Beijing advice
Apr 12, 2019, 6:49 am
#31
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Santa Barbara, CA, Park City, UT
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Plat, Marriott Plat,Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat
Posts: 901
I appreciate all the help here, been a very successful trip, leaving tomorrow. Quite honestly 48 hrs in Beijing seems enough to me, with proper planning. Sure, adding other Chinese or Asian cities to the trip would have been enjoyable but the time wasn’t available and with the super cheap fare coupled with SWUs used successfully I’ve accomplished a great mileage run in the process of checking some bucket list items off.
Duck was very good at Made in China, I’m stuffed, but if anyone’s been to Wolfgang Pucks WP24 or Spago and had the duck it’s better IMO. I prefer the Bao buns over the pancakes as well.
For my inbound flight some security questions. How does China treat electronics and fluids, bath products? Shoes off? Anything else different from domestic travel in US?
thanks again!
Duck was very good at Made in China, I’m stuffed, but if anyone’s been to Wolfgang Pucks WP24 or Spago and had the duck it’s better IMO. I prefer the Bao buns over the pancakes as well.
For my inbound flight some security questions. How does China treat electronics and fluids, bath products? Shoes off? Anything else different from domestic travel in US?
thanks again!
Apr 12, 2019, 3:04 pm
#33
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
China is one (the only I can think of off the top of my head) where they ALWAYS want to see my laptop cords. Even when I try to keep them neat! So my last couple trips I made sure they were just easy for security to get to ;-)
Also YES on the battery - one time my husband came with me and he left a camera battery in his checked luggage. They came to find us before we'd finished checking in and leaving the area because they scanned checked bags so promptly! (we just carried the battery on, no other problems - he intended to and just forgot).
Also YES on the battery - one time my husband came with me and he left a camera battery in his checked luggage. They came to find us before we'd finished checking in and leaving the area because they scanned checked bags so promptly! (we just carried the battery on, no other problems - he intended to and just forgot).
Apr 12, 2019, 3:05 pm
#34
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
Oh, is it still no bottles of water etc at boarding the plane (eg secondary searching)? It's been a couple years since the end of my last China project :-( So I'm not sure if that's the most recent info.....
Apr 12, 2019, 6:48 pm
#35
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: China and Canada
Posts: 1,886
And they never asked me to take anything out of my backpack other than my laptop and extra battery (not even my iPad).
Oct 9, 2019, 10:25 pm
#36
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1k; HH, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26
There are many drivers advertising here: http://www.thebeijinger.com/classifieds/cars-drivers
Never read negative feedback about any of them. I have used Mark a few times. found him on thebeijinger many years ago. He has a website: Mark's Mutianyu great wall Tour ,Beijing tour guide, English speaking driver, Beijing private tour,
Made in China is among the best duck that I had in Beijing.
You'll find that spending 1.5 hours to 2 hours on the Wall is plenty.
Never read negative feedback about any of them. I have used Mark a few times. found him on thebeijinger many years ago. He has a website: Mark's Mutianyu great wall Tour ,Beijing tour guide, English speaking driver, Beijing private tour,
Made in China is among the best duck that I had in Beijing.
You'll find that spending 1.5 hours to 2 hours on the Wall is plenty.
Arrive Sat via UA at 14.30. Take airport express to Park Hyatt. Go see Temple of Heaven that afternoon (enough time since they close at 17.30?) or walk around, massage at hotel. Dinner at Dadong or hotel recommended 1949 Duck de Chine or someplace else given duck Sun.
Sunday take Mark's Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City & Mutianyu Great Wall private tour (his link, trip advisor link), dinner at Made In China at 19.00 (reservation set).
Depart Mon via UA at 16.00. I can go to Temple of Heaven this day too. Where else should I visit this day? I do want to get some decent chopsticks and as non tacky as possible souvenirs for my son. Take airport express back to PEK and leave hotel area at 13.00.
Thoughts?
Oct 9, 2019, 11:30 pm
#37
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,018
Thank you all for this thread. I have a MJ coming up soon so this was very helpful. Since it's so similar to OP's timeframe I thought to piggyback and see if you have feedback/ideas with my plans.
