Does location mattter?

I am struggling to choose a Hotel location.

My first thought was something like Grand Hyatt or Raffles near shopping and Forbidden city. But some posts say very hard to get taxis in this area because its so busy.

I have liked Intercontinental Hotels in other cities but some reviews have been negative about Financial area.

I have also read that streets in Beijing are very wide and tourist %26#39;must see%26#39; places so spread around that taxi is essential.

Can any tourist sights be reached by subway?

Is there a best place to be near shopping or markets in the evening - I would like to spend the days sightseeing.

So, my question is does it even matter where the hotel is?

Are there locations I should avoid?

Many thanks for all your help.

Does location mattter?

The hotel location is not the major issue, as long as you stay not to far out the 2nd ring. I think the east side of the center is a bit better then the west side.

Just check if there is a subway nearby. Then you can get to the most important parts within the city.

For a Great Wall trip you can go bu bus or join a tour. Also a private guide/driver can be used.

Does location mattter?

Most locations in the center of town are fine. As the subway expands, it is reaching more and more destinations--Tiananmen and the Forbidden City, Yonghegong Lamasary and the Temple of Heaven. So being near a subway stop can be nice. But you might prefer to take a taxi anyway if you are going to have to transfer two or three times to get to where you are going by subway.

I wouldn%26#39;t want to be far too outside of downtown. I%26#39;ve heard of people booking hotels in the suburbs an hour from downtown.

You can never be close to everything any ways. It is best to be close to the subway that will take you almost anywhere and is easy to figure out. If you stay within ring road 2 or ring road 3 east, you are fine and a taxi ride to where you may want to go will cost no more than about 25rmb most of the time.

I%26#39;m debating between the two Westins--Financial Street and Chaoyang. The latter is on the 3rd ring, but right at a subway stop. I also get the sense that it is much closer to evening entertainment (not bars, but a wider variety of restaurants, acrobatic show, etc.) Would Chaoyang be better, worse, or indifferent compared to Financial Street?

The Financial St area is a bit sterile at night. Still a few eateries around tho but not a lot of choice. If you are planning on using the subway it is a bit far from the closest stop. It%26#39;s okay if you are catching taxis. I have walked from TSquare to the Westin Financial St but I wouldn%26#39;t recommend the walk tho - bit far. I don%26#39;t mind the area %26amp; it was nice coming back to a bit of quietness at the end of the day.

I would pick Chaoyang over financial street if location was the only issue. Also, the airport is on that end of town, so a bit closer.

I think it%26#39;s a good idea to stay at Grand Hyatt or Raffles.

1. I don%26#39;t think there is any trouble to get a taxi at any popular hotels in BJ since many drivers always queue up there to get customers like they do at the airport.

2.It%26#39;s close to many great restaurant such as Quanjude-Roast Duck. Qiaojiangnan-Sichuan Restaurant etc.

3.The big shopping malls are there.

4.The subway is right there which can bring you to TSquare,Forbidden city,(one stop)Acrobatics etc easily. Of course taxi is essential since it%26#39;s the easiest and most inexpensive way to go to many spots.

5.Financial area is not good.

6.I don%26#39;t think the location matters much in BJ. But for the same cost, I reccommend the Penisula hotel for you. It has the best reputation in BJ although it%26#39;s not the most expensive hotel. And the west food restaurant in this hotel is famous too.

Yes, most sights can be reached via metro. The Great Wall cannot. Taxi is NOT essential, but it can be a help at times.

I usually recommend staying within the 2nd ring road, comfortable walking distance to a metro stop. My personal preference is for Dongcheng district.

For Cooperhs, I%26#39;d prefer to stay at the Chaoyang option.

Thank you for all your advice. It seems like the financial district is perhaps better for business than tourists and it would be nice to be close to good places to eat - a big reason to go to Beijing!

I will also have a look at the Pennisula - I know it is very famous but thought it would be much more expensive.

Thank you for your reassurances it makes the planning of the trip much easier!

mor

Ferry service to Hong Kong from Macao Airport

Hi,

I am flying into Macao Airport on 25th May and planning to spent the first 2 nights in Hong Kong and then back to Macao for 2 nights before taking a flight back from Macao.

