Shanghai – Suzhou – Beijing – Pingyao – Xi’an – Luoyang – Zhangye – Chengdu – Fenghuang – Zhangjiajie Guilin – Longji – Yangshuo – Hong-Kong
REPORT AND IMPRESSIONS
TRIP TO CHINA
April 4-30, 2024
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Thursday, April 4 – Flight to Shanghai
Departure from home at 10:00 a.m. Car at the discounted Aerpark parking lot by Onepark. Their shuttle takes us to the airport. Takeoff at 10:00 p.m.
Friday, April 5 – Shanghai
Arrival at 4:00 p.m. A young visa officer was waiting for us as soon as we got off the plane and whisked us off, skipping the lines for visa processing and baggage claim. She then handed us over to our driver at the exit. Efficient!
First impression of Shanghai: clean and graffiti-free. Lots of buildings under construction. We went out to eat, we chose a small restaurant where there were photos (lol)!. There is no fork but a spoon. When it came to paying, Alipay didn’t work, we ended up paying in Euros!
Saturday, April 6 – Shanghai
Wake up at 6:30 a.m. – 12°C – Rain
Good breakfast. The hotel staff and guests were not very friendly.
We met our French-speaking guide, Chen, at 8:30 a.m.
Chen was our best guide: friendly, cheerful, with just the right amount of information—great.
Discovering Shanghai. We walked a lot. A little drizzle at first, then nothing but a gray sky all day. In the morning, the gardens were quiet, then more and more crowded. We ate some very good dumplings at lunchtime. We climbed to the top of the Financial Tower, the tallest building in China, but the weather was still overcast…a shame.
No papers, no graffiti, no dog poop on the sidewalks.
We went to the Bank of China to exchange our euros: it took three-quarters of an hour, and we waited half an hour before the previous customer finished… crazy!
Chen explained to us and we understood what “The Middle Kingdom” meant. In the evening, we went to the “Bund” to see the illuminated skyline, it’s beautiful!
We ate at a nice restaurant, as seen in the photos. It was very good and not as spicy as yesterday. 14°C. We walked 17.8 km and climbed the equivalent of 6 floors.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 – Shanghai → Tongli → Suzhou → Shanghai
Up at 6:30 a.m. – 13°C
Shangai: 120 km long and 25 million inhabitants!
Rain ALL day.
Visit the small town of Tongli: its streets, gardens, canals, gondola ride, all well-watered! Next, we were planning a visit to a silkworm cocoon reeling workshop, but it went bankrupt after the Covid outbreak and was therefore closed.
Suzhou: Lunch in a small restaurant. Isabelle and I tasted chicken feet (it was the first time and it will be the last…). Visit to the net master’s gardens. There were many young girls in traditional costume having their pictures taken, and we saw them throughout our trip. 13°C. We walked 5.9 km in constant rain.
Monday, April 8, 2024 – Shanghai → Beijing
Rise at 6:15 a.m. 12°C
At 8:00 a.m., a driver was waiting for us to take us to the train station to catch the TGV. The station is as big as an airport, and you have to scan your luggage. We approached the uniformed staff, showing our passports, because the good thing is that if you don’t know where to go, they do! The trains are comfortable with plenty of legroom. The journey went well, with speeds reaching 340 km/h. A driver picked us up at the exit and took us to our hotel, a datong located in the traditional Chinese quarter. Atypical but not at all practical.
The weather was nice. We went for a walk to a very pretty park with a pond.
25°C. We walked 8.5 km.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024 – Beijing
Departure at 8:00 a.m. with our guide Henri: very professorial, very erudite, and a touch military. You have to listen carefully to the lesson, and the allotted time is strictly measured. He brightened up at dinner in the evening; he was charming. The weather was overcast, and the wind was cold.
Visit to the Summer Palace and Tiananmen Square: impossible to appreciate its grandeur and solemnity because it’s packed with people, we were searched twice and had to show our passports 5 times, crazy! Then the Forbidden City, also called the Imperial Palace, connected by an underground passage that runs under the 42 km long Boulevard of Heavenly Peace! Huge crowds, checkpoints, queues to go from door to door, lots of people in costumes. Then we went up to Coal Hill, but the sun was shining directly on us, not great for photos.
