to the Forbidden city and T Square
3 Tues - Go to the great wall and take a long walk for half a day
4 Ming tombs
5 Spend a day or two wandering
6 return to HKG


Any suggestions welcome

We have status on Hilton and not yet Plat on SPG so I think getting the Hilton is a better value for free lounge and breakfast

Hotels Beijing SPG
 

I found 7 SPG brand Hotels
I will not get exec floor or lounge on SPG as yet as I am still Gold.
Any ideas on these?

The great wall Sheraton seems very inexpensive and has 3 restaurants in it.

1.
The Westin Beijing Financial Street
CNY 1666 >
10000 Starpoints
4000 Starpoints + USD 60
2.
The St. Regis Beijing
CNY 1800 >
12000 Starpoints
3.
Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel
CNY 1400 >
10000 Starpoints
4000 Starpoints + USD 60
4.
The Westin Beijing Chaoyang
CNY 1615 >
10000 Starpoints
4000 Starpoints + USD 60
5.
The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing
CNY 892 >
4000 Starpoints
1600 Starpoints + USD 30
6.
Aloft Beijing, Haidian
CNY 750 >
3000 Starpoints
1200 Starpoints + USD 25
7.
Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian Hotel and Serviced Apartments
CNY 1250 >
4000 Starpoints
1600 Starpoints + USD 30

Hilton Beijing
 

I found the Hiltons to have 5 total, 3 in the 10 mile radius

Hilton Beijing Wangfujing
Nestled in the heart of Beijing, the Hilton Beijing Wangfujing hotel is located in the shopping district within walking distance of the Forbidden City

Hilton Beijing hotel
In Beijing's business district, hotel with Executive Lounge, health club, pool and free wireless internet access 1.23 mile

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Beijing
Ideally located next to the capital’s Business District and prestigious Financial Street, our stylish new hotel hotel offers easy access to the city
Compare 4.39 miles

Any tips on these welcome as well.

Interestingly Kayak pulls up several holiday Inns for less than 80$ a day.
I do not know if the taxes will add up like here or if what you see is what you get.

Not a Starwood guy, but Hilton Wangfujing treats diamonds very well. I don't stay there much, as my trips find me on the north side of town. There are threads you can find using the search function regarding the Hilton Wangfujing, and they are almost all very positive.

It will be pretty hot in August, so don't overdo the activities. There are several similar threads in this forum, so check them out as well for things to do.

I think the Hilton would have to win by default because there aren't any Meridiens in Beijing.

Your sense of scale is a bit off. I think you should stay near east 3rd ring, which is the "outer part", but that is only ~3 miles from the Forbidden City, but 60 miles from the Great Wall.

It's northeast of the city.

If China is east, then why is their right side east?
Seems logical..but not true.

My bad!
I even listed the "meridiens" - Starwoods I mean!
Northeast is northeast no matter how you look at it!

If we lived on a flat earth...which thankfully we don't. So Seattle is part of 'the west', but is east of beijing. No paradox there.

China is 'the east' but is west of japan.

To the OP: even for scorching summer heat, your itinerary is not that ambitious. I would bundle ming tombs with great wall, since you don't want more than one out of town excursion. Consider summer palace/old summer palace, as well as one of the parks in centre of town (I know moondog likes beihai).

Re: hotels. I've stayed at Wangfujing hilton, and it's a great hotel, with a great breakfast and lounge and very nice staff. But if staying on points, the SPG hotels appear far better value. Hotel breakfasts are expensive, but if you want to go out and about, you can grab a simple breakfast for literally 1US$ on the go, so if you are up for that, don't necessarily get lured by the 'free breakfast'.

tb

If brand isn't a big deal for you, you probably can save at least $500 by using IHG properties instead of SPG

EDIT: Also would like to add that you really don't need to dine at the hotels or choose these hotels for their restaurants. Chinese restaurants aren't too difficult to order from and it's all part of the experience. Hotel restaurants are overpriced and unauthentic, at least in most cases.

