Just a few
places you might like to consider staying at if you're in Chengdu,
which offers pretty much
the whole spectrum of places, from "ultra-posh" to "very
much budget".
Crowne
Plaza (Holiday Inn)(5-star)Check
prices and read other travellers' reviews of the Chengdu
Crowne Plaza (总府皇冠假日酒店 zǒng
fǔ huáng guān jià rì jiǔ diàn
/ zong3 fu3 huang2 guan1 jia4 ri4 jiu3 dian4) 31,
Zǒng Fǔ Lù (zong3 fu3 lu4) 总府路31号 电话: 8678
6666 Grand
5-star Holiday Inn near Chun Xi Lu. Good central location
and a good place for a posh knees-up, too. Bicycle parking facilities
not good at all, but most clients don’t pedal there, we suppose.
Sky Lounge for afternoon tea and 25th floor views of the city centre.
Homeland
Hotel (5-star?) (家园国际酒店 jiā yuán guó jì jiǔ diàn
/ jia1 yuan2 guo2 ji4 jui3 dian4)
181 Jī Chǎng Lù (Ji1 Chang3 Lu4 = Airport
Road) 机场路181号
Tel./电话: 82936666 It’s huge. You see it on the right as you head to the airport on
the 303. Swimming pool is 100 rmb for non-guests. Just for big conferences,
we reckon, or for people who don’t want to be in town.
JinJiang Hotel (5-star) (锦江宾馆: jǐn
jiāng bīn guǎn / jin3 jiang1 bin1 guan3) Tel./电话:
85582222
80 Rén Mín Nán Lù, Èr
Duàn (2nd Section) (80 ren2 min2 nan2 lu4 er4 duan4) 人民南路二段80号 The first 5-star hotel in SW China. Many Presidents/P.M.s have stayed here
when in town. If you want to park your bicycle there, you have to right go
round the back, so best take the Audi.
Ibis (2
or 3-star?) Dull
but clean, and that' s what they're like all over the world.
Around 140 rmb a night for a room.
Kempinski
Hotel(5-star) (凯宾斯基宾馆 kǎi
bīn sī jī bīn guǎn / kai3 bin1 si1
ji1 bin1 guan3)
42, Rén Mín Nán Lù Sì Duàn
(Section 4) (42 ren2 min2 nan2 lu4 si4 duan4) 人民南路四段42号
电话: 8526 9999 Pricy but nicy. Sunday brunch is fabulous for around 150 rmb – we think it's the best in town. Star of the East restaurant also rather nice. The Kempo
has a nightclub, but it looks a bit posh for us. Own microbrewery: Paulaner Beer in the Paulaner Bierstube/Bierhalle on ground floor, too.
Min
Shan Hotel(4-star) (岷山饭店 mín
shān fàn diàn / min2 shan1 fan4 dian4)
55 Rén Mín Nán Lù, Èr Duàn
(2nd Section) (55 ren2 min2 nan2 lu4 er4 duan4) 人民南路二段55号
Tel./ 电话: 85583333 Apparently a 4-star, this is over the road from the 5-star Jǐn Jiāng,
in “the beautiful city centre of Chengdu” according to one website.
Perfectly adequate for business travel or not-quite-totally-spendthrift tourists.
Good central reference point and handy for the 303 bus to the airport.
Rong Cheng
Hotel (2-star, we think) (容城饭店 róng
chéng fàn diàn / rong2 cheng2 fan4 dian4)
130, shǎn xī jiē (shan3 xi1 jie1) 陕西街130号
Tel./电话: 86112933 Fax./传真:
86135532 Just down the
road from Sam’s Backpackers, near the People’s Park and TianFu
Square. Posh Sichuan restaurant on 2nd floor looks OK. Hotel has a basic
business centre, a karaoke ‘night club’, and a sauna, sadly not
combined. Fairly large meeting/presentation rooms. Not tip-top luxury,
but adequate for a short business trip, or a break from hostels. We reckon
you could get a room for 100 to 200rmb, but we could be, ahem, rong. Ha ha.
Sichuan Binguan (si4
chuan1 bin1 guan3) (4-star) Main
building (next to Crowne Plaza): 总府街31号 /
zǒng fǔ jiē 31 hào / zong3 fu3 jie1 31
hao4 Southern
building (slightly pricier, slightly more 'exec'): 北新街47号 /
běi xīn jiē 47 hào / bei3 xin1 jie1 47
hao4 West
wing: (the cheapest, still rather nice): 暑袜北二街89号 /
shǔ wà běi èr jiē 89 hào
/ shu3 wa4 bei3 er4 jie1 89 hao4
Tel./电话：+86 28 86755555 –8519
8555 6888 6999 (yes, choose five diff options) Fax/传真：+86
28 8678574 This now has three different sections. One's next to the Crowne Plaze, on Zongfu Lu, and the others are within easy walking distance. Quoted rates are pretty
stellar, but a quick ask should get the price down to a bit above a few hundred
rmb for a standard room. Nice places, not quite the glitz and glam five-stardom,
but if you don't fancy sharing a loo or hanging out with people on a 3 rmb/day
budget, you could do a lot worserer, we reckons.