It was 3:30 p.m., the guide stopped us at McDonald’s and left us to fend for ourselves while he went to get Chinese food, we were not happy!
Visit to the Temple of Heaven. Return to Beijing at 6:00 p.m. to eat roast duck in a restaurant that specializes in it. Far too much to eat, besides the duck slices and liver, we had pork balls, shrimp fritters, pieces of beef, a pork shank, rice cakes, and to accompany the duck, pieces of cucumber and leeks, and the duck carcass fried and cut into pieces → a good doggy bag for the driver.
Back at the hotel at 8:00 p.m., and it’s not warm. A problem with train tickets will last several days due to misunderstandings on both sides. All we had to do was write down: the train goes from such and such a place to such and such a place, the train number, the carriage number, and the seat numbers. We walked 12.8 km.
Wednesday, April 10 – Visit to the Great Wall
Chilly this morning.
Ride with the driver: 1.5 hours
Great Wall: Mutianyu section, very good except for the gray weather and the rain. Up and down by chairlift, hello vertigo! My sister-in-law had her eyes closed and her hands clutching her bag. We were very cold. A problem with understanding: we waited for our driver at the foot of the chairlift for 1.5 hours while he waited for us in the car in the parking lot. Lunch at a very good and inexpensive restaurant recommended by the driver. In the afternoon, we visited one of the 13 Ming tombs. The site is under repair and is spoiled by all the signs, trash cans, and barrier tape. The weather cleared in the afternoon, but the fog was still persistent. We walked 6 km and climbed the equivalent of 19 floors.
Thursday, April 11 – Beijing → Datong → Pingyao
Up at 5:45 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. departure to catch the 8:20 a.m. train. Arrive in Datong at 10:06 a.m. Meet Frédéric, our friendly, cheerful, very personable, and knowledgeable French-speaking guide. We visit the Yungang Carved Grottoes. Many, many Buddhas. The site is very beautiful. We take the train back to Pingyao at 4:30 p.m., arriving at 8:07 p.m. We are staying inside the old city walls in a “charming inn,” but not for me! Today, the weather was beautiful, 24°C with sunshine. We walked 4 km to see the Buddhas and returned by shuttle.
Friday, April 12 – Pingyao
Departure at 8:30 a.m. with our driver, Yé, very friendly and helpful, who took great care of us. The Wang House, which contains 5 alleys, 5 forts, and 5 temples: labyrinthine as can be. Anecdote: I filmed schoolchildren singing “Baby Shark” to show my granddaughter. I was watching some women dancing, they invited me, and I went: a star, lots of people took my picture!
Lunch at the restaurant the driver recommended. Then, Zhangbi Castle, a military fortress with its underground passages, just as labyrinthine as the Wang House. We really enjoyed it. Lots of shops renting traditional costumes and lots of girls walking around in them. The weather was beautiful and hot (26°C). We walked 11 km and climbed the equivalent of 18 floors.
Saturday, April 13 – Pingyao → Xi’an
Departure from the hotel at 7:30 a.m. to take the 8:10 a.m. train. Arrival at 11:49 a.m. Hirondelle, our French-speaking guide, is waiting for us: smiling, friendly, very gentle, and knowledgeable about her subject. We visited the archaeological excavations of the Terracotta Army surrounding the tomb of the first emperor of China: Qin Shi Huan Di. Crowded, crowded, crowded, making it impossible to truly immerse ourselves in the site. A short movie screening. We returned to the parking lot in a downpour. We bought plastic raincoats, but our feet were soaked and would remain soaked until evening! We saw the Great Pagoda Square and the view of it, but we hadn’t planned to visit it: what a shame! A dumpling banquet followed by a Tang dance performance at the Grand Theater. We had a good seat, it was very good, and the show was beautiful. Arrived at the hotel at 9:00 p.m. Not cold, but thunderstorm and rain. We walked 7.4 km and climbed the equivalent of 3 flights of stairs.
Sunday, April 14 – Xian → Luoyang → Shaolin → Xi’an
Departure from the hotel at 6:30 a.m. to take the 8:06 a.m. high-speed train to Luoyang Longmen, arriving at 9:39 a.m. We were greeted by our French-speaking guide, Gao, who was polite and the driver, who were both very friendly. The Longmen Grottoes: crowded, crowded, crowded, in every sense of the word. We told our guide we would only visit one, given the crowds. Shuttle transfers there and back.
