China is a large and mysterious country. A lot of the most diverse myths and beliefs go about her, the reliability of which causes great doubt. Today, China is happy to open its doors to tourists from all over the world. This is a great opportunity to join the culture of this country, get new unforgettable impressions and have a wonderful rest. Beijing hotels are distinguished by elegance and a special Asian style. A different approach to hospitality makes even the usual hotel check-in entertaining.
Chinese mentality
Arriving in the Middle Kingdom, an ordinary European sees a completely different culture. Attention to detail will allow you to see a lot of differences between peoples and countries. The Chinese capital is absolutely amazing for its size, population and high organization. With so many people, it would seem that inevitable traffic jams should occur, but this does not happen. Surprisingly, even in the subway there is no special crush.
Beijing hotels try to give their guests both European comfort and a certain style. Pleasant and not very unexpected surprises will lie in wait everywhere, especially in inexpensive rooms. However, the mentality of the Chinese people does not allow guests to be treated inappropriately. No matter what hotel the European comes to, the highest possible level of hospitality or service will be provided to him everywhere. Ordinary hotel workers really appreciate the feedback from foreigners and are proud of them.
Despite the distinct advantages of such a privileged attitude, there are problems. The artificial environment will not allow you to penetrate the spirit of the Celestial Empire. Wherever a tourist goes, they will try to organize either the environment to which he is accustomed, or traditional, but at the same time ideal. It is difficult to understand at once, rather, you need to feel everything on yourself. This approach to foreign guests creates the illusion of exceptional well-being, but do not flatter yourself.
but on the other hand
It is not necessary to plan walks only in the beautiful and modern city center. All this is just an imitation of Europe. Real China can only be seen in quiet sleeping areas. Beijing's hotels, located near the slums, carefully mask the disadvantaged areas. Usually, windows that are darkened on one side are used for this.
It is worth turning off the main streets and visiting the streets filled with people. Do not be afraid, it is completely safe. It should be understood that in China all the fun begins after sunset. Each district of the capital turns into a real open pavilion of Chinese culture and street cuisine.
However, be careful. Although all locals will be glad to foreigners, they will try to deceive with any transaction. This is a feature of culture, and this cannot be avoided. It will not be superfluous to take care of the presence of a guide who could suggest something. If this is too expensive, then you can confine yourself to a mobile translator and vigilant suspiciousness.
In the afternoon, such neighborhoods look terrible. Gray walls, little space and constant dirt. Heavy air, a lot of people hurrying somewhere for business and smells of spicy food. But this is precisely the peculiarity of the culture of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. Not in the luxury of expensive hotels, not in huge skyscrapers and not in the well-groomed center of the capital. Features are where most of the locals live.
Cheap hotels
Many travelers prefer to save on travel at all. However, you cannot save money on a hotel in Beijing. Of course, you can succumb to the desire and save some of the money, but in this case comfort is not guaranteed. It's not that local hotels are worse than international hotels. The problem lies deeper, namely in food. The Chinese have quite peculiar tastes. It’s not unusual for their culture to eat a dog or a cat for dinner, as well as breakfast with unusually spicy dishes.
Every time, European spicy food lovers try to convince everyone that it is in their country the most hot dishes. This is not so, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire eat what our people will never eat. If you do not want to spoil your entire vacation or eat in cafes and restaurants, then it is better not to save on hotels. There should always be a fallback with familiar European cuisine.
The best of the best
Of course, in a gigantic city like Beijing, there are enough good hotels. They are expensive for the local population, and as a rule they always have free places. In other words, supply exceeds demand.
The best hotels in Beijing are not necessarily located in the city center or in historical places. For many travelers, a more important factor is the location of the hotel rather than the clean air. Unfortunately, this is more relevant in China than in the rest of the world. The capital of the Middle Kingdom cannot be called an environmentally friendly city.
The list of the best hotels included:
- Beijing International. This is probably the most famous hotel in the Middle Kingdom. It is her most often recommended in travel agencies.
