Booking a Hotel in China Online with Local OTAs

Finding a good accommodation is always a big issue for your travel in China, especially when you are in tight budget and want to save more money from your choosing hotels. At this point, you can book your hotel with some Chinese online tour operators. Just go to their sites to find out hotels in your city, and compare their various prices. You can get your best hotel deal then. But you might wonder how a foreign tourist can find a local online travel operator’s English version website?  Here I would like to introduce you some local Chinese OTAs to you.

Guangzhou Accommodation – Where to Stay in Guangzhou

Guangzhou, as the top developed city in China, has a well-developed travel and hotel industry. It would not be a problem for you to find an accommodation in Guangzhou, as it offers numerous hotels for you to choose, from the high-end star-rated hotel to those budget hotels as youth hostels. But the hotel fares can be a little bit higher than that in most others cities of China. A mid-scale hotel usually charges 200 yuan per day. You can check-in your different hotels according to your personal needs and budget.

Something about Mount Huangshan

Huangshan, literally Yellow Mountain, refers to a well-known mountain range in Huangshan City in the southern of Anhui Province. It is a shrine of the Taoism with many historical and cultural relics on it. It is lauded as the king of the mountain under the heaven and ranks the 2nd of the top ten mountains in China. Poets and celebrities in history, such as Li Daoyuan, Li Bai and Xu Xiake used to leave their footprints and articles here in praise of this holy mountain. As a breath-taking attraction, Huangshan was elected as one of the best tourist destination of China, and inscribed the World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in December of 1990.

Jiuzhaigou Travelling Tips

The Weather and Wearings

The Jiuzhaigou Scenic Spot is located in the plateau of northern of Sichuan, and the weather there changes quite often. Sometimes it is a rainy day, but turns sunshine very soon. Even sometimes you can experience 4 seasons in a day, and there are only June, July and August in which you can wear unlined garments both in days and at nights. In others months, you’d better prepare some thick coats to keep out the cold.

The Best Time for Visiting Jiuzhaigou

Due to Jiuzhaigou is lauded as the fair tale in the fall, the best time for visiting Jiuzhaigou Valley lies in the middle of October when the fallen leaves make the mountains turn red, and the water valleys turn more colorful. Such a stunning landscape would attract a large amount of tourists coming for a visit. So this period is the peak time and the scenic spots will be quite crowed. But I would suggest you to avoid travelling to Jiuzhaigou Valley at the peak time. As it is the clean and colorful waters that are the essence in the Jiuzhougou, you can enjoy the beauty of it anytime. Why not avoid such a rush tour.

How to Get to Jiuzhaigou

An economical way for flying to Jiuzhaigou is that you can first fly to Chongqing for an interchange, and then fly to Jiuzhaigou directly. Flying to Jiuzhaigou from Chongqing is much cheaper than flying from Chengdu. You can also first fly to Mianyang, and then take a bus to Jiuzhaigou.

Accommodation in Jiuzhaigou

Finally it comes to the accommodation issue. There are many options for your stay in Jiuzhaigou, and you can book your Jiuzhaigou Hotels in advance, which will return you more discounts. Here are some hotels of different levels for you choosing. Five star: Jiuzhaigou International Hotel, Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort Four star: Zhonglv, Geshang, and Jinlongyu Gang Three star: Jiulong, Jiuzhaigou Hotel, Jiuzhaigou Guibin Lou, Jiuan, etc. If you need any other cities's China Hotels, please visit the link.

It is Beijing

The earliest record of Beijing appeared in western countries stems from the travel diary of the famous Italian traveler Macro Polo in the 17th century. In his diary, he highly praised the people’s affluent life and the charm in the city of Beijing, which raised the westerners’ expectation and imagination on this mysterious oriental city over the last several hundred of years.

Beijing used to be the capital of Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasty in history. 33 emperors, in total ruled the vast and populous China in this imperial city. The long history of the city has leaved Beijing countless historical sites with great cultural value and aesthetic value. When pacing in the city, you will always encounter some imperial palaces, gardens, gate towers, temples, former residences of celebrities, hutongs, and featured local resident houses, which always make you can’t help stopping your pace and taking a look at them.
No matter whether you are in Beijing for a long time, or new in Beijing, you will get impacted with the unique charm of Beijing by its rich traditional culture.
The world’s development leaves a strong influence on Beijing. When Beijing is becoming more and more modern, the Beijing citizens are getting increasingly to know that a modern Beijing should reserve its most precious things – its traditional culture. The courtyards, museums, and hutongs are the essence of Beijing’s traditional culture. To well preserve them is to well protect Beijing’s culture essence from being destroyed by the wave of global modernization.
This is Beijing, a modern and traditional city in China. It remains the top tourist destination of the world.

Tips for Canton Fair Hotels Reservation

The 112th Canton Fair is around the corner. Are you ready for the fair and have you booked your hotel? Here are some tips guiding you how to find great deals on your Canton Fair hotels. 

1. Great Deals for Early Birds, Prepayments and Long Stay

Canton Fair is a great event not only for the businessmen, but also for the hotel providers. A great deal of marketing means will be used by the hotels in order to attract more participants to stay in their hotels. And many of them will offer great deals to some special guests. You can ask the hotel if the hotel can offer more discounts if you want a long term stay, or you want to book more rooms. Besides, if you book early or can offer prepayment to the hotel providers, you can also ask them for great discounts.

2. Direct Cash Back or Cash Back for Online Reviews

Some hotels will offer some cash back or coupon back programs on their official hotel booking websites for their members. So, you can find their sites online and then register a member on their sites and gain some cash back deals. Some social sites also offer hotel review service which will return you money discounts if you can leave your reviews on the hotel you book. So just find some cash back websites if you want to find great deals on you Canton Fair Hotel.

