I travel to China several times a year mainly for fun but also to check out hotels and new tourist attractions for my book. The following information is not in my 2002 book. 

The following items are dated with the month the information was obtained. Everything is subject to change but this should give you a good idea of what to expect. Please also look at our collection of photos from some of these places.

Vertical Layout Slides   -   Landscape Layout Slides

The last time this page was updated was 02/19/08

Qingdao
(pages 368-376) This is one of my favorite cities and I wish I could spend more time here - on vacation. The 681 km flight from Shanghai's Pudong airport took one hour. Flights from Germany have started. Ships from Shanghai take 24 hours now, and a ship from Simoseki arrives every three or four days depending on demand. Ships from Inchon in Korea now arrive three times a week. A superhighway will connect with Yinchuan in northwest China the end of 2000. The expressway from Yantai takes 3.5 hours. The train from Beijing now takes only 10 hours.

There's a cable way at Laoshan now. And the subway will still be built. It has been officially approved.

Where to Stay: the best five star hotel is the Shangri-la, and the best four star is the Holiday Inn. The Grand Regency is good and obviously keen on having English-speaking guests, but it has an uninteresting location. The Huiquan Dynasty has improved a lot since my last visit. The Haitian is fine, has a pleasant seaside location, but needs work. Its upcoming renovations might solve the problems. The Gloria Inn is still a three star with good value. The Vienna is only included because it is cute, clean, and has a great location near the sea, but its service and English need work.

Out in the suburbs, the Golden Beach is right on one of the better beaches. My second choice would be the Sea View, a small, intimate hotel with lots of garden. The Kylin is so new, it's impossible to evaluate it. It does look acceptable though but because of its current lack of English, I would choose it as a last resort. The Student Hostel is for travelers on a very tight budget.

Most of the hotels are about 35 km. from the airport and about seven from the railway station. Those near the Golden Beach Hotel are about 17 km from the airport, and at least 17 km from the railway station, ten km from the city hall, and close to Beer City. The Kylin is 800 meters from the Shandong International Conference and Exhibition Centre. Four and five star hotels here all accept credit cards, and can change foreign travelers' checks and cash into Chinese currency. The lower stars didn't answer my query about travelers' checks.

Hotels here charge a 10 or 15% service charge and tend to have small bathrooms. All but the student hostel accept credit cards. High season is May to October. Rates are higher during the Beer Festival late August or early September when reservations are needed. Prices here are in RMB or US dollars. For a city so close to the sea, the air pollution can be surprisingly bad.

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL (page 371) has a new e-mail address: slq@shangri-la.com . The web-site is www.Shangri-la.com . The fax is 3886868. Published rates are now $175-$250 for rooms, and $320-$1600 for suites. It has been offering 35-40% discount packages. It has a good gym, 25-meter long indoor pool and offers the IHT, South China Morning Post, Asian Wall St. Journal and Straits Times. It also has CNBC, HBO and the Discovery Channel in English, smoke hoods, kettle, safe, and voice mail in its rooms which are all 37.7 square meters. All rooms have irons and ironing boards. It has 24-hour room service, German and Cantonese food, and was recently offering winter specialties of fried snake for Y128, venison Y60, ostrich Y68, civet cat Y248, and wild duck Y36 and Y48. For breakfast, its executive floor recently offered six kinds of buns, congee, sausages, hot cereal, oil sticks, dim sum, 11 different kinds of fruit, salad, fried rice, tea eggs, noodles, and four fruit juices. Its coffee shop buffet was even more elaborate.

The GRAND REGENCY HOTEL (page 371) has a new e-mail address: regency@public.qd.sd.cn . Prices range from $138-$158 for rooms and $228 to $2888 for suites. It has been discounting up to 50%. It is now managed by Orient Hotel Management Company and has 378 guest rooms and apartments. There's a new cheaper basement food court, a grill room, and a bake shop. Its ballroom can seat 600 banquet-style with classy settings under a domed ceiling. It has simultaneous-translation facilities. Its dinner buffet costs Y88, its breakfast Y80. Its seafood buffet was wonderful.

If you stand under its dome in the center of the beautiful patterned carpet in its ballroom, your voice gets naturally amplified. Try it. The walls in this great hall are full of interesting cloisonné murals trimmed with gold.

Most dishes in its food court range from Y18 to Y38, and the dim sum is Y16 for one basket (4 pieces) of ha gow, and Y12 a basket for sui mai. The steamed pig's brain with salted egg yolk is Y26.

Its business center subscribes to the Herald Tribune, South China Morning Post, and Asia Week. Rooms have two telephone lines, HBO and Star TV, a generous supply of towels, and are 29 square meters. It has some good machines but a limited gym and its year-round indoor pool is 15 meters long. Its tennis court is lighted. It has eight lanes of bowling, a squash court, and four billiard tables.

At the HAITIAN HOTEL, the new e-mail address is: computer@hai-tian-hotel.com . The web-site is: www.hai-tian-hotel.com  . It now has 606 rooms, offices and apartments. It is no longer associated with Daiichi or the VIP China Club; it's now with China Famous Hotels. It has a scheduled airport shuttle pick-up four times a day.

Published room rates are now Y138-Y178 and suite rates Y168-Y1800. It has been giving a 30% discount. Its location close to the waterfront and a new three-kilometer walkway is great. Granite pillars there have been carved with historical stories. Look for Princess Wen Cheng who went to Tibet, and the Foolish Old Man. Look in the water for fishermen floating in tubes with nets. This bay will be a summer Olympics' site, should Beijing be chosen.