Arrive Sat via UA at 14.30. Take airport express to Park Hyatt. Go see Temple of Heaven that afternoon (enough time since they close at 17.30?) or walk around, massage at hotel. Dinner at Dadong or hotel recommended 1949 Duck de Chine or someplace else given duck Sun.
Arrive Sat via UA at 14.30. Take airport express to Park Hyatt. Go see Temple of Heaven that afternoon (enough time since they close at 17.30?) or walk around, massage at hotel. Dinner at Dadong or hotel recommended 1949 Duck de Chine or someplace else given duck Sun.
Sunday take Mark's Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City & Mutianyu Great Wall private tour (his link, trip advisor link), dinner at Made In China at 19.00 (reservation set).
Depart Mon via UA at 16.00. I can go to Temple of Heaven this day too. Where else should I visit this day? I do want to get some decent chopsticks and as non tacky as possible souvenirs for my son. Take airport express back to PEK and leave hotel area at 13.00.
Depart Mon via UA at 16.00. I can go to Temple of Heaven this day too. Where else should I visit this day? I do want to get some decent chopsticks and as non tacky as possible souvenirs for my son. Take airport express back to PEK and leave hotel area at 13.00.
Regardless of whether you cap off Sunday at the GW or Houhai (having skipped the GW), going back down to Made in China strikes me as suboptimal from a logistics standpoint. As noted in one of the old Beijing threads (maybe even this one), I like to slot in Made in China for lunch before hitting the Forbidden City.
As for duck, while I happen to like the idea of trying two ducks over the course of 3 days in Beijing, I just want to warn that not all stomachs are in agreement. But, if you're up for the challenge, I'd pick Dadong over Duck de Chine myself...really just a matter of personal preference though (if you check out the duck thread, you'll note many opinions).
Oct 10, 2019, 2:40 pm
#38
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1k; HH, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26
Taxi is a better bet since the AEX doesn't go to the Park Hyatt, and traffic is usually pretty light on Saturday afternoons.
I'd be tempted to push the GW to Monday (no, ToH is not worth visiting twice), and get dropped off at the airport on the way back. This would give you more time to explore on Sunday, which is already entails around 10 km walked, based on my experiences.
Regardless of whether you cap off Sunday at the GW or Houhai (having skipped the GW), going back down to Made in China strikes me as suboptimal from a logistics standpoint. As noted in one of the old Beijing threads (maybe even this one), I like to slot in Made in China for lunch before hitting the Forbidden City.
As for duck, while I happen to like the idea of trying two ducks over the course of 3 days in Beijing, I just want to warn that not all stomachs are in agreement. But, if you're up for the challenge, I'd pick Dadong over Duck de Chine myself...really just a matter of personal preference though (if you check out the duck thread, you'll note many opinions).
I'd be tempted to push the GW to Monday (no, ToH is not worth visiting twice), and get dropped off at the airport on the way back. This would give you more time to explore on Sunday, which is already entails around 10 km walked, based on my experiences.
Regardless of whether you cap off Sunday at the GW or Houhai (having skipped the GW), going back down to Made in China strikes me as suboptimal from a logistics standpoint. As noted in one of the old Beijing threads (maybe even this one), I like to slot in Made in China for lunch before hitting the Forbidden City.
As for duck, while I happen to like the idea of trying two ducks over the course of 3 days in Beijing, I just want to warn that not all stomachs are in agreement. But, if you're up for the challenge, I'd pick Dadong over Duck de Chine myself...really just a matter of personal preference though (if you check out the duck thread, you'll note many opinions).
Oct 10, 2019, 3:26 pm
#39
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,018
Thanks Moondog. You're a wealth of info on the China forum! I'll plan on a taxi Saturday and will pass on duck two days in a row and try something closer to the hotel Saturday night. Any recommendations, maybe dumplings or great leap brewery? Also, where would you recommend I shop for semi decent products or just assume (as has been written here many times) that all is fake and lower quality and just buy something at anyplace I see?