Shangri-La Hotel (6-star) (香格里拉大酒店/
xiāng gé lǐ lā dà jiǔ diàn / xiang1 ge2li3 la1 da4
jiu3 dian4)
No. 9, Binjiang East Road,
Chengdu 610021 成都市滨江东路9号610021
Tel./电话: 88889999 / Fax 88886666 Opened in May 2007, this is class. Nicely furnished rooms with fabulously comfortable mattresses (our Princess felt no peas) with a gigantic flat screen that folds out for all-angle time-wasting, the usual computer/Internet connections and refreshing 'rain' showers (as well as normal shower head) and large chunky bath tubs. Good iron and ironing board, minibar has large white Toblerone, too. Swimming pool is gorgeous and the lobby bar serves more than passable G and Ts. The Cafe Z has a range of food unique in Chengdu, including Arabian, Indian, South American, Japanese, Sichuanese, and Cantonese. Walk in from the street for a takeaway kebab. The Shangri-La is pricy but very nicy.
Sofitel (6-star) Oooh this is posh. President Mitterand stayed here a short while ago, and we hope he enjoyed the see-through bathroom walls (see-through to his room,
that is - it's not totally exhibitionist). Lovely place, top restaurants,
great pool, pricy wallpaper, etc....
Soma (hostel) (索玛花酒店/
suǒ mǎ huā jiǔ diàn / suo3 hua1
jiu3 dian4)
6th floor, 81 NánDà Jiē (Nan2 Da4 Jie1) 南大街81号6楼
Tel./电话: 86113500 / 86112955 HighFly-linked backpackers-type place, and it is pretty nice. Great location.
Not far behind JinJiang Hotel (geographically). Entertaining lift takes you
to the 6th floor. They occupy the 6th, 7th and 8th. Dorm bunk beds 20
rmb a night, 4 double rooms with bathroom at 98 per room, room with 3 beds
for 128 rmb. Bathrooms have hot water available 24/7, restaurant serves Western
and Chinese food, free Internet for guests. Melanie and Tracy speak excellent
English. Usual range of trips and ticket buying stuff available.
Sunjoy Hotel(3-star) (心族饭店) xīn
zú fàn diàn / xin1 zu2 fan4 dian4)
34, Rén Mín Nán Lù Sì Duàn
/ ren2 min2 nan2 lu4 si4 duan4 人民南路四段34号
电话: 85563388 Just off Consulate Road. Tandoor restaurant is round the corner, as is
the Chengdu Bookworm.
Sunshine Hotel (4-star) (Used
to be ‘Amara’) (阳光酒店 : yáng
guāng jiǔ diàn / yang2 guang1 jiu3 dian4)
2 Tài Shēng Běi Lù / tai4 sheng1
bei3 lu4 太升北路2号
Tel./电话: 86922233 Underestimated place with good quality rooms (own bathroom, air con, TV
etc) just east north east of Tian Fu Square.
Tibet
Hotel(4-star) (西藏饭店 : xī zàng
fàn diàn / xi1 zang4 fan4 dian4)
10, Rén Mín Běi Lù / ren2 min2
bei3 lu4. 人民北路10号
电话: 8008865333 /83183388 Just south of the North Railway station. Very nice 4-star posh with
a Tibetan twist.
XinHua International(4-star) (新华国际酒店: xīn
huá guó jì jiǔ diàn/xin1 hua2
guo2 ji4 jiu3 dian4)
8, gǔ zhōng sì jiē /
gu3 zhong1 si4 jie1, 古中寺街8 号
Tel./ 电话：028
82985588, Fax/传真：028 86744670 Posh-ish
4-star a few hundred metres north of a point between the Dynasty and Crowne
Plaza. Quoted prices are stellar, but three or four hundred should get you
a very nice room here, if you are looking for a place just slightly off the
main drag. Could be a good back-up at big conference times. OK, we haven’t
seen the rooms, but reception is solidly swish and the pics looked rather nice.
Kunming:
Youth Hostel Tel./电话: 0871
4103777 We haven't stayed here yet, but this hostel
was recommended to us by a v. reliable source, not the owner
of the place. Good location in Kunming, and pretty much hotel
standard accommodation.
Kunming: Expo
Hotel, Expo Garden. (世博花园酒店 shì bó huā yuán
jiǔ diàn / shi4 bo2 hua1 yuan2 jiu3 dian4) Tel./电话: 0871 5012666 Not too close to Chengdu,
but should you be in Kunming and all in-town hotels are full,
or you just want to be left alone, this is OK. Nice electric
buggies ferry you between the main hotel buildings and other
places. Decent Internet connection
for not much cash. Nice bathroom with shutters opening
out into the bedroom. Nice for watching TV from the bath, or
for romantic moments. It also means your partner needs ear
defenders and a nose clip should you be occupying the porcelain
throne for a while after a heavy night on the laughing juice.