Its West building was renovated in 1997. Its 300 rooms are 32 square meters. The East Building was renovated in 2000. It has 306 rooms of 28 square meters. Both sides have sea views and non-smoking rooms. You can request a dedicated e-mail line. The lobby has a magnificent nine-dragon carpet on the wall behind the reception desk but the lobby smells of food from the coffee shop below.

It has Japanese, Korean, Muslim, western, Shanghai, and Shandong restaurants. It has an extra special menu with representative dishes of all the different Chinese cuisines for at least Y600 per person. Its buffet breakfast was generally acceptable with made-to-order eggs, but the western - style pastries were a mite disappointing because they weren't authentic. The selection is good if you want cheese cake first thing in the morning.

Its ballroom, which can seat 400 at tables, had dirty windows. Its Japanese restaurant has two tatami rooms, and teppanyaki. Its Chinese restaurant was good: three of us had appetizers of chicken gizzards for Y14, jelly fish Y14, bean curd with chili peppers Y14, peanuts Y14, and celery Y14. The fried beef in black bean sauce was Y28, stir-fried spinach with garlic Y20, baby octopus and onions in XO sauce Y38, and lianyu geng (fish and bean thread soup) Y20 a small bowl. There was also Quanjia fu (happy family dish) with shrimp, sea cucumber, pork, carrots, clam, and conch for Y120. Tsingtao beer was Y6 a bottle. Its XO sauce is wonderful and made of seafood.

Its e-mail costs Y1.5 a minute and it offers no foreign newspapers. Its executive floor has high speed internet access and video phone service. It has two telephone lines and a pants presser. Rooms offer CNN, Star Sports and Star Movies. Moldy grouting was around some of the bathtubs and it had worn carpets and dirty seat covers. It has four bowling alleys, sauna, and a gym with antique Chinese equipment. Its indoor pool is 18 meters long. It has ANA and Korean Airlines offices. And it will be renovating its coffee shop and lobby before the end of the year. It will also be renovating some rooms next year.

QINGDAO SEA VIEW GARDEN HOTEL (Qingdao Hai Jing Hua Yuan Dajiudian) is a charming four-star hotel with an exceptionally high standard of English (but don't expect too much). The English is better than the Gloria's and the Vienna's. It's at 2, Zhanghua Road, 266071. Tel. 5875777, fax 5894031. Web: www.seaviewgardenhotel.com   . It accepts major credit cards and changes travelers' checks. It is on 3500 square meters of land with its own gardens, close to the Sculpture Garden out by the Golden Beach Hotel. Rooms are 24 square meters and range from Y900 to Y1698. Suites cost from Y2180 to Y5130. It has been giving 30 to 40% discounts.

It has a 25-meter long outdoor pool and a small year-round indoor pool, bowling, billiards, ping pong, and tennis. Its gym has seven machines. It's a ten-minute car drive to the beach, and it has 198 rooms of about 24 square meters each in four-story buildings. (Make sure there's an elevator before you accept an upper floor room; only one of the buildings has an elevator.) Rooms have small desks, desk level electrical outlet, safe, kettle, mini-bar, and poor grouting. It has a business building, meeting rooms, western, Cantonese, Chaozhou, Shandong, Japanese and Korean cuisines. Its breakfast buffet costs Y58, lunch buffet Y78, and dinner Y88. It subscribes to the South China Morning Post. A free shuttle bus connects it with the airport. This is a very Chinese hotel, which does not have the high standards of the bigger international hotels downtown, but if you want something good and Chinese, this is it.

HOLIDAY INN QINGDAO (Yi Zhong Jia Re Jiu Dian), 76 Xiang Gang Zhong (Hong Kong) Road, 266071. Tel. 5718888; fax 5716666, 5763383. E-mail: hiqingdo@public.qd.sd.cn . For its sales department, it's: smhiqd@public.qd.sd.cn . Web: www.holiday-inn.com . Compared to other hotels, this one is a long way from the sea but the neighborhood is interesting. It has a free scheduled airport shuttle bus. It has offices and service apartments. It was opened in July, 2000 and looks more like a five star, than the four-star that it is. It is between the Equatorial and Regency Hotels, almost next door to JUSCO, one of the biggest shopping malls, and near the Bank of China. On warm evenings, people dance nearby and there are lots of local restaurants. $100 to $180 for rooms; $150 to $1500 for suites. It has been discounting 30% to 40% on weekends.

This 38-story hotel has 388 rooms, Cinemax, Discovery Channel, BBC, CNN, and Dutch, French, Spanish, and Italian television channels, and in-room safes. Two electrical outlets are convenient to the desk. Standard rooms range from 26 to 29 square meters. Executive club rooms are 52 square meters and have dressing areas, and separate shower stalls. Its business center has the IHT, USA Today and the Asian Wall St. Journal. Its internet costs Y25 for the first 10 minutes.

Included in its buffet breakfast were made-to-order eggs, 12 kinds of buns, four cheeses, sushi, four different Chinese cookies, and two dim sum dumplings. It has a Cantonese restaurant, and the only Italian restaurant in Qingdao. (Lamb grilled with herb butter and saffron risotto cost Y92, ossobuco alla Milanese, braised veal shank cooked in tomato sauce, white wine and vegetables with polenta croutons is Y80, and fruit tart is Y32.) A few carpets were dirty but will be replaced said staff.

