Just found out our TA booked our group at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing for our upcoming trip. T.A. says it's a 5 star hotel and one of the best in Beijing, hopefully that's the case. Are there any good restaurants around that area? We also want to sample more of a Chinese local fare (not just hotel restaurants) but want to make sure the restaurant is clean and hygenic. Any suggestions welcome... For the hotel, I saw on the hotel website that there are complimentary soft drinks for their guests, is that true or is that only for those who booked at the club level rooms? Thanks...
If not necessary, don't make phonecalls home at the hotel. My friend got homesick and called from Beijing to Washington state. Her fifteen minute call cost her 75 dollars US. If staying in a five star hotel use the computers for email. Otherwise, hunt down one of the Internet shops in the streets. Or buy an IC card and find an IC phone stall to make the call. They're really plentiful and much more economical.
If you are planning a trip to China during Spring Festival, do not hesitate to exclude any train journey from your itinerary. Spring Festival is the most important festival in China and most people will have a long holiday to celebrate it. More and more people will choose traveling as a means of relaxation. So, both the train and flight traffic in China will be utmost heavy, especially the railway transportation. And there will be crowds of people at every tourism sites. Too keep the price lower and guarantee a good visit to all of the sights, you'd better change your planning. Sure, if you just aimed to experience the spring festival environment in China, it depends on you.
RMB stands for Renmibi in Chinese Pinyin. Ren Min in Pinyin means "people". People are not the same as money and the final "Bi" means "money", "currency"or "coin".So RenMinBi actually translates into "the people's currency".
CNY is another name for RMB, that is Chinese Yuan. It seems that CNY is more popular in international financial world. It's like a Quid is a Pound in UK and a buck is a dollar in the US.
In March 2008 we'll be visiting China for the first time. It's a tour called "Best of China" taking in Peking, Shanghai and the Li River. The whole trip will last 11 days. Would really appreciate advice from experienced travellers on what we need to know before we go and more importantly what we should not leave home without! All info gratefully received to enhance our experience.
I was in Beijing less than one month ago. Prior to going I read these warnings/dangers and they were very helpful. However, nothing was ever mentioned about the amount of counterfeit money that is floating around! Beware! Luckily I lost only about $50.00 total in countefeit bills....especially watch out for counterfeit 100RMB. Also, before you get into a taxi make sure that you can see the locks on the door! A cab driver locked me in his cab and I was trapped in the cab and couldn't get out because the locks had been removed from the back!!! Unbeknownest to me, conterfeit money was given to me as change at the Summer Palace and when I tried to pay the driver he said it was counterfiet and locked me in the cab - luckily I had other money with me that wasn't counterfeit!!! Like any place else...there are dishonest people in the world and China is no exception.
For those planning the Jianshanglin Great Wall and Simatai Great Wall tour, I suggest you have more time, maybe two days to visit the two sights. As it takes amount 6 to 7 hours to cross Jinshanlin Great Wall. You need to prepar a lunch box and some fruit with you, since there is no good restaurant nearby.
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Questions & Reviews
11.
Nov. 20,2007 11:13Reply
Ms.Tracyrolf(New Zealand)said:
Just found out our TA booked our group at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Beijing for our upcoming trip. T.A. says it's a 5 star hotel and one of the best in Beijing, hopefully that's the case. Are there any good restaurants around that area? We also want to sample more of a Chinese local fare (not just hotel restaurants) but want to make sure the restaurant is clean and hygenic. Any suggestions welcome...
For the hotel, I saw on the hotel website that there are complimentary soft drinks for their guests, is that true or is that only for those who booked at the club level rooms?
Thanks...
12.
Nov. 6,2007 16:17Reply
Ms.Betty Jan(United States)said:
If not necessary, don't make phonecalls home at the hotel. My friend got homesick and called from Beijing to Washington state. Her fifteen minute call cost her 75 dollars US. If staying in a five star hotel use the computers for email. Otherwise, hunt down one of the Internet shops in the streets. Or buy an IC card and find an IC phone stall to make the call. They're really plentiful and much more economical.
13.
Oct. 30,2007 17:47Reply
Mr.Jacky Bell(Canada)said:
If you are planning a trip to China during Spring Festival, do not hesitate to exclude any train journey from your itinerary. Spring Festival is the most important festival in China and most people will have a long holiday to celebrate it. More and more people will choose traveling as a means of relaxation. So, both the train and flight traffic in China will be utmost heavy, especially the railway transportation. And there will be crowds of people at every tourism sites. Too keep the price lower and guarantee a good visit to all of the sights, you'd better change your planning. Sure, if you just aimed to experience the spring festival environment in China, it depends on you.
14.
Sep. 25,2007 16:20Reply
Mr.Matthew Levis(Greece)said:
RMB stands for Renmibi in Chinese Pinyin. Ren Min in Pinyin means "people". People are not the same as money and the final "Bi" means "money", "currency"or "coin".So RenMinBi actually translates into "the people's currency".
CNY is another name for RMB, that is Chinese Yuan. It seems that CNY is more popular in international financial world. It's like a Quid is a Pound in UK and a buck is a dollar in the US.
15.
Sep. 17,2007 15:35Reply
Mr.thanruki(United Kingdom)said:
In March 2008 we'll be visiting China for the first time. It's a tour called "Best of China" taking in Peking, Shanghai and the Li River. The whole trip will last 11 days. Would really appreciate advice from experienced travellers on what we need to know before we go and more importantly what we should not leave home without! All info gratefully received to enhance our experience.
16.
Sep. 10,2007 17:10Reply
Mr.DEBRA123(United States)said:
I was in Beijing less than one month ago. Prior to going I read these warnings/dangers and they were very helpful. However, nothing was ever mentioned about the amount of counterfeit money that is floating around! Beware! Luckily I lost only about $50.00 total in countefeit bills....especially watch out for counterfeit 100RMB. Also, before you get into a taxi make sure that you can see the locks on the door! A cab driver locked me in his cab and I was trapped in the cab and couldn't get out because the locks had been removed from the back!!! Unbeknownest to me, conterfeit money was given to me as change at the Summer Palace and when I tried to pay the driver he said it was counterfiet and locked me in the cab - luckily I had other money with me that wasn't counterfeit!!! Like any place else...there are dishonest people in the world and China is no exception.
17.
Sep. 6,2007 17:03Reply
Mr.Robert Leggett (United States)said:
Suggestion for Beijing Great Wall tour
For those planning the Jianshanglin Great Wall and Simatai Great Wall tour, I suggest you have more time, maybe two days to visit the two sights. As it takes amount 6 to 7 hours to cross Jinshanlin Great Wall. You need to prepar a lunch box and some fruit with you, since there is no good restaurant nearby.