Jinma Spring Hotel, Beijing

Advantages: Lots to see and do, the great wall, Forbidden City
Disadvantages: Pollution, not the best weather in March, people spitting everywhere

...and we wanted to go to China before the preparations for the Olympics in 2008 ”ruin” the city of Beijing. We also wanted to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors in Xi’an and we have also always wanted to see Hong Kong and that is how we came up with our travel plan. The tickets for the trip were bought through Kinareiser in Norway which included the flight (to Beijing and back from Hong Kong) and 6 nights at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Beijing. Apart from this it was up to us. We paid about 7500 Norwegian Kroner pr. person for the tickets (about ��, 1€=7.8 Kroner). We planned the trip by firstly buying a couple of books: CADOGAN book about Beijing written by Peter Neville-Hadley and Lonely Planet’s guide to Hong Kong & Macau. Mr. Neville-Hadley seems to be quite an authority of sorts when it comes to China because his name pops up... Read review

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Advantages: Frenzied energy of chaotic city, many worldclass tourist attractions, delicious food, incredibly safe & ridiculously cheap.
Disadvantages: Gruesome pollution, occasional racism targeting foreigners & lack of freedom for those who take an organised tour (not recommmended).

...can climb higher than 30C. Spring and autumn visits are obviously then the most pleasant. Beijing’s appeal is not to be found in the tourist-brochure snaps of the Forbidden City or the Great Wall, but in the everyday chaos of life at its most extreme and frantic. This animal power of Beijing, the drains and dead ends of an alien world of rapid change and rapid decay, will last much longer than the lifeless palaces and five star hotels you can find anywhere, and it is this that will draw you inextricably back. PS - this only scratches the surface of this crazy metropolis, will return regularly to update and add.... Read review

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Advantages: Raffles! Friendly staff, immaculate rooms
Disadvantages: Expensive bowling alley

...Wow, what an amazing hotel - and a true bargain at that. It is actually now owned by Raffles with one part of the hotel being Raffles and the other Beijing Hotel. We visited Beijing in January this year staying for six nights in the Raffles section of the hotel. You know that you are arriving somewhere nice when your taxi door is opened as soon as you get there and friendly men smile at you and welcome you to the hotel. They grabbed our cases and brought them inside for us. The reception is clean and warm (a must as it was minus five outside!!!). The staff welcomed us to the hotel and could not have been more friendly and helpful. An added bonus was that we had booked through Expedia (therefore only paying £60 per night) and been told that we were not getting breakfast included. The reception staff said that as it was low... Read review

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