The lobby of the HUIQUAN DYNASTY HOTEL looks much better than it used to and the hotel will be upgraded even more by the end of 2001 with renovations to its older section. The new wing is the better of the two now. The lobby has palm trees and naked Greek or Roman statues. All rooms in its newer building have sea views but no room safes. Bathrooms are smaller than at the Haitian, and I found a bit of mold. Carpets needed cleaning. Rooms have pay television, CNN, and Star TV. Prices are the same as on page 372.

In its revolving restaurant, the buffet for breakfast or lunch costs Y58, and dinner Y98. It has replaced its Korean restaurant with Sichuan. Buffets are heavy on sea foods and are a mix of Chinese and western food. It can host a sit-down banquet for 250 people. We recommend the abalone, mushroom and turtle soup, and fish with orange and lemon sauce. Its gym will re-open in 2001. It has an eight-lane bowling alley, 25-meter indoor pool, and sauna. The addresses remain unchanged and reservations can now be made through SRS. Its e-mail is: hqdhtl@mail.com.cn. It is close to the Shandong Foreign Trade Centre.

The KYLIN HOTEL which opened in August, 2000, is aiming for four stars. 197, Xianggang Dong Road, Shilaoren National Holiday Resort, 266061. Tel. 8891888, Fax 8891777. E-mail: qdgkdy@public.qd.sd.cn . Web: www.hi-tech.chinaqingdao.net  about the neighborhood. Rooms range from $80 to $120. Suites are $160 to $2190. Prices include breakfast and an airport transfer for guests with reservations.

This hotel is near the Golden Beach Hotel. It has 35 stories and a revolving restaurant. Hallways are narrow and there's no television in English. Safe boxes are only in suites. It is close to the high tech zone. It will be building two swimming pools.

The six-story three-star GLORIA INN currently has a Y368 nett per night package including breakfast for a standard room. Rooms now range from $70 to $82, and suites from $130 to $216. (Rooms range from 26 to 42 square meters.) Discounts have been 20% to 40%. It now has 238 rooms.

The breakfast buffet costs Y60, lunch Y68 and dinner Y73. You can find the Herald Tribune in its coffee shop. It now has CNN and in-house movies in English, and Japanese and Korean channels. It has no pool, and e-mail is Y2 a minute. Its e-mail is now gloriabc@ns.qd.sd.cn or gloria@giqingdao.com . Web is: www.giqingdao.com  . It no longer has a shuttle bus to JUSCO but it has an airport shuttle five times a day.

VIENNA HOTEL (Wei Ye Na Dajiudian), 9 Macao Road, 266071. Tel. 3896688, fax 387-5169. Three stars. It takes credit cards. Rooms range from Y540-Y620; suites from Y1280-Y5680. It has been giving 20 to 40% discounts. The Haitian International Travel Service (below) can probably give better prices.

It's hard to miss this tiny hotel. Its classical European architecture is highlighted in mauve with white trim. If you can deal with a lack of English and a low level of service, take a look. It's close to the waterfront and it's new. It is four stories with 51 rooms, all 25 square meters with safes, kettles, CNN and Japanese television. The gym is small with manual Chinese equipment. Its 15 meter indoor pool is open year round.

GOLDEN BEACH HOTEL (Huang Jin Hai An Dajiudian), now with 160 rooms, has improved with age. But the carpets still don't fit, and you might trip over them. It can be reached by buses 104, 125, 301, 304, 312, 313, 317, 321, and 362. Prices now range from $70 to $106, and suites $165 to $750. It has been giving 40% discounts. It is no longer building an addition and only has one television channel in English. The breakfast buffet costs Y30. And you can't rent horses any more. Rooms have safes, CNN, moldy grouting, refrigerators and kettles. Its western restaurant has a Y30 western and Chinese buffet.

The hostel at the INTERNATIONAL STUDENT CENTRE (Xi Xiao Men), Ocean University, is at 23 Hong Kong Dong Road 23, e-mail: iec@mail.ouqd.edu (but this didn't work for me. Try the telephone 5901868).

Seeing the Sights (page 373):
The old European houses in Badaguan: For an entry fee of Y5, you can visit the Granite Castle, which was built in 1903-1908 by a Russian aristocrat. 18 Huanghai Road. Open 8am to 5:30pm daily. This has four flights of stairs and a great view of the seashore. During the wedding season, brides and grooms are hiking out on the rocks by the sea. They are there, the women in full length gowns with long trains, to be photographed expressing their love "until the sea goes dry," a local custom.

Huadong winery: Among China's best wines is Huadong (page 180) which is produced about 25 km. outside of downtown Qingdao. Travel agents can arrange tours with a meal its pretty setting or just for a tour, you can contact the Qingdao Huadong Winery Co., Nanlongkou, Laoshan, Qingdao, 266102. Tel. 0532/8818989 or fax 8817350, or e-mail: hdwinery@public.qd.sd.cn .

It is best to visit the winery during the harvest in October because there's more to see then. Tourists are always welcome and are charged about Y5 each for the visit. The winery is in the countryside. The winery was started by Michael Perry in 1984 with cuttings from France, and Australian workers to weld the tanks. In 1985, it produced its first bottle and has now even exported some bottles to France and southeast Asia. Its most popular is Huadong Chardonnay and Cabaret Sauvignon. The best years are 1993 and 1996, said Production Manager Shao Xue Dong who showed us around and gave us samples from one of the 83 Japanese stainless steel tanks where the wine ferments for eight months.

It currently has 85 workers and adds 20 more at harvest time when the grapes are picked by hand and pressed by machine. Workers make Y600 a month. Don't expect discount prices for bottles; prices are the same as in supermarkets.

The Qingdao Sailing School no longer rents sail boards and water skiis but an invitational international sailboard competition will be held in Sept. 2001. Contact CITS for details.