- China World Summit Wing. A great option for those who love modern and are not afraid of heights.
- Park Hyatt Beijing. Perhaps this is the best place for those who want to pay less attention to the urban environment or relax from it.
- Peninsula Beijing. The very center of the city, a new building and affordable rooms. Especially like those who are not too shy in cash.
- China World Summit Wing. Pleasant Asian style combined with modern. The main feature - the hotel is located in the highest skyscraper of the city. The view from the window is excellent.
Beijing International Hotel
Top-level hotel. It welcomes guests from all over the world and annually collects thousands of positive reviews. Located in the heart of the business district of the capital of China.
Despite the rather old building, the number of rooms is quite modern. It all depends on the level of comfort of the room. Standard rooms are expensive.
Travelers recommend evaluating the professionalism of the chefs at this hotel. Many bars and restaurants create a certain gastronomic choice. You can taste dishes of various cuisines, but the most attractive is Chinese, which is not surprising. Given that you need to eat with caution in the Middle Kingdom, the hotel restaurant is pleasantly pleased. Over the long years of work at the hotel, there were no cases of serious food poisoning, and this in China says a lot. Local cuisine is simply unusual for Europeans, and only an experienced chef can make it tasty for everyone.
If there is no desire to go to the bars, because all the efforts went to inspect the Forbidden City, located next to the hotel, then you can order food directly to your room. In suites and business class this option is free.
Long transplant
Anyone who often flies by air knows that the most reliable transplant is the one that takes at least a day. The time margin compensates for possible flight delays and saves tickets. There is only one problem - sleeping on armchairs or on the floor is uncomfortable. There are no hotels at the Beijing airport , which is very strange. But they are located around the complex itself. Honestly, everything is there. Including shopping centers and movie theaters. There are a lot of hotels, and in the passenger terminals hotels in English are abundantly placed. Getting lost is almost impossible.
All these hotels can boast of not very good comfort and quite Moscow prices. These are not hotels in the center of Beijing, therefore, you should not expect sky-high service. The most successful options in terms of price and quality are:
- GreenTree Inn Beijing Capital Airport Second Express Hotel. Two stars, a small modern room fund, very mediocre cuisine and affordable prices.
- Jinjiang Inn Beijing Capital Airport. Hotel of a higher class - as much as 3 stars! The number of rooms is new, and the rooms themselves are comfortable. There is a private restaurant.
- Capital Airport Hotel. The only plus is the relatively affordable price. The rest is an old building, an archaic number of rooms and not the most pleasant kitchen.
- Beijing Konggang Haoya Business Hotel. This is probably the best hotel near the airport. There are two drawbacks - expensive and 10 km from the terminal. Otherwise, this is the best option. The hotel itself does not have many stars, but it belongs to the business class.
New Otani Chang Fu Gong
This hotel deserves to be mentioned off the list. Despite its central location, the cost of a night does not go beyond reasonable limits. This is one of the few hotels available to Russians with average incomes. The relatively old building at first does not inspire confidence, but inside the hotel everything is of the highest level. Pleases with a surprisingly harmonious combination of Sino-Japanese style with European. It looks really unusual. By and large, this is a whole complex in which there is everything: banquet rooms, conference rooms, sports rooms and even baths.
Hotel reviews are mostly good. Some visitors complain that the settlement may be delayed, but this does not happen so often. Mostly on the eve of major holidays.
Reviews
Surprisingly, reviews that usually spare no one are very supportive of China. Even cheap hotels with poor location, according to guests from all over the world, turned out to be quite good. Negative reviews of Beijing hotels mainly relate to only two Chinese problems - food and cleanliness. There is nothing to be done, these are the features of national culture. However, almost everyone upon arrival in the country understands that the Chinese are not a very clean nation. In more expensive, and even more so in central hotels, housekeeping is carried out daily. It is important not to leave anything in the rooms of cheaper hotels, because deceiving foreigners is also a national tradition. Sometimes visitors complain about the disappearance of cigarettes and purchased alcohol from the minibar.