Is there any ferry service from the Macao Airport to Hong Kong? This will save me some traveling time.

If there is no, then what is the best, faster and cheapest way to get to Hong Kong from the Macao Airport?

Thank you.

Ferry service to Hong Kong from Macao Airport

See here:

turbojet.com.hk/eng/upstream/hongkong.html

Ferry service to Hong Kong from Macao Airport

If the timing is convenient, then definitely use the Sealink service that Drumbrake suggested, but I know it is not very frequent. If the times are not suitable, catch the AP1 bus from just outside the arrivals hall at the airport to the main ferry pier, where you can choose to catch either First Ferry (to Kowloon) or Turbojet (to HK island). As you arriving on a weekday it is not necessary to purchase the ferry ticket in advance.

Cable car & scenery?

My travel agency%26#39;s proposed route is:

08：00 游览黄山风景区，索道上山，游览白鹤岭，梦笔生花，始信峰，北海景区，西海景区，飞来 石,光明顶，天海景鳌鱼峰，百步云梯等精华景点。

Based on the sights, what cable car I will take? Is that the best cable car route for scenery? Thanks.

Cable car %26amp; scenery?

I%26#39;m 90% sure that you%26#39;ll be taking the Yungu cable car up.

I%26#39;ve taken all 3 and I found the Taiping cable car nicest for scenery.

Cable car %26amp; scenery?

BTW, I think it%26#39;s 白鹅岭 not 白鹤岭.

Hi Ellyse,

Can people going up the Yellow Mountains with the Yungu cable car, and come down the Mountain with the Taiping cable car, because the Taiping route appears more scenic? Thanks.

Yungu cable car.

Can hike towards the Tainping cable car station and decend from there.

The West Sea area is pretty,

Moose12345

Have you been up Huangshan yet? Any chance of a trip report?

Note yet.

That is just what I learned thru internet.

visit Macau

I read in an older version of the Lonely Planet that it takes a long time to go through customs in Macau when arriving by ferry from Hong Kong.

We are planning to do a day trip to Macau from HK. Is it worth doing?

visit Macau

Don%26#39;t worry. It is quite fast. Lots of people will do a day trip to Macau. If you can stay one night, it is even better.

visit Macau

G%26#39;dday, Qcruiser, and welcome to the forums.

If you can make the trip to Macau on a regular weekday (not a weekend or local public holiday), then it%26#39;s no hassle with crowds getting through Macau immigration. On weekends it%26#39;s a major bunrush, and you can waste an hour or so from your day, so avoid.

If you have any interest in good food, Asian culture, history, bargain shopping or gambling, then Macau is definitely worth at least a day. Otherwise, don%26#39;t bother unless there%26#39;s a particular event that interests you (like the Grand Prix).

Have a browse through other posts on the Macau Region forums, and also check out cn.macautourism.gov.mo for more ideas.

favorite musical groups

Trip Report - Feb 28th till March 9th

I just came back from my HK trip and had an enjoyable trip. Weather wise; cooling, misty, a bit of drizzling and only one day of heavy rain when I%26#39;m there.

I totally agreed with other forumers that HK is a safe place to walk around even at night. There are few times I got lost myself while trying to find the direction to certain tourist attractions or walking towards a tourist attraction, mid way branch out to other places, but, half of the fun is getting to see more while trying to find the right way out etc..;oD

While in HK, I stayed at Taisan Guest House, 2nd store at Granville Road. I would like to say big thank you to Greenarcher for the recommendation coz I am on a very tight budget. Location wise, it is perfect, about 10-15 minutes to Star Ferry, few minutes walk to the TST MTR, Exit B1, A21 stop to airport is right across the road i.e in front of Parklane Avenue shop lots

Below are the places I%26#39;ve visited:

a) Took a tram ride from Western Market to Sau Kei Wan

Able to see the different side of Hong Kong. Visited wet market at Sau Kei Wan, HK Museum of Coastal Defence, Tam Kung Temple and Tin Hau Temple. The trails around Museum of Coastal Defence is worth the walk, apart of some of the remains of the defence stuff, we can view the fishing harbour for the fishing market next to the museum and view of Lei Yue Mun and East of Kowloon

b) The Peak

Took bus 15 Central Ferry Piers 5 (Cheung Chau Pier) after 10am. The ride is very scenic. Also tried tram ride at night. Did a quick visit at the Peak Galleria, nothing much. The best is the walk of one of the trails around the Peak. I choose Lugard %26amp; Harlech road trail. Took me about an hour to finish the walk. I also wanted to visit the Pine tree trail but somehow missed the turning.