Where to Eat: See hotels above. In addition, Yun Xiao Road has many good restaurants with different kinds of cooking. The Xin Guang Restaurant on Hong Kong Road has good Cantonese food. The Overseas Chinese Hotel has good Shandong food. The Jia Ri Restaurant near the Haitian has good seafood. For good western food, try the major hotels.

Practical Information:
Note: We were here before the flight prices went up. Add 15% to these pre-Nov. 15 prices. Qingdao to Shenzhen Y1460, and Qingdao to Hong Kong Y2180. The train to Shanghai costs Y590.

Many 24-hour e-mail services are available in several places around town for less than Y10 an hour. An internet bar is on the 4th floor of the Xin Hua book store, almost across the street from the Holiday Inn, open 9am to 9pm. It charges Y7 an hour.

The Jimo Daily Use Commodities Market is on Liao Cheng Road. The Qingdao Museum is going to move.

Travel agencies:
Travel agencies can arrange visits to the feather picture factory and the local Haier Factory which is China's biggest household appliance manufacturer. Forget about the Double Star shoe factory. The one-day city tour usually includes the Pier, Small Fish Hill Park, Badaguan, and a 45 minute boat cruise. On a second day, you can go to the Laoshan Mountain.

--Qingdao China International Travel Service, (page 375). E-mail: Mitchell Gong, Manager, E-business and Travel Dept., e-mail, citsqd@public.qd.sd.cn   . Mobile 13906488135. Web: www.citsqd.net   . It has a new telephone number: 2880390. The fax remains the same as before. Web-site: www.citsqd.net .

Mitchell writes: China will build a broadband Internet this year and downloading our web-site will be faster after that.

Here are our hotel prices for individual travelers. Our service charge for making a reservation is US$5 per room per night. I think the Vienna, Kylin, Sea View, and Golden Beach are not good enough for North Americans because only Chinese food is offered for lunch and dinner in those hotels.

Clients should pay for the hotels directly to our travel service because some hotels don't give these prices directly to clients.

High season Apr.1 to Oct.31; (low season Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Shangri-La $95 ($75) western buffet breakfast $10
Holiday Inn $75 ($55) one buffet breakfast included
Haitian $80 ($65) western buffet breakfast $9
Huiquan Dynasty $60 ($45) western buffet breakfast $8
Grand Regency $62 ($48) western buffet breakfast $8
Kylin $58 ($45) Chinese & western buffet breakfast $5
Sea View Garden $80 ($65) Chinese & western buffet breakfast $8
Gloria $50 ($42) western buffet breakfast $8
Vienna $45 ($35) Chinese & western buffet breakfast $5
Golden Beach $50 ($40) Chinese & western buffet breakfast $5

He also says, I don't think there is any restaurant outside of the hotels which is good enough for fussy North Americans, because they have no English speakers on staff. These are two pretty good restaurants with good, easily-found locations.

1. New Princes restaurant, West building, 6 Xiang Gang Zhong Road, Tel: 5919999
2. Yiqinglou Restaurant 90 Xiang Gang Zhong Road, Tel: 5872018

--Qingdao Hai Tian International Travel Service, 1F, Mid-Building of Haitian Hotel, 48 Xianggang Xi Road, Tel. 3872014, 3871340, fax 3879584. E-mail: hits@public.qd.sd.cn . Web-site: www.hai-tian-hotel.com  . Ask for Song Jinlin, General Manager, or Peter Sun, Deputy General Manager. This new travel agency gave me a lot of help in Qingdao, and I expect it will be helpful to you too.

Song Jinlin says "the best hotels in Qingdao are: 1.Shangri-la, 2. Haitian, and 3.Grand Regency. Prices for individual travelers: Shangri-la: $110/room/night (high season); US$100 (low season), Haitian: $80 (high season), $70 (low season), Grand Regency: $80 (high season), and $70 (low season). The high season is April to November while the low season is December-March. Its service charge for booking rooms is $5 per room per day. Prices include two western breakfasts. To hire a guide by the day, it charges $40 per guest. We presently have six guides who speak English, five guides who speak Japanese, eight guides who speak Korean, and two guides who speak German."

Qingdao Tourism Administration has changed its fax to 5912028. It has a lot of good maps and tourist literature.

You can only buy IP cards in Qingdao in post offices.

The long-distance bus stations are at 7 Wenzhou Road, Tel. 3833275, (West) Guantao Road, Tel. 2825598 and (East) Harbin Road, Tel. 5615680.

Tourist Hotline: Tel. 3875345.

Websites: tri: www.chinaqingdao.net   (Chinese only) , www.qdta.gov.cn   (English and helpful), http://sdqd.qdinfo.stlac.cn   . -- RLM. Date: November, 2000.
* * *
I keep telling people who want to save money to try different travel agents. Recently I sent the same letter to three different travel agencies in Qingdao. I got two different prices for the same hotel. The third didn't answer immediately.

1. "Since you like the Golden Beach at Stone Old Man National Tourism Resort.. The room charge is USD50/Room Night, with two free breakfasts for two persons. And the charge of our company for reservation is already included... Howard/QDOTC qdotc@ns.qd.sd.cn. ."

2. "...The Golden Beach at Old Man Stone is the biggest sandy beach in Qingdao. It is in the suburb east of the city. It is about 25 km from down town. There is a three-star hotel called Golden Beach Hotel at the beach... For a double or twin room, it is US$35/per night including western breakfast.

