RichardInSF

On a $22 great wall/Ming tombs tour, you can expect the bus to stop for 90 minutes at a useless, totally isolated, souvenir complex in the afternoon (where the bus company gets a kickback from purchases).

craz

I figured that out ,thanks. is there any other option, I assume any and all tours will do the samething. For $150 I can have a Car & Driver all to myself, hate to see what the car will look like or if someone like me at 6'2" will be able to fit in and be comfortable. That $150 covers 2 days of tours, I might spring for that as , i got a response back that I will be picked up at 7:40am i guess if going it alone I can decide when its time to move on or stay longer, and can skip those stops that is for shopping and put the time to better usage.

gregorygrady

I was thinking the same thing. At first I thought the tour was through the Marriott and that probably would have been a decent one with English speaking guides. However when I took my Great Wall/Ming Tomb tour booked thru the Holiday Inn Lido it was ~$70 IIRC. Although I was just picked up from HI Lido, so who knows. I assume for $70 the quality of the tour is probably a bit better, $22 will probably just get you the bare bones minimum bus ride there and the souvenier complex deal (although even on the $70 tour I got dropped there for 30 mins and for lunch). If it's already paid for, you might as well try it the first day and see if it's worth it. You can always bail on them the second day if it's terrible.

craz

not paid for yet, also it was lowered to $45 as I wont be eating the so called Lunches.

Im also awaiting a reply from the Marriott about the Tours that I can book via them, and their cost. which Im sure will be alot more.

craz

Update,

My friend just got back from the GH, said no RC access although a diamond as he opted for an Upgrade, got a 2 BedRoom suite with a kitchen. was given 2 Breakfasts each day downstairs.

As for Tours, he took the Hotels Great Wall Tour (GrayLine), Y740 for 2. He said they went to the GW and Ming Tombs as well as the jade factory so people can buy things, at each stop they were left to fend for themselves, but the guide explain thing to them as they drove. therefore Ive decided to keep my res at $45 for the 2 Tours as why pay 2X for the same thing.

RichardInSF

At the souvenir area we were dropped at for 90 minutes(!) after the Ming tombs -- admittedly on a Y50 "all Chinese" bus tour from behind Tienanmen square -- there was some kind of public transit it appeared we could have paid to take back to Beijing earlier, but by the time we figured that out, no more public transit showed up!

Incidentally, the Ming tombs are nothing special either.

toolz

Don't buy anything at the Jade Factory unless you negotiate A LOT. You can get most of what you see there elsewhere around China for a fraction of the cost.

belle3388

Love the GH. Will definitely return. The standard King is rather small, but enough for two. The pool is a must-see. Indoor mall is a plus, and the food in the food court is amazingly cheap. At $20.00 per hour at the business centre (no internet cafe nearby ), am making this short.

Again, thanks to all for the helpful advice.

craz

Just back from PEK, and I did the 2 days of touring for the $45, turns out it was anything but BareBones!! Yes it was rushed as the 1st day we did Forbidden City,& Summer Palace & Temple of Heaven. Yet since the main parts to all 3 were closed for renovations it wasnt so bad. (These renovations Im Postitive is timed to be completed for the Opening of the 2008 Olympics at the latest, so take Note if you will be going to Beijing in the next 1 1/2+ you will run into the same situation as I did.).

We had an excellent guide who took us thru all 3 places on Day1 and explained Everything to US. It was far from a barebones tour with only being a bus trip!! Yes we stopped at a Silk factory and Pearl Place but at least there was demos by people there as to how they make what they do. Yes we were left to wonder and BUY (which no one did) but it was somewhat interesting and happy we did in fact stop, only wished we could have left right after the demos.

Day2 Great Wall and Ming Tombs was not as good Due to the guide who although young was a devouted Maoist and always spoke about His Chairman (as if Mao was still alive), he made us feel as if he was doing Us a Favor by taking us on the tour. He explained almost nothing at all.

So Jerry from the 1st day got a nice tip from everyone and Ben got 0 as a tip from everyone.

My friend told me that he paid 2x what I did via his Hotel with GreyLine Tours and saw and stopped at the exact same places.

If anyone is interested email Harrison Wang at [email protected] Its $49 for both days of touring or he can arrange Private Tours for you. Massages are 150Y for 1 1/2 hrs another person from the 1st day did if for 100Y for a Hour and said it was alot cheaper and better then what he had at his hotel. The massage is done in your Hotel room, BTW the guys wife had some other woman and its simply a Massage!! If you do arrange a tour see if Jerry is available, She was Fabulous and ask that Ben NOT be your guide. I have no dealings with Harrison other then being a very satisfied Customer.

gregorygrady

Glad to hear you had a good time! ^ That tour sounds an awful lot like mine. I probably got ripped and paid twice as much and the Holiday Inn took a big cut since I booked thru them. Good info to know for next time.

azepine00

Last year GH Beijing offered me a choice between regular room/club access or suite upgrade/breakfast vouchers. I picked the latter and enjoyed it as breakfast at the restaurant was really great.

Now I am about to return and I wonder if they still offer this choice.
I'd like to get a suite but how is RC overthere? Two key features for me is internet access and breakfast spread.

One other more certain option is to try 6000 pt suite upgrade award to get RC suite (Diamond kit has not arrived yet ) anyone done it at GH Beijing?

stimpy

The breakfast spread in the RC is not that great. I would definitely take the breakfast coupon instead.

Keep your options open though. This hotel has a bad ammonia smell problem. If you are sensitive to it like I am, you won't be able to spend the night there.

gregorygrady

Although I haven't stayed at GH Beijing in the past couple years (ever since Hyatt started that Int'l RC upgrade policy I've been staying at St Regis or Sheraton Great Wall), the breakfast spread in the GC always seemed pretty good to me. Not as good as breakfast in the restaurant probably, but much better than breakfast in most other RCs. And I don't know if they still have them, but when I was last there they had either one or two laptops in the GC that you could use to connect to the Internet for free...................

RichardInSF

Breakfast was still the same (pretty good) last time I was there, the laptops were still there, but internet wasn't free anymore, as I recall.

stimpy

Well I don't consider any breakfast that doesn't offer eggs good. Maybe it is my mid-western upbringing.