Chaolin Monastery: disappointed! Lots of people, no space. We arrived only 15 minutes before the 3:00 p.m. session started, and we later learned that many people who couldn’t attend the 2:00 p.m. session (given the crowds!) had stayed for the 3:00 p.m. session. I saw a few scenes from above the balcony, between heads and cell phones hanging from a backrest. However, I was expecting something more spectacular. 30 minutes of spectacle.
Back to the station, packed with people. We ordered KFC to eat on the steps of the main central staircase because that’s the only place we could find a seat.
The weather was beautiful: 26°C. We walked 11 km and climbed the equivalent of 8 floors.
Monday, April 15 – Xi’an → Zhangye
Up at 7:00 a.m. Today, we took the train north, departing at 11:08 a.m. and arriving at 5:35 p.m.
We photographed the various landscapes along the way; we saw snow-capped mountains, livestock, and crops. Still the mist, and the people on the train were very noisy.
Greeted by a smiling and very helpful driver in a beautiful car. We ate at the hotel restaurant, which was very good and inexpensive. It was 23°C, but at night, the temperature dropped to 6°C. We still walked 2.3 km.
Tuesday, April 16 – Zhangye → Danxia Geological Park
We left the hotel at 8:00 a.m. with our driver. He was the one who got the tickets, and we lacked details. When you don’t have a guide, you have to be more specific, provide a map, and possibly supplement with photos because everything is written in unclear Chinese or English. We were completely lost! Or, if the driver knows the route, ask him to accompany us just to show us the way; we don’t need explanations.
Throughout these visits, there was music; it was horrible and incongruous! Especially at the first stop, throbbing Chinese music played through loudspeakers all over the mountain, when we should be listening to nature. The animals must have fled long ago!
We were so exhausted and it was so hot that we didn’t make it to the fourth platform, the one we shouldn’t have missed?
We didn’t see the “Seven-Colored Mountain.” We were back at 4:00 p.m. After calling the manager, he told us there was no sunset planned, so we went to see the Zhangye stupa with the driver, where we paid 60 yuan for admission. Very beautiful, too bad the fountain wasn’t working, but oh well… and the music was omnipresent.
We’re still a little frustrated. It was very hot, 26°C. We walked 10 km and climbed the equivalent of 37 floors.
Wednesday, April 17 – Zhangye → Pingshanhu Gorge → Night train to Cjengdu
No sunrise planned this morning.
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and departure at 8:00 a.m. for the Grand Canyon of China at Pingshanhu Park.
Once again, a lack of explanations. They should have given us a precise itinerary with a map and photos, or, as mentioned previously, asked the driver to accompany us to show us the way. After getting directions from a guy who provided information, we took a walk along the ridge of the canyon without ever going down to the bottom because we didn’t know where we were going, how to get back, or how long it would take. No music this time: phew! As a result, we saw two birds and a lizard.
A beautiful stupa at the entrance to the site; we turned the prayer wheels and took a photo with our flags. At the restaurant chosen by our driver, we spent almost three-quarters of an hour waiting for our food, only to be presented with a huge, practically inedible dish.
A little Chinese man offered us each a chocolate!
We arrived at the station at 3:00 p.m. for the night train departing at 4:27 p.m. We’ll be sleeping in soft bunks and will arrive tomorrow at 10:57 a.m.
The weather was nice for our visit: 25°C.
We walked 5.3 km and climbed the equivalent of 19 floors. There were 3 security checkpoints on the train.
On the train, we weren’t in the same compartment. My husband and I were in one, and my sister-in-law was in the one next to us. She wasn’t happy at all, and that was understandable. We were with two very nice women, and they wanted the top bunks. That suited us, and the night was quiet with our roommates. However, for my sister-in-law, that wasn’t the case; there were changes during the night, with people talking and leaving the lights on!
Thursday, April 18 – Changu → Leshan → Changdu
Arrival at the train station at 11:40 a.m. instead of 10:57 a.m.