There is a private bath and mini bar in the room. The deluxe suite has a sitting room, a bedroom with a double bed and a bathroom as well as TV set, mini bar and a refrigerator. It is US$100/ per night with western breakfast. There is coffee shop in the lobby.

Yangkou Beach is located at the foot of Laoshan Mountain 50km from the city. There are only small hotels near the beach. Very few foreigners stay there. They have a deluxe suite but it's not very good at US$48 / per night. But the service there is not very good. We charge US$5/per room, per night for making a reservation.

It is a pity that we cannot accept credit cards. You'd better pay with cash.

We still have some nice beaches right in the city. There are some hotels near beaches. If you like I can give you more information about them.

citsqd@public.qd.sd.cn  is our company's email address. The computer is not in my office and nobody works during week ends (Saturday and Sunday). So please sent e-mails to my private email box mitchell@qingdao.cngb.com  or fax to 86-532-2876003. Because I often come to office at week ends...Mitchell Gong, manager of European and American Department, CITS:Tel: 86-532-2870876, Fax: 86-532-2876003.
---- RLM, Date: March, 2000.

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Qinhuangdao
Qinhuangdao, 280 km east of Beijing, encompasses three separate districts and five counties, a total population of 2.6 million. Its urban areas have 600,000 people in all. Qinhuangdao is the city which includes the resort town of Beidaihe which is the favorite seaside beach of Beijing people. When political leaders come here to relax, the West Beach is closed to the public. Qinhuangdao is also industrial and commercial. 

In addition to Beidaihe, Qinhuangdao also includes the walled city of Shanhaiguan where the Great Wall meets the sea, a swimming beach, a chair lift up the mountain following the Great Wall, and a nearby lake. 

So where should you relax with your family? The hotels in Beidaihe are larger, the beaches longer. Both places have very crowded swimming areas with umbrellas and chairs for hire. Beidaihe is closer to the beaches of Changyi County and Golden Beach (Wang Jin Hai An). Thirty kilometers south is a winery. In Beidaihe, the best beach is around the Jin Sha Hotel. 

On the other hand, Shanhaiguan has the Great Wall at one end of its beach but the scenery at the other end is pretty industrial with petroleum tanks. I preferred the history since I didn't have any children with me, and I enjoyed being close to the Great Wall for days at a time. I also didn't go swimming. The Gloria there is cheaper, has fewer services, quite a bit of English, and is okay. If you are interested, ask also about the Russian aircraft carrier that has been in Shanhaiguan's harbor. 

To go to Qinhuangdao and Shanhaiguan costs about Y97 for a soft class ticket from the main Beijing railway station. Y70 for a hard seat. One of the best trains leaves at 7:30am and arrives in Beidaihe at 10:08am, and in Qinhuangdao at 10:27am. Buses take three to four hours on the expressway. 
. 
Where to Stay in Shanhaiguan:
The GLORIA HOLIDAY VILLAS QINHUANGDAO (Kailai or Haisheng Binguan), Shanhaiguan Economic Technological Development Zone, Huan Hai Nan Road, 066206, Tel. 5081688, or fax 5081919. In Beijing Tel. 10-65158508, fax 65155273. E-mail: gih.Beijing@gloriahotels.com  . Web-site:  www.gloriahotels.com   . A tiny taxi from the Qinhuangdao train station costs about Y41.

I stayed at this resort for two nights. The English was quite good for a three star. If you have a problem, ask for Julia, Sarah, William, or Jackie. The staff made a good effort to be helpful and were eager to learn English. The long-stay villa I looked at was great, almost international quality. The villa where I had my room was passable. Just don't expect the five-star quality of the Gloria's sister resort in Sanya. This one only has 106 rooms spread over eight villas and a main three-story building. It has a sauna, ping pong, billiards, and a gym. Gloria will be upgrading this hotel and training its staff. It should be putting safe boxes into its villas and eventually its rooms. It should get BBC TV soon. The public beach across the road in front is very popular and has chairs and umbrellas for rent. It has no life guards and the water is not tested for E. coli. 

Rooms range from Y480 to Y528 and suites Y980 to Y3888. It has been giving 20% to 40% discounts to walk-ins in low season. It has a family package until March 2002 of Y360 a room Sundays to Thursdays, and Y420 a room Fridays and Saturdays, subject to availability. This includes breakfast, fruit basket, meet-and-greet, discounts, etc. for couples or two adults with one child. It accepts credit cards but cannot change travelers checks. It can book tickets. It has a Chinese restaurant and small coffee shop. Its garden bar with barbecue was good except for the gritty tables, and the mosquitoes that arrived at dusk. (The mosquito problem has hopefully since been solved.) Its coffee shop has no set breakfast menu but charges Y18 for two eggs and Y18 for toast. 

Gloria International Hotels took over this resort in 2000. It was originally built in 1945 by COFCO, the shipping company. It is the only international chain hotel in China from which you can walk ten minutes to the Great Wall of China. It is across a sparsely-used road from a popular swimming beach, and you can walk also to an interesting fishing village and seafood restaurant. If you're energetic, you can continue on to a shipyard. You can also look at a Russian aircraft carrier if it's still there. 

At the Great Wall is a bus stop where frequent mini-buses can take you south to downtown Qinhuangdao (about 25 km) and then from Qinhuangdao to Beidaihe (about 25 km) for about Y5 each trip. 

If you follow the beach from the Gloria in the other direction towards the shipyards, you will find about 300 meters away, a small seafood restaurant on Huan Hai Nan Road called Xin Yu Xiang Jiu Dian or Yu chuen Dong Jiang Zhuang, Tel. 5082199. Here you can get a dinner for two people for Y47. Standards are basic but the seafood is very fresh. 

