July 2009 eclipse and viewing from Zhoushan (near Shanghai)
 

We're going to be in Shanghai for the July solar eclipse and would like to take a day trip to see it decently (Shanghai will be way too smoggy most likely). I'm not having much luck with finding a reliable day trip, so I'm dividing the problem into two parts:

a. Finding the right place to go to.

b. Finding the right car and driver to get us there and back.

This thread is about item b. Any suggestions? Should ideally be someone you have had direct experience with, know to be reliable as the eclipse won't likely wait, and who I can communicate with via email. I could arrange something through my hotel, but view that as a last resort since they tend to charge a factor of 3x or so market prices for their effort.

Thanks!

For item a: If you don't want to travel too far, head out to the Sheshan Observatory on the top of West Sheshan Hill. Thats where the NASA Solar Eclipse Expedition is going. Its within an hour from downtown Shanghai. There are shuttle buses (30rmb) to the Meridien hotel there, or you can catch a cab in downtown SH (~120 RMB).

Whenever these eclipse threads have surfaced in the past (btw, I find it strange that SH is such a popular eclipse destination), I've plugged Putuoshan, ... and have no problems doing so again. I've only been there once (in 1995), which was enough for lifetime, but it really was worth the hassle.

In closing, I suggest that you evaluate the weather forecast once you get to SH and, if it's good, consider making the journey. If not, then maybe fly to somewhere else within the eclipse band that has better weather. I actually witnessed an eclipse during my Nanjing days and was most unimpressed (on account of the smog).

Bumping this because so far no one has given any car/driver recommendations -- and I'm not finding much anywhere else!

Clearly need to get out of the Shanghai area smog belt.

Also, there are apparently flights from Shanghai to Putoshan (mentioned above) -- how to find them?

Edited to add: I seem to have found them. There is one flight in the early AM which is too risky, might miss the eclipse. Have to go the night before (on the only other flight). Amazingly, there is a Sheraton Zhoushan on Putoshan, rooms come complete with LCD TVs, high speed internet, etc.

Kinda might be fun to fly over and take the boat back the next day. Now the question is: how to know if the weather will make it all worthwhile? And is there a reliable travel agent who I can communicate with from here to arrange this sort of trip? Seems like I could get the best level room in the Sheraton and pay the transport round trip for 2 for not much difference in cost to staying in the Park Hyatt Shanghai that night.

Based on the hotel review on Ctrip, the Sheraton is in a relatively remote area. According on mapbar, it's 16 km away from putuoshan, and you need switch to speed boat for the last leg of the journey.

Nice find, rdchen. I guess I've fallen out of the Starwood loop during the past year; before we know it, Westins will be popping up in Xinjiang.

Anyway, here's a link to the hotel website:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...ropertyID=3157

And, I was also unaware that there is now an airport in Zhoushan with 2 flights/day to Shanghai (Hongqiao).

I'd be tempted to fly one way and take the overnight boat the other direction. Arriving in Shanghai via ship was a pretty cool experience, even if the conditions onboard were.... well, significantly shy of "5-star".

Thanks moondog, but I think the credit should go to RichardInSF. Nice find indeed, looks like SPG is blanking the entire country of China.

Shame on me! I didn't notice the edited version of his post until just now.

Richard: Since full fare on that route is only y600 or so, you could always buy a ticket and reserve a hotel room. That way, you'll be in a position to make a decision during the days leading up to the eclipse.

OK, how do I book the flights? If it's full fare, can I get a travel agent in the US to do it or do I need a Chinese agent (or use ctrip or elong, which I've never done)?

There's also a high speed ferry that does the trip in 2 hours.

So if the Sheraton is poorly located, what hotel is recommended? We are high end hotel people and while I don't expect a luxury hotel there, I'd like to know the nicest one.

When I queried it (for a single date next week), both flights were available for a 20% discount. The reason I suggested full fare was because we're talking about $85 v. $65 here and it is easier to refund Y tickets, if needed.

I would still book via ctrip once you get inside the 6 week (or whatever it is these days) window, without much fear about a sellout situation.

Taking into account that it's been 14 years since I visited Putuoshan, the Sheraton still seems like a nice opportunity in my book. One of the things I disliked about Putuoshan was the lack of food that my stomach could handle (the locals were fond of the seafood, but not me). Therefore, I would find great comfort in knowing that I could load up on calories at a place like the Sheraton before embarking on a long day of hiking.

You can book the flight directly on ctrip or elong. OW full fare from Shanghai is 600rmb, discounted fare ranges from 470-510rmb. The flights are operated by MU, make sure you enter zhoushan instead of putuoshan when searching airfare.

As for nicer hotel, according to ctrip, The Landison Putuoshan Resort just opened recently. However, language could be an issue since it's not a western chain hotel, I'd suggest you to contact the hotel directly to assess the service/competence level.

The chain's website in English doesn't work for this hotel, but ctrip will take reservations. Thanks, will look into this.

There is a cable car up the mountain which will likely be jammed the day of the eclipse. Any ideas how to jump the line for a fee (i.e., maybe the hotel has guanxi)?

IIRC, the hike isn't especially challenging. As long as you have that option as a back-up, I wouldn't worry too much about the line for the cable car.

OK, I did it -- the flights and the Landison via Ctrip. Apparently Ctrip can only book the cheapest, smallest room more than 60 days in advance but it is all cancelable once the better rooms appear.

The only thing Ctrip couldn't do is make arrangements to get from the airport to the hotel, but I will have a Mandarin speaker call the hotel when I get to Shanghai.

And the other thing no one can guarantee is that it will be clear. According to the NASA data, there is about a 50% probability of it being clouded over just about anywhere in the general vicinity of Shanghai. But the NASA smog data makes it very clear that Putuoshan has way better air quality than just about any mainland location within 200 km of Shanghai.

Thanks everyone, for your help! Didn't need the car and driver after all....

Which day will it be? I could be in SH as well.
BTW, I did the trip to Zhoushan last year. Took the high speed boat (2.5 hours), got to the port, took a taxi to the Sheraton (12 minutes), nice, new, and probably the best hotel in town. If you fly, I guess you can pre-arrange or call to have the Sheraton pick you up for a fee.
Putuoshan is a neiboring island, and you have to pay a fee to enter (other than the boad ticket), it's 14 km away from the hotel, as said.