Meeting with our French-speaking guide: Olivia, very nice, very kind. The driver too, but his car wasn’t great for the backseat passengers’ vision because the windows were too heavily tinted. In the pouring rain, I bought waterproof covers for my shoes, but it was too late; my socks and shoes were already soaked. Visit to the Panda Center. Behind a window, behind bars, or forced to stay in the rain! Pandas eat 20 kg of bamboo a day and poop 15 kg! Crazy and not economical!
Continued to the Great Sitting Buddha of Leshan (the rain has stopped!). The site is magnificent, and so is the view. We would have liked to have more time and to be able to see it from below and take a boat ride on the river. Arrived at the hotel at 9:00 p.m. and left tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. We were upgraded but unfortunately we won’t be using it. We went to eat at a random restaurant and asked for something not spicy, and they cooked it in front of us in a bowl on the table. I didn’t eat much because everything was spicy, and for dessert, pineapple, which I’m allergic to! I hope my shoes will be dry tomorrow morning. Bedtime at 11:00 p.m.
Friday, April 19 – Chengdu → Huaihua → Fenghuang
Up at 5:00 a.m. My shoes are still damp.
7:23 a.m. train arrives at 1:19 p.m. Breakfast provided by the hotel: 2 slices of white bread, 1 apple, 1 carton of milk!
Greeted at the station by a “mufle” (a “mufle”) combined with a “fangio”: honking the horn the whole way, overtaking on the right, driving “very sporty” with speeds up to 145 km/h (90 mph), and eating the whole way, all while listening to music and chatting on Weshat!
Arrived at the hotel at 3:00 p.m. Beautiful room with a furnished balcony overlooking the river.
Walked around the pretty little town with lots of people in costumes. Small show. Boat tour on the river. Then we sat down on the balcony to enjoy what we had bought: a large tea, a corn cake, some sticky round cakes (not great), and a large shrimp and vegetable lollipop-shaped fritter sold right across the street from the hotel and so good that we went back down to buy another one. We ate in the evening at a small restaurant nearby, expensive, but without any spice. We walked around the city to admire the sounds and lights, people, people, lots of people in costumes having their pictures taken. Truly a pretty little city but very, very noisy. Contrary to what was noted on the program, we were not picked up after lunch but after breakfast, at 9:30 a.m. Bedtime at 11:00 p.m. Cloudy weather 26°C.
We walked 5.4 km and climbed the equivalent of 5 floors.
Saturday, April 20 – Fenghuang → Zuolong → Furong
Breakfast in the room. There were maybe 2 hours of quiet last night. Around 5 or 6 a.m., a voice on the loudspeaker, then a hubbub that got louder and louder, then the hotel toilets and showers, it’s crazy! Nice driver and very nice English-speaking guide: Chandler. Very friendly, smiling, helpful. I had said I didn’t want to do a via ferrata! So, our guide changed the plan: instead of the Red Rocks National Geopark, we did the Gushang Red Stone Forest, very good. We dropped our luggage in the room with a view of the falls and the accompanying noise. Tour of the very touristy town with our guide and a walk under the waterfall in the rain! So many people! We ate in a nice little restaurant where we ordered some very good brioches. Cloudy in the morning, rain in the afternoon. 23°C. Bedtime at 10:00 p.m. We walked 5.5 km and climbed the equivalent of 20 floors.
Sunday, April 21 – Furong – Tianmen Mountain – Wulingyuan
Up at 7:15 a.m. Can’t wait to get out of here; I can’t stand the sound of the waterfall anymore. The view is magnificent, but it’s very humid; it’s fine for one night.
We took the world’s longest cable car (7,455 m) to the top of Tianmen Mountain. A short walk up there, steps and glass walkways, then the Arch. We went down the world’s longest escalator (9 sections). Lots of people, and it’s Sunday.
Lunch: good.
Arrival at the hotel at 4:00 p.m. Dinner was good, at the restaurant next door.
Cloudy, 24°C.
We walked 7 km and climbed the equivalent of 9 flights of stairs.
We’re starting to feel tired!
Monday, April 22 – Zhangjiajie National Park
Up at 7:00 a.m. We saw the landscapes and peaks from the movie Avatar, very beautiful, but the weather was cloudy, and the rain arrived at noon!