Where to Stay in Qinhuangdao: The hotels here are more for business people. The Great Wall Hotel seems slightly better and more polished. Both have stained carpets.

QINHUANGDAO INTERNATIONAL HOTEL(Guoji Fandian) is at 330 Wenhua Bei Road, Qinhuangdao, Tel. 3083083, Fax 3604783. E-mail: qhdgjfd@public.qhptt.he.cn  . Web-site: www.qhdih.com  . This 1996 hotel has 175 rooms which cost Y600 and suites Y960 to Y4800. It has been discounting 10 to 30%. Twenty rooms come with computers and its in-room safes are big. It has non-smoking and executive floors. The English is poor but it has the best food. It also has 12 lanes of bowling, a lighted outdoor tennis court, pool, gym, and an 18 meter X 15 meter indoor pool. The mold and grouting are bad. Its business center charges Y40 an hour for the internet.

GREAT WALL HOTEL (Changcheng Qi Dian), is at 202 Yanshan St., Qinhuangdao, 066001, Tel. 3061666, Fax 3061075. E-mail: qhdgwh@public.qhptt.he.cn  . Web-site: www.gwhotel.com  . Four stars. Rooms with breakfast range from Y580 to Y620, and suites Y1000 to Y6800. It has been discounting 20%. It accepts credit cards. Six rooms have computers and safes. It is okay except for a business center where no one understands English. It has no pool but it has a gym, Jacuzzi, sauna, tennis court, and billiards room. 

Where to Stay in Beidaihe: 
While no international standard luxury resorts exist here, the best, the Jinshan Hotel, is pretty good and is very close to the beach. The second best is the Beidaihe International Club Hotel (but it's not on a beach and you have to cross a busy lane highway to get to it. The Beidaihe Guesthouse for Diplomatic Missions is on a beach and is okay. 

JINSHAN HOTEL (page 437). The telephone is now 4041338. The address is now 4, the Third Road of East Beach. It is closed the end of October to April 15. Rooms in high season are Y520-Y620 (low is Y380), and Y780 to Y980 for suites (low Y580 to Y780). The three-star Jinshan's e-mail is: jinshan@public.qhptt.he.cn  . It takes credit cards and travelers checks but has no CNN. It has 267 rooms in five two-story buildings, a business center and should be doing some renovations in spring 2002. 

The BEIDAIHE GUESTHOUSE FOR DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS has150 rooms in 11 buildings and two villas. Buildings 15 and 22 are the best. Rooms have CNN, but no safes. It is on a beach with no life guards. Rooms range fromY380 to Y780, and a villa apartment Y1580 in high season (July and August). It's Y200 to Y550 for rooms, and Y780 for a suite, and Y1180 for a villa apartment in low season. Rooms are air-conditioned. It has tennis, billiards, a gym, massage, and karaoke hall. The address is: No. 1, Baosan Road, 066100, Tel.4041287 or fax 4041807. Web-site: www.dphotel.com.cn (Chinese only). Its representative office in Beijing is East Gate, Building No.12, Dongzhimenwai Street, Chao Yang Districts, Tel. 10/65324336, 64175849. 

Where to Eat:
Your best bet is the hotels. In Beidaihe, there's also the simple Hai Tian Xiang on Dong Jing Road with a menu in English, about five minutes walk from CITS and near the Jin Sha Hotel. Tel. 4047159. It has noodles, seafood, crispy deep fried prawns or prawns cooked in their shells, chicken and pork, at cheaper prices than the hotels. It has squat toilets. I got a small bowl of noodles and a plate of shrimp for Y45. The historical Kiessling Bakery and Restaurant is very expensive and has western-type food. 

Where Not to Eat: the tempting - looking restaurant on the fisherman's wharf between Shanhaiguan and Qinhuangdao on the road that follows the seashore, is no good, say locals. It is shaped like a dragon and you can see it from the road. 

What to See: Lao Long Tou/Old Dragon Head in Shanhaiguan: Entrance fee Y40. Closed at 5pm. The place where the Great Wall meets the sea includes a reconstruction made in 1987 of a 1622 military camp used to train the marine corps. This camp was destroyed by the eight foreign powers in 1900. Signs are in English but there's not much to see and it has a very smelly toilet.

Three km. north of Shanhaiguan is a cable car that goes up Mt. Jiaoshan following the Great Wall. It operates 7:30am to 7pm, and costs Y20. Tel. 5052916. The view is wonderful but some of the paths are unpaved. 

Park of the Shrine of Emperor Qin's Quest for Immortality is about a 15 km/30-minute drive from Beidaihe towards Qinhuangdao. Take buses No. 3 or 4. It is at 56 Nansan Street, Hai Gang District. Tel. and Fax 3410987. This is a 19 hectare theme park based on the first emperor search for pills of immortality. From here he sent some young people in 215 BC by boat to find them. Needless to say, they never returned, and are thought by some to have ended up in Japan, the ancestors of the Japanese people. The park has exhibits and buildings of stories from other dynasties as well. If you need a guide, get one from CITS because the park has no one who speaks English. It's basically a lesson in Chinese history and mythology, a change from beach life. Bring a flash light to see some of the archaeological specimens from the Qin dynasty, and a Ming dynasty stone found here that proves that the Qin Emperor did visit here. There's a maze of the Ba Gua, and other buildings. The place needs fixing up and repainting and takes between 40 minutes to two hours to see - if you want to see it all. It has an amusement park and a restaurant. 

There's also a wildlife park in Qinhuangdao, and an Underwater World in nearby Xin-ao. 

