ASUDan130

Hello all I am planning a trip to China for the first time and going to take about 2 weeks to explore the area. Now as someone who hasn’t been there before and very loyal to Hyatt and want to stay at all Hyatts how would you divide up which places to go? Obviously Beijing is a must. Now I am not sure about Shanghai is it worth visiting as a tourist? The Hangzhou Hyatt looks nice too. If I do go to Shanghai what is better the GH or Hyatt on the Bund. What other places should I see that have Hyatts?

crystak

All Hyatts in China are better than average. Hangzhou Hyatt is a must (my favorite!) but make sure you get a lake view room. I think Shanghai is worth visiting as a tourist, yes and I would personally choose the Hyatt on the Bund because of the amazing views I got the two times I stayed there as a diamond but others may prefer the GH.

If you have Shanghai as your base, you can also take the train for a day visit to Nanjing and Suzhou both of which can be done in one day and you will really enjoy (make sure you buy the train tickets in advance from the hotel and catch an early train). It depends when you plan on going though because it can get very hot in July/ August.

The Hyatt in Xian will stop being a Hyatt sometime in August I think. You can also visit Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

If I would want to maximise my itinerary in 2 weeks I would probably do the following:


Fly to PEK, spend 4 days in Beijing
Fly to SHA, 1-2 days in shanghai is enough then +2 days if you want to visit Nanjing or Suzhou
Take train from shanghai to hangzhou, spend 2-3 days here
Fly HGH-CAN (Guanghzou) 2 days here
Take train Guangzhou - Shenzhen - 3 days - there isn't much to see in Shenzhen per se (the city is relatively new, it celebrated its 30th anniversary last year but there are things to see around the area).

dinoscool3

Stayed at the Hyatt on the Bund, and it was great! Great views, and rooms.

RichardInSF

Given this is your first trip to China, the places you must go to are Beijing and Xi'an, in my view. There are Hyatts in both of these places, although apparently I see above the Hyatt in Xi'an is going away. I would then pick other locales based on the match to your personal interests. Shanghai is missable on a first trip, it is the business capital but doesn't have many, if any, major tourist sites.

Fims

In Shanghai I would suggest PH Shanghai, very nice property IMHO - one of the tallest hotels in the world. Try out their infinity swimming pool too

ASUDan130

Is going all the way down to Guangzhou really worth it? I haven't read up on too much going on there. This is what I think I am going to do.

4 Nights in PEK
3 nights in Shanghai and check out Nanking one of the days
3 nights in Hangzhou

Anywhere else with a Hyatt I should try...what is better the Grand Hyatt Shanghai or the Hyatt on the Bund. They both seem really nice but I feel the Bund is geared towards a tourist and the Grand is more for business travellers perhaps?

Or should I skip Shanghai entirely and just do Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou...I am not interested in Xi'an it is far and I have heard aside from the terracotta warriors there isn't much going on.

bostonpilot

+1 on the PH Shanghai if you can get a decent rate. Its a great hotel.

I wouldn't come all the way down to Gunagzou or Shenzhen if I were you. There's not a lot to see here for a first trip, unless you are going to head to Hong Kong (which I do think is worth it).

The HR Xi'an going way isn't a loss IMO. Its a pretty run down old basic Hyatt (think HR Louisville, KY but worn out). But, I really enjoyed Xi'an as a city. The terracotta warriers are pretty amazing, and there are some other very nice thigns to do in town.

Have a great trip.

wanderingswede

+1 from me too on PH Shanghai - fantastic hotel. Having said that I really like the GH too - it's a little bit dated but I find the rooms really nice and the views are fantastic (not qute as tall as the GH but generally half the price). Shanghai is definitely worth a brief visit if you can fit it in - French concession area is fantastic and the nightlife on the Bund is great.

ASUDan130

Thanks for the info...I am debating between the GH Beijing and the PH Beijing. The PH seems nicer but the GH is in a better location and not sure of the Grand Hyatt Shanghai or Hyatt on the Bund. I have actually read better reviews on the Bund Hyatt. Also would any of the Hyatts in Tianjin be close to the Wall? What is the closest Hyatt to the Wall?

moondog

Why would you say that? I strongly prefer Guomao to Wangfujing, and most people that live in BJ feel the same.

jbalmuth

Relative to everything else in Beijing, the two Hyatts are not very far apart (less than 5 minutes by taxi --- at the rare time when you find little traffic). We stayed at both a year ago, and ran into an unexpected problem ---- views from the lobby level of the PH (iirc, 63rd floor) and the restaurant where breakfast is served (a flight or two above) were severely restricted due to the city's terrible air pollution. We loved the hotel, but being able to see very little of the city from the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows eliminated one of its perceived attractions over the GH. We also experienced some extraordinarily long waits for taxis at the ground level (the entrance to the PH is somewhat removed from the main street, and is therefore not blessed with lots of waiting taxis). That said, the hotel is directly connected to a major subway interchange, so if you're use to taking public transportation, the taxi issue can be mitigated.