We took the cable car, shuttles, up and down stairs, waited in line, the afternoon in pouring rain and among thousands of Chinese people… hell!
So, it was too late to cancel the hotel (Tea Garden), we were going to freeze and we wouldn’t be able to dry off. My shoes and socks were soaked, as were my change of clothes and backpack. It was 5:00 p.m., it was humid and freezing! 15°C.
It would have been nice to have our luggage brought up instead of dragging our bags around for two days and arriving soaked. So we ate at the hotel restaurant, but not me because it was too spicy, and I didn’t mention it. The hotel staff are very nice, but sometimes that’s not enough. We did have heating and bought tea at the hotel shop. We walked 8.2 km and climbed the equivalent of 22 floors.
Tuesday, April 23 – Zhangjiajie National Park
The worst night we’ve ever had. Iron spring mattress with little padding. The weather is nice this morning, but even though I was awake, I didn’t have the courage to go see the sunrise because I would have had to climb a very steep hill and put my shoes on first.
Sunshine this morning, but only 11°C! Good breakfast. We set off on foot at 9:00 a.m. to catch several shuttles. Not too many people at that time for the Glass Bridge, which we crossed. Amazing! Then we descended into the Grand Canyon; it was magnificent. First, a short virtual trip in a hot air balloon, then a slide down. Glass and wooden walkways, a short boat ride, and a visit to the Bandit Cave, at the entrance of which a cannon proudly stands. When we arrived at the hotel, we were moved to leave Chandler, and I think him too. We’d been together for four days, and he looked a bit like my son. In the end, we had a beautiful day, 75°F (24°C) and sunny.
We walked 5.7 miles and climbed the equivalent of 19 floors.
Wednesday, April 24 – Zhangjiajie → Guillin → Ping’an
We got up at 6:00 a.m. to take the 7:17 a.m. train to Guillin, arriving at 2:00 p.m.
The driver seemed pleased after receiving his envelope.
7-hour train ride + 2-hour car ride.
We met our French-speaking guide Sophie: we had a little trouble understanding her. She had prepared cookies and immediately took care of the tickets for the show. I didn’t connect. We dropped off our suitcases and backpacks at the hotel (we were on the 4th floor with no elevator) and then went on a short hike with stairs to admire the rice terraces: the dragon’s spine. The air is very humid, and by the time I reached the top, I was drenched in sweat and water. A beautiful view, but I barely had time to admire it before the rain started to fall. We ate rice and chicken cooked in a bamboo basket at a village restaurant: very good.
25°C, high humidity, and rain around 5:30 p.m.
We walked 5.7 km and climbed the equivalent of 35 floors.
Thursday, April 25 – Ping’an → Yangshuo
Good breakfast. Departure at 9:00 a.m.
Short hike through the rice fields to the village of Longi.
The guide really got on my nerves: she asked me to take a picture of her in front of the rice fields, and when I told her we were also going to take a picture with our flag, she replied: it would be better from below! Once we got to the bottom, the photo was rubbish; of course, you could see the rice fields from below, so it was pointless. We drove to the 7-Star Tea Estate where we were treated to a demonstration of “how to make tea” in English and a tasting. We bought two types of tea, including one with lychee.
Lunch at the plantation: tea omelet, green beans, and rice.
Continued to Cuiping Hill. 750 steps (I counted them) on the way there and back! But what a view! Magnificent, a feast for the eyes. Very hot and humid, cloudy and sunny in the afternoon. We arrived at the hotel, which has a pool but isn’t well located, right in front of the bar and restaurant. The hotel is out of the way, so we’ll have to eat there. But we’ll see later that the food is good for a reasonable price. We’ll be there for three nights until we leave for Hong Kong.
At 5:40 p.m., the driver and guide picked us up to go to the “Liu San Jié” sound and light show, based on a very popular Chinese musical. It was very beautiful and romantic. It’s a good thing the music was loud because there were people talking all the time, and loudly. A thunderstorm of rain fell during the show, so luckily we had taken sheltered seats!
My husband has tendonitis, and the guide pulled out all the stops by managing to arrange for a masseuse to come to the hotel after the show. It was muggy and very humid. 27°C. There’s a big thunderstorm tonight, it’s thundering loudly.