The Sea Sports Club is at 22 Wenti Road, Tel.8051474. It is about 9 km from Beidaihe towards Qinhuangdao. It is the only place I've found in China outside of Hainan Island where you can rent sail boards. They are over-priced at Y100 an hour here but you don't have much choice. You can also rent sail boats for Y200 an hour, and scuba dive one hour for Y300. If you can't speak Chinese, CITS Beidaihe can help you since no one speaks English here. 

Practical Information: 
CITS Beidaihe International Travel Service is at 4 Jinshan Zui Road, Beidaihe 066100, Tel. 4041748, Fax 4031890. E-mail: bits@0335.net  . It can arrange boats and sail boarding at the Sea Sports Club. Its one-day tour includes the Great Wall, Yan Sai Lake, and the Grape Village in Changyi County where they grow grapes and make Great Wall wines. It has bird watching tours, especially good in May, September and October for red-crested cranes (autumn only), Saunder's gulls and Relict gulls. It has been involved with a group of Japanese tourists who started 10 years ago to walk along the total length of the Great Wall for 25 days a year. 19 of them recently finished. Ask for Yuzhen (Jean) Wang, General Manager. 

Qinhuangdao CITS is at 100 Heping Road, Qinhuangdao. Tel. 335/3231111, Fax 3231112, 3231113. It charges Y30 to reserve a hotel, and Y400 for a guide for 1 or 2 people for eight hours. 

Qinhuangdao Haiyan International agency is at 4 Apartment Building A Qinxin Garden Hebei Street, Tel:3733373, 3044666 and fax 3045558. The e-mail is: qhyits@heinfo.net  , Haiyan001@0335.net or qhyits@pop.heinfo.net  . It has 10 full time English-speaking guides. It also has walking tours of the Great Wall. Ask for Wenjun Shi. 

You can teach English here at BFSUBTC, a branch school of the Beijing Foreign Studies University near the beach. Telephone 4049907 or fax 4049917. Contact: Ms Zhang Bao-dan ( Dianna) or Miss Lu (Belinda), Tel: 4049907, Fax 4049917, Mailing address: Lanlou, Yingliao Rd., Beidaihe,066100. E-mail: bfsubtc@heinfo.net  , Zhangbd@netease.com , or isabelalu@hotmail.com --RLM, DATE, August, 2001.

Note: more information about this area will be in the next edition of China Guide, due out in Spring, 2002. 

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Sanya
The good news for Sanya (page 632) is that Dragonair has started flying twice weekly from Hong Kong. This means you can book tickets from abroad. Sanya still has flight connections nine other times a week by charters with Hong Kong, but tickets for those flights have to be picked up in Hong Kong.

Charter flights also arrive three times a week from Korea, and irregularly from Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Russia. A CAAC bus can take passengers from the airport to downtown Sanya from where you can get a taxi to Yalong Bay. Some hotels have shuttle buses.

A 76,000 ton luxury cruise liner the Leo Star with a capacity of 2800 passengers now goes between Singapore and Hong Kong with a two day stop in Sanya. The Hong Kong ocean liner Li Xing which is partly owned by a Hainan travel agency should be sailing in June this year between Haikou, Sanya and Xialong in Vietnam, a round trip of 36 hours. Travel agents here should be able to book these.

You can take imported air-conditioned buses from Haikou to Sanya from the East Bus station in Haikou. Buses set out from about 7:20am to 11pm every 20 minutes. It takes about three hours and costs Y70. Hiring a car for the same trip can cost about Y700-Y800.

An Entertainment Festival will take place all over the island from the first weekend in November to the fourth. Expect lots of planned activities and lots of good food.

In downtown Sanya, at least ten new hotels have been built in the last three years. The best is now the eight-story, 203 room Mountain Sea Sky (Shanhaitian Da Jiudian) isolated on a peninsula
on the west side of Dadonghai Bay. This was opened the end of 1998 and is close to five-star standards. Outside is a fancy, working, Chinese-made pink sports car. (Look inside at the fascinating dragon trim.)

The Shanhaitian has the city's most stunning lobby with a great view of Dadonghai, motor boats churning up the water, and scuba divers getting lessons. Real (stuffed) birds grace its chandeliers, and an ATM (China Construction Bank) can spit out money. Just a look at this lovely hotel is worth a visit. But you might want to stay longer for one of the best sea food experiences in town. In the evenings on its waterfront, this hotel has a pick-your-own outdoor seafood restaurant with good traditional Chinese entertainment. It's more expensive than a street market, but it's quieter, cleaner and smiling waitresses cook your dinner at your table.

The Shanhaitian has two outdoor pools, one fresh and one salt-water. It has its own beach front. The gym is very good. Rooms have computer ports, CNN, wide twin beds, fancy shower heads, and the first mini-clothes dryer I've seen anywhere in the world -- big enough for one shirt, or a pair of underpants and socks. It's a great innovation for Sanya's humid weather, much better than using a hair-dryer.

This hotel has been discounting 50% off its published prices which are Y1098 to Y1398 for rooms, and Y1588 to Y5988 for suites. All rates are inclusive of service charge and two free Chinese breakfasts. It's on Luling Road, 572021, Tel. 899/8211688 or fax 8210230. E-mail: market@mountain-sea-skyht.1.com   . http://www.mountain-sea-skyhtl.com.

You can forget about the hotels on page 633 except for the relatively old four star Pearl River Garden Hotel which is pale in comparison to the Shanhaitian, but makes up for all short comings by its good service and higher than average standard of English. One of its managers spent 20
minutes finding an internet bar for me cheaper than the hotel's own.