I spent a little over a week at this hotel in Nov 2009 for a business meeting/event. The breakfast buffet was very nice, and the hotel food which we served our attendees for lunch was also very good. The staff was friendly and helpful at all times, but we were a large group with a room block.

The US Embassy and some other countries embassies are very close by.
The Kimpensky Beijing hotel, and the attached Lufthansa shopping center which has a Paulaner Brauhaus is a close walk. The Hard Rock Cafe is a little farther down the road, but still walk-able. There's a Beijing Dadong Roast Duck Shop a short cab ride away.

It wasn't a long distance from the Silk and Pearl Markets, or the Forbidden City.

I'll give you the silk market --better yet, Yaxiu, which is essentially the same thing-- but, the pearl market and the Forbidden City are both 30+ minutes away from the Hilton. This isn't such a big deal because one or two visits to downtown is enough for most tourists to get their fill. BTW, I wouldn't bother with the pearl market, unless combining it with the Temple of Heaven because it is a bit off the beaten path, otherwise.

We decided to stay on points.
Hilton Diamonds - 2 rooms for the family on both accounts.
SPG gold only for now, do not know if Platinum by then.
IHG per lucky is not great unless RA.
Of the 2 Hiltons in the city, just went with whatever they had

In comparison, we did a week in Egypt and it was great.
Flew US-CDG-CAI Fri-Sat
Landed Sat night- Stayed at Meridien Cairo Airport till noon
Sun PM - Flew Luxor saw 1 temple at night
Sun-Mon-Tue-Wed Stayed at Sheraton Luxor and drove around.
1 day in Luxor, 2 far away and 1 day in the desert to see the Kings burials
lounged by the Nile and went walking casually
Wed night flew back to Cairo and checked in Meridien Giza
THU-Fri-Sat saw pyramids, camels rides museum, Mosque, shopping
Sat 7 pm late checkout - Sun early AM left CAI

Yes, we could have done much more, but it was a relaxed trip and managed to get a small idea of the place and will go back again later.

I am trying to do a similar trip
Start Fri night - sat 1 AM fly NYC-HKG by Sun AM (lose a day cross the date line)
SUN See HKG in day - fly BJS 6-7 pm
MON-TUE-WED-THU- See PEK
Fri- HKG - arrive noon and see HKG at evening and night
Sat AM - leave HKG and arrive back Sat night
Sun recovery day - back at work Mon
If Sun awards open up, will change return by 1 day to get back later

I could not get IAD-BJS flights direct- if I do, may change it to that to get more days, but award availability was for the dates we have now
Also had option of SHA or BJS and figured it was like DEL and BOM
DEL has a bit more sightseeing of history than BOM.
I think for the 1 week option, BJS is better, and in summer SHA will be hotter.
I also think that like our visit to DEL, in winter there is smog in DEL and BJS, which is less in the summer. Although rain may be a factor.

Any thoughts welcome
I do not mind more than 1 excursion, but do not want to travel in China from place to place in 1 week, so ruled out going to both SHA and BJS. The plan is to stay at 1 hotel and go out daily. If our return trp opens up, can increase stay by a day to go PEK-HKG on Sat and return here Sun.

You shouldn't go to HK twice; it's way out of the way (3.5 hour flight from Beijing, 2 hours further away from NYC-YYC-ORD, plus immigration can take up to 30 minutes).

I stayed 2 nights at Hilton Beijing Wangfujing. Very well located, good breakfast. can't compare with other hotels from your list cause I didn't know them, but Hilton is a very good option.

I am flying CX F on points. I have too many AA points and this seemed a good use. Only adds 15k points for China = 200$ to go in C from HKG to BJS.
If I can get the UA nonstop I might be tempted to come back direct, but still that means giving up CX for UA F (I think I can spend another day in HKG for that. Else ANA F from BJS to NRT-IAD will be fine as well.

I have an iron stomach, but my family needs specific foods and will not be able to rough it. The Hilton won by default due to the lounge and free breakfasts, as that alone can take them an hour or two.
I realized that from my Egypt trip that not hurrying in the morning and doing things very slow each day (while it runs counter to my very fiber - I want to get about and SEE and have a full day) is better for family trips