3. Find Special Price Rooms or Newly-opened Hotels

Many newly-opened hotels or some other hotels will launch some limited-time sales, whose prices are far cheaper than the usual price. But it is a time-consuming job in finding these special price rooms.

4. Be a Member of the Hotel Brands

If you regularly go outside on business, you should register as a member of some hotel brands, such as the Super 8, Home Inn, Jinjiang Inn and some other world famous high-end hotel brands, such as the Shangri-la, Hilton, IHG etc. They will keep a record for your stay in their hotels. Thus, the more times you stay in their hotels, the more discounts you will get.

5. Avoid the Peak Time

The Canton Fair is held twice a year in April and October. So be smart to avoid booking your hotels during these peak times. You will be charged high if you not book early. So remember to book your hotel in advance. For more information about the Canton Fair 2012 or Guangzhou hotel near Canton Fair, please visit the webpages by clicking the links.

Where to Stay in Zhangjiajie

Many hotels or hostels of different sizes in Jiuzhaigou are mainly distributed around the three areas: Suoxi Valley, urban area and the residential area in the forest parks. Especially, most of them are scattered in the Suoxi Valley and urban area. Few of them lie in the residential area of the forest parks. But if you want to experience the essence of the water and the mountains in Zhangjiajie, you can think of staying in the farmhouse resorts in the park.

Accommodations in Suoxi Valley

Suoxi Valley has a prominent location with many famous attractions nearby, such as the Tianzi Mountain, Huanglong Cave, Baofeng Lake. The transportation to these attractions from Suoxi Valley is convenient as well. Hence many hotels or hostels center around here. But the disadvantages lie on that Suoxi Valley is about 40 kilometers from the railway station and the airport, and it is a 40-minute drive journey. If you have a plenty of time and want to visit the Suoxi Valley, Tianzi Mountain, Huanglong Cave, you can choose to stay in the accommodations in the Suoxi Valley area.

Suoxi Valley

 With many hotels of different level in the valley, tourists have many options. The price of the villas in Gaoyun Village ranges from 100 to 200 yuan, for instance. Some private hostels prices are from 20 – 50 yuan per person.

Accommodations in Urban Area

If you choose to stay in the accommodations in urban area, you are getting more close to the railway station and the airport. It is about 6-10 km from the station and the airport. Besides, there are many travel buses or taxis going to the Zhangjiajie Scenic Spot from the urban area, and you needn’t to worry about going to the destination. But you have to spend hours and money on your way. So, if you reach at Zhangjaijie for the first night, or end your trip and want to go back home by plane or train, you’d better stay in the accommodations in the urban area of Zhangjiajie.

Accommodations near the Entrance of the Forest Park

It is very convenient to go into the park if you choose to stay in the accommodations near the entrance of the forest park. But the price for your accommodation is quite expensive. Just take care of your budget.

Zhangjiajie Forest Park

Accommodations in the Farmhouse Resort

Due to the needs of environmental protection, many hotels in Wulingyuan Scenic Spot have been dismantled. But the farmhouse resorts are reserved. Tourist can choose to stay in these farmhouses, and it helps you save money though the living condition is not as good as those outside the park. Remember to book your resort in advance.

If you want to take a trip to Zhangjiajie someday, here are some useful information about Place to stay in Zhangjiajie and other city hotels in China.

4 Must-See Attractions in Shanghai

Shanghai, Hu (沪) for short in Chinese, is located at the estuary of the Yangtze River in the east of the China’s coast line. It is one of the four municipalities in China, a world-class international modern city with traditional Chinese culture features. More than a hundred years, Shanghai has been the commercial center of China, the place where wealth and celebrities gather around, the tie connecting China with the world. Shanghai is the No.1 city in China, and a tourist destination worth visiting. If you are traveling to Shanghai one day, some attractions are the must-see ones. Here are 4 must-see attractions in Shanghai that you should not miss.

1. Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower

Shanghai Oriental Pearl TV Tower, better known as the Oriental Pearl Tower for short, is one of the best known TV towers in the world, and the symbol of Shanghai City. The Oriental Pearl Tower is located in Lujiazui, Pudong District of Shanghai, close to Huangpu River and facing the Bund on the other side of Huangpu River. This engrossing tower is designed by Jiang Huangcheng, an architect from Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. With 467.9 meters in height, the Oriental Pearl Tower has been the highest tower in Asia, and the third highest in the world.

2.The Bund

The Bund sits along the Huangpu River bank in the city center of Shanghai. It is the must-see landscape in Shanghai for every tourists travelling to Shanghai. Over 150 years ago when the colonists landed on the land of Shanghai, they choose the bund as the place for their settlement. Since then, a group of buildings of different countries’ styles are constructed on the bund. Today, these foreign style buildings plus with the newly-established buildings have been the symble of the city.

3.Nanjing Pedestrian Street

If you can to go shopping, just go to the Nanjing Pedestrian Street. The famous Nanjing Pedestrian Street is situated in Huangpu District, extending from the Middle Xizang Road in the west to the Middle Henan Road in the east. This pedestrian street, established in the 50th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, refresh the 100-year-old Nanjing Road to be the new attraction of Shanghai.

4.City God Temple

There is a saying that you haven’t been to the Grand Shanghai without a visit to the City God Temple. From this saying, we get to that the City God Temple is a must-see place for your Shanghai tour. Generally speaking, the City God Temple in Shanghai refers to the old temple in Huangpu District, which is often called Yu Garden in many descriptions of tourist attraction. This classical garden is worth visiting.

This article is written by James Lee, a travel guide in Shanghai. If you need any help on Shanghai Hotels or Shanghai Accommodations Guide, just visit his site.