It is a great walk, great scenery but due to the weather, it is very misty. Came across people who jog around trail, taking dogs for a walk etc.

After that I also went to the Lions Pavilion for more HK view. Apparently there is another trail from there. I didn%26#39;t explore it coz it is quite late by the time I%26#39;m there. Does anyone know where that trail will led to?

c)Walked around Wan Chai, one of the walks recommended by the HK Tourism travel booklet

Missed the Blue House but saw old Wan Chai Post Office, Hung Shing Temple, walked past Ta Yuen Street Market, get a glimpse of Lockhard Road Bar Area, past HK Academy for Performing Arts, lastly came to HK Convention and Exhibition Cenre and Golden Bauhinia Square. Tiring but not a bad walk.

d)Kowloon Park Garden, Victoria Park and Shatin Park

Nice garden, landscape and flowers. I did not really walk around Victoria Park, just a little bit of outside the park

e) Che Kung Temple, Tsang Tai Uk and HK Heritage Museum

I liked the museum, one of the showcase is the details about chinese opera. There%26#39;s showcase of stuff used to perform an chinese opera.

As for Tsang Tai Uk, one of the historical houses left in New Territories. I%26#39;m the only visitor there who walked around the house.

f) Tai-O village in Lantau Island

This is my fav village. I%26#39;m there early in the morning, slight drizzle in the morning, therefore not many tourist. It is calm in the morning, hearing the birds sound and sea waves. I also walked till the end where there%26#39;s a temple facing the sea. The view is really nice even though it is misty.

g) Cheung Chau Island

This is a colorful fishing village island. When the ferry approach the island, you will see lots of coloful fishing boat with different sizes. The walking trail is also nice but I didn%26#39;t covered the whole trail due to tiredness

h) Sai Kung

Took bus 92 to Sai Kung. The ride is quite long, I think about 45 minutes or an hour, cannot remember. The bus station is right in front of the harbour. U will see lots of fisherman boat parked near the harbour, selling fresh or dried sea food products. There are many restaurants that serve fresh sea food near by.

i) Repulse Bay and Stanley

Took bus 6 to Stanley. The sea view is really superb especially after passing Repulse Bay. Since I am not really into shopping, so I only browsed through the market but it is very happening. Visited Murray House %26amp; Black Pier and I walked around the promenade. It is cooling when the wind is blowing.

Throughout the trip I also tried a number of nice foods such as claypot rice, tarts, che zai mee, %26#39;put zai kao%26#39;, %26#39;car guo%26#39;, roast pork, char siew, wanton mee, %26#39;por lor yau%26#39;, tim sum etc.

I also did some shopping around Causeway Bay, Mongkok and TST

Guess I have written a very long report...That is all for now..until next trip...

Trip Report - Feb 28th till March 9th

Thankyou for taking the time to write this Momow :-) it%26#39;s interesting to see a visitor%26#39;s impressions, and useful for others who are planning trips.

I%26#39;m glad you liked Tai O - it%26#39;s also one of my favorite places in Hong Kong.

Terra Cotta Warriors Opening Times

I read in one of our tour books that the museum closes on March 1. Does anyone know if this is true? We will be in Xian the end of March.

Terra Cotta Warriors Opening Times

That news is wrong.Do you belive it?I have gone there many time since End of February and Begaining of March with my foreign guests.I have never met the thing.The Terra Cotta Warriors %26amp; Horses Museum opens everyday: from 8:00am to 6:00pm.

Terra Cotta Warriors Opening Times

We got the information from one of the more popular guide books of China. Thank you for the info. No worries, then. We will be there end of March.

local 3 star hotel in beijing city

can anyone recommend me any local 3 star hotels that are near to sub-way stations as well as in the city/touristy area?

thank you

mor