Nice, though not what I expected
Written: Mar 08 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very nice four-star hotel, available for a reasonable price on-line.
Cons: Much further from the airport than on-line booking sites think.
The Bottom Line: Good if your schedule allows it, but a poor choice for those with short layovers.
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| dbirchall's Full Review: Bai Yun Hotel |
Best Western's Bai Yun Hotel in Guangzhou isn't what Internet booking sites make it out to be. In some ways, that's a bad thing, but in others, it's good.
Last December, my itinerary required two overnight stays in Guangzhou a week apart, and I trusted one such site enough to book the Bai Yun for both nights. The site said it was a 2-star hotel, located within a few kilometers of Guangzhou's new Bai Yun International Airport, as one might guess from its name.
Upon arriving at Guangzhou's airport, I eventually managed to explain to someone that I needed the "Best Western," not the "Good East," and caught a taxi. To my surprise, the Bai Yun turned out to be nowhere near the airport at all - instead, it was located about thirty kilometers away, in the center of Guangzhou's commercial business district.
This error on the part of the booking site was forgiven, though, when I arrived at what turned out to be not a two-star hotel at all, but a very reasonably priced four-star hotel! With a spacious foyer, nice rooms and Internet access, this was not the low-budget airport lodging I had expected. There was even an upscale shopping center next door, with top brands one might see in Waikiki.
Needless to say, the accommodations were quite nice. On my first visit, I was even upgraded, because they had run out of rooms in the class I'd booked. My schedule unfortunately left me no opportunity to try the hotel's restaurants or other services, though.
I would definitely recommend the Bai Yun Hotel to anyone actually visiting Guangzhou. For those with long overnight stops in their travels, it's feasible, but other options closer to the Bai Yun International Airport might be cheaper, given lower taxi fares.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dbirchall
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Member: Dan Birchall
Location: Hilo, Hawaii
Reviews written: 262
Trusted by: 64 members
About Me:
Techie, writer, dad, outdoorsman, traveler.
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