We walked 10 km and climbed the equivalent of 58 floors.
Friday, April 26 – Yangshuo → Xianggong → Xingping → Fuli → Yangshuo
Leaving at 9:00 a.m.
We drove up to the Xianggong viewpoint on the Li River. Very beautiful. Then we set off for a hike through citrus groves to the village of Xingping. Small muddy trails, luckily there are grasses growing on the sides that “widen” the path a little because with heights, it’s not easy. Since it rained the day before, the stones are slippery, and that’s what I did: a beautiful bruise and mud, luckily my sister-in-law came to help me up. Some beautiful viewpoints. We passed by a small temple that houses the Snail Cave. Lunch in a somewhat isolated restaurant, with the owner very suspicious about our tickets; in fact, she refused to give us one. We crossed the river by ferry and took a raft ride on the Li River between Xingping and Nine Horses Hill (50 minutes). We drove back to our hotel at 4:00 p.m. It was a cloudy, very humid day; we were sweating from the 29°C hike. We ate at the hotel tonight; it was very good: lemon chicken and boneless chicken curry! We walked 7 km and climbed the equivalent of 5 flights of stairs.
Departure from the hotel at 10:00 a.m., train arrival at 4:00 p.m.
In Hong Kong, what a hassle! You have to go through Chinese customs, then you have to go through customs for Hong Kong. It’s a hassle to find a taxi; you have to buy a ticket. First, we exchanged a €100 bill. We decide to take a taxi because Jean-Lou has trouble walking with his tendonitis. It’s a hassle to find one; you have to buy a ticket; the advantage is that it drops us off in the hotel lobby. In the evening, we attended the Symphony of Light; we had the light but not the sound. Afterwards, we ate fish and chips along the quays.
Monday, April 29 – Hong Kong
Up at 7:30 a.m. Breakfast.
At 9:00 a.m., our French-speaking guide, Alexandra, picked us up. Since Jean-lou can’t walk, she told us the history of Hong Kong in the hotel lobby.
Then we took the ferry and explored Hong Kong Island a bit. It’s a labyrinthine place with small streets, overhead passages, underground passages, and more. Since the tour was planned for a half-day, Isabelle and I took the tram alone to climb Victoria Peak. Unfortunately, the view wasn’t great due to the fog and clouds.
For the return trip, with the guide’s directions, we only asked for directions twice.
We returned from our trip at 3:00 p.m. We were told that getting around was easy… as everywhere, you need to know the area or have more time to get lost.
Moist and humid. Dinner at the hotel restaurant: good.
We walked 9.2 km and climbed the equivalent of 19 floors.
Tuesday, April 30 – Hong Kong → Paris
Distance: 10,804 km
We left the hotel at 10:30 a.m. by taxi for the airport.
We were supposed to take off at 10:10 p.m. But there was a very bad storm, we could see lightning striking the tarmac, and the lightning delayed loading the plane, but we had already boarded. Because of the storm, no planes were allowed to take off, and we left 2 hours later! So, we arrived at 7:40 a.m. instead of 5:45 a.m.!
Wednesday, May 1st – Hong Kong → Paris → Kérity
We haven’t made up for lost time, arriving at 7:38 a.m.
9:15 a.m.: We wait for the shuttle that will take us back to the parking lot to pick up our car. We arrive in Kérity at 5:00 p.m.
>>>> CONCLUSION <<<<
We are very happy with our trip. We didn’t miss what we didn’t see. We really enjoyed traveling by train, which allowed us to rub shoulders with the Chinese. We saw cities, mountains, the countryside, traditional Chinese culture, and lots of Chinese people… all while drinking!
>>>> HOTELS <<<<
Campanile Hotel – Shanghai
Difficult to open two suitcases. Hard mattress, but okay. Pillows: one too high and one too flat, you have to put a folded towel underneath. Plenty of toiletries, plus toothpaste, soap, and body cream in French. 2 bottles of water, kettle, tea, and biscuits. Very good breakfast.