My wife and I have always very much enjoyed visiting Shanghai, and contrary to some other comments above, have found it to be one of the great tourist attractions in China. That said, we started our visits over 30 years ago, and readily admit to being utterly overwhelmed by the urban development over that time (we rarely can locate landmarks of prior visits). We haven't stayed at either of the Hyatts in Shanghai, but again advise against counting on spectacular panoramic views from high floors. [If you are fortunate enough to experience a crystal clear day, you can always ascend to a public restaurant with a panoramic view ---- it's just not worth worrying about for the room you get assigned....].

benzemalyonnais

China is hot in the summertime, and all the travelling around will make you tired....Chinese cities are a lot bigger than European ones, and seeing all the sights will take longer than you expect. Also, logistical issues like plane delays are very common, so make sure to plan for this.

That being said, I think that you must see Shanghai and Beijing on a first trip. Beijing is obvious, as is Shanghai. Not just a business capital - lots of history here, and lots of museums, restaurants, shopping, and cultural sights, not to mention three of the best hyatts in the world. My pick for SH would be the Hyatt on the Bund, simply because you will run into problems with the pollution or the fog most likely and could end up spending a lot on a bund-view room and be left unable to see the Bund. The PH is really really nice though.

IMO Xi'an is the Terracotta Warriors, and not much else. It is polluted, and isn't nearly as significant of a site as SH, BJ, or even Nanjing. I highly recommend Nanjing - it's a historic capital, and there are at least 2-3 full days of things to see there, and it's linked conveniently throughout the region via HS train. Hangzhou is a wonderful city, but is more limited in terms of sights than any of the other places listed here. But the West Lake is nice and is worth seeing, and that Hyatt is really in a great location. It's not particularly tall though, so I'm not sure if it's worth it staying there without the lake view.

I love Guangzhou, and am there almost every week for work, but chances are that if it's your first visit to China, you will hate it. The food is very good, and there are many good sights, but none of them are the draw of the Forbidden City or Pudong skyline. It also has the pollution issue, and it is a huge sprawling city that has a lot of traffic. The Hyatt is nice there, but it's really overpriced IMO. I'd opt for HK if you really want to go south. It's a welcome change of scenery from mainland China, and can easily connect you with the cheapest rates flying home....

crystak

I only included Guangzhou and Shenzhen because you said you wanted to stay at all that Hyatts (or as many as possible) and these two have very nice Hyatts as well! But I agree, they'll be better combined with HK & Macau when you decide to visit those.

That itinerary looks good.

stephem

I am in the middle of a business trip including Shanghai, Hangzhou and then Beijing and I just checked into the HR in Hangzhou today. I agree with others that Hangzhou is worth checking out, and it's a stone's through from Shanghai with the hispeed train so not really a hassle. I stayed at the Le Meridien in Shanghai just because of a corporate rate was better, and I think walking around the Bund even in the summer would be a fun couple of days if I put my tourist hat on. I could see spending a few days here in Hangzhou, it really is a cool area, and the HR is a good home base. We ate at the Four Seasons Hangzhou last night, and that property clearly has an edge on the HR, but the HR is actually a very nice property and has very good service. I'm heading to the GH Beijing next, again largely a rate issue, but I also like the GH location just because I am a creature of habit and stayed there before the PH was built.
For both the HR Hangzhou and GH Beijing, I'd spring for the club level. Also, effective next week the Shanghai-Beijing high speed train will start up, so you could conceivably avoid the airports for intra-china travel.

Edited to add:
The Hyatt Westlake Hangzhou is a great property and after spending a couple of days there I am convinced by what my Chinese colleague said, this location in Hanzhou would be a great place for a holiday. I am in Beijing now and choking on the air, I have some nice memories of being paddled around on Westlake early this morning before my flight up to Beijing.

Make sure to go to this restaurant called The Grandmas down the street from the Hyatt. More details in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/china...-hangzhou.html