Kelly’s Courtyard – Beijing
Atypical but not at all practical. The bathroom is poorly lit, there’s no place to put your belongings, and you have to walk through the shower to get to the toilet. In the room, it’s impossible to open your suitcases on the floor. The bed creaks loudly when you move. The mattress is hard, and the pillow is made of lumps. No bottled water. The breakfast isn’t great, but tea is available all day. A warm welcome.
Xinglongyi Hostel – Guesthouse in Pingyao
Dated. There’s room to open your suitcases, but the decor is crap. Bathroom is 2×1 m, no space to put your things. Only shampoo as toiletries. Two bottles of water. The bed: a board with a kind of mattress 5 cm high. Good pillows with a folded towel underneath. Despite the extremely hard mattress, I slept well, but not on my side and didn’t hurt my back. Warm welcome. Good breakfast. Garden a little messy but pleasant.
Zuoyouke Hotel – Xi’an
Modern hotel. Plenty of space, toiletries. Nice bathroom but not well lit. The toilet is too hot, but we don’t know how to adjust it… Good mattress, good pillow. The edges of the pillowcases and the edges of the towels are all frayed.
Zangye Tianyu Hotel – Zhangye
Very nice hotel. Friendly and helpful staff. Separate shower, separate toilet. All amenities except tea bags. Good mattress, good pillow. Good hotel restaurant with very good value for money. Breakfast not good: no bread, no butter.
Zen Buddha – Chengdu
Beautiful hotel with an old-fashioned wooden exterior, but no elevator (45 steps). Not great when you have to lug your suitcases around. We were upgraded, but we won’t be using it. Plenty of toiletries. Good mattress, good pillow. Bathroom is way too small; two people can’t fit in it. Quite noisy. Non-transparent windows. Takeaway breakfast: 2 slices of sandwich bread, 1 apple, 1 carton of milk.
Riverside Homestay – Fenghuang
Very nice room in a hotel in the heart of the old town. Beautiful view of the river from the balcony furnished with a table and armchairs. Toiletries. Water. Room not soundproofed. Accommodating owner. Good pillow, soft mattress.
Good breakfast enjoyed on our balcony: tea, slices of bread, clementines, bananas, 1 pastel de nata, and 3 other items.
Tuwang Xing Gong Hotel – Furong
Beautiful view of the falls, but what a racket! All the stairs leading down, which you have to climb back up, of course. Toiletries, slippers, water, it still smells of damp. It’s okay for one night, but no more. No space to put your suitcases. Very, very noisy at night with the sound of the waterfall and karaoke; it’s not at all soundproof. Good pillow, good mattress, a bit hard. Breakfast not great.
Lanting Ya Ju Hotel – Wulingyuan
Very nice hotel, very large room. Shower, bathtub, toilet with remote control. Only missing a desk and chair, and everything is written in Chinese. Lots of toiletries. Far too many control buttons, it’s confusing! Automatic toilet, very annoying! Mattress a little too soft. Good pillow..
Tea Garden Hotel – Tianzi
Simple comfort. It’s cold and there’s no water in the rooms. Toiletries are poor. The bathroom is very humid and “damp.” We asked, and they came to turn on the air conditioning, and we managed to warm up and dry all our things. Good pillow, but terrible bed: iron mattress with not enough padding, you can feel all the springs. Good breakfast with excellent tea, we bought some. Very friendly staff.
Butterfly Inn Hotel – Zhangjiajie
It’s ugly, with lots of wood. No nightstand. Bathroom with a shower and toilet at the back. The room sink is awkward. You don’t know what the shampoo is; everything is written in Chinese. Mattress too firm, pillow too hard, too high, headache.
Baike Hotel – Ping’an
Nice hotel. Very friendly staff who spoke some English. We had a room for three. Large, modern shower room. Private balcony with table and chairs, a shame for one night. Excellent mattress and pillows. One small drawback: we were on the 4th floor with no elevator. Good breakfast.
River Lodge – Yangshuo
Nice hotel. Very friendly staff who speak English. Good mattress and pillow. Large room and small but well-appointed bathroom. Good breakfast and meals. There is a swimming pool and a lush garden around it.
YMCA Salisbury Hotel – Hong Kong
Large, very cold lobby and air conditioning on full blast, cold, we turned it off in the room. No bottled water, but a water purifier. A bathtub, no shower. The bed is okay. The pillows are not padded enough, too flat.