It has a decent gym open 9am-10:30 and e-mail Y15 for 30 minutes (8am-11pm.) Corridors and some rooms should be renovated in 2000. The breakfast buffet costs Y42 and is decent. It is currently discounting 50% off its published prices which are Y780-Y1280 for rooms, and Y1618-Y2518 for suites. It has an escalator from its second floor directly to the beach. Guests do not have to go through the lobby in bathing suites. It's at Dadonghai, 572021, Tel. 899/8211888, fax 8211999, e-mail:prgarden@public.syptt.hi.cn   . http://www.prgardenhotel.com.cn .

New in January 2000 is the 250-room Guoxi Hotel (Guoxi Dajiudian). While its guest rooms are small, it is clean, pristine, with limited English, and no western buffet breakfast though it does have a "western" coffee shop. It takes credit cards, can change money, has a small gym and pool, and a big night club. But it has no e-mail services. With a published rate of Y788 to Y988 for rooms and Y1588 to Y2888 for suites, it is currently offering a discount of 30%. It is well located
downtown for those who don't want to be on a beach. It's at 13, 4th Jiefang Road, 572000. Tel. 8254888, fax 8254999.

Seafood is also good and reasonably priced at the Jiulong Ge restaurant on the road to the Mountain Sea Sky Hotel. The Shenyang Jin Niu Jiao Zi Guan (Golden Cow Dumpling) Restaurant on Yu Hai Road, Tel. 8211152 is a modest little northeastern flavor restaurant with good dumplings. It is open 7:30am-10:30pm, takes no credit cards, and has no menu in English.

Outside of hotels, few if any restaurants have menus in English. At the Golden Cow we had good mutton and beef dumplings, good stir-fried spare ribs, Chinese turnip soup, stir-fried sliced potato salad, corn and pine nuts, and deep fried egg plant, all highly recommended. Ms. Meng the
friendly manager speaks a few words of English. Prices are very reasonable.

At the Aiwan Ting, a quality upscale Hunan Restaurant,Manager Chau Chi Sun ordered us a banquet that included Ba Bao Cha tea with dried fruit, 1000 year old egg pudding, Hunan smoked duck, and the sweetest crab I've ever tasted. Ask for stir-fried chili crab. These ere especially good. There's no English menu but hostesses speak English and they can tone down the fiery chilis if you ask. It's in the Yulin Hotel in Da Dong Hai, Tel. 821-3278.

The South Sea International Ocean Club (page 638), the only dive shop I would trust with my life in China, has now moved to bigger quarters with an even bigger 25 X 50 meter training pool. It's on Dadonghai beach (turn left at the 888 Seafood Restaurant) and has a doctor on staff. Its
introductory beach dive with instruction and guide costs Y280 including rentals. Diving is better at Yalong Bay where it operates from boats out of the Resort Horizon. Here one dive costs Y650 and two the same day Y850.

The South China gives lessons in both locations, with China Underwater Association certification. But it currently has no English-speaking instructors but is trying to get some. It also is a joint venture with the Ocean Yacht Club and can arrange sailboat rentals, windsurfing and water skiing. Divers in this area only go down to a maximum of 20 meters because,
says owner Edward Chan, there's nothing to see below that. Arrangements should be made directly through Edward, whose mobile in Sanya is 13907565512. In Sanya, South China's telephone is 8213523 or 8213566 or fax 8211696. His e-mail is: ssdive@hk.hi.cn  or ssdiver@netvigator.com  .

Cheap e-mail service (Y10 an hour) is in the lobby of the Ji Ya Hotel, next to China Telecom, at No. 8, Third Jiefang Road in downtown Sanya.

The local tourist attractions, Ends of the Earth, Monkey Island, and Deer Turning Park are really not worth seeing of themselves. From the Ends of the Earth, you might want to hire a glass-bottom boat (Y180) to go out to look at coral.

New is the Nanshan Cultural and Tourist Zone which is thirty minutes by road southwest of downtown Sanya. Part of this is based on an actual historic event -- the one-year stay by Tang Buddhist monk Jianzhen after his fifth failure to take Buddhism to Japan. (see page 414) This theme park in progress is not worth the Y150 taxi ride and Y46 entrance fee. You also pay
extra to see the 2.8 meter high gold Goddess of Mercy. There's a vegetarian restaurant with a buffet.

You might want to wait until 2002 when the 108-meter high bronze three-headed Guan Yin is finished. It should be 16 meters higher than the Statue of Liberty and spectacular at that height.

Electric carts give you free rides around the first phase of what will be a 50 to 60 square-km park. The gardens are beautiful and the feng shui said to be superb. You might enjoy studying the
curious ambiotic relationship of the 30 real Buddhist monks, the government, and the developers. Tel. 8831878 or fax 8831899. http://www.nanshan.com .

Fascinating are the boat people living on the Sanya River on both sides of the Sanya International Hotel on Yu Ya Road. This was Hong Kong's Aberdeen 30 years ago. You can get good photos from the bridges here. Number two minibus (Y1) as well as taxis can get you there and to the Internet bar near the railway station.

New in April this year is the Tiandu Outlet Center It sells Speedo bathing suits and sun glasses, and has shops for Nike, Bodyline, Adidas, Nautica, and Reebok. It claims that its prices
are 10% cheaper than elsewhere, is air-conditioned and accepts credit cards. It also has toys, snack foods and jewelry. Open 9am-6pm and then after June to 9pm, it is 20 km. from the Shanhaitian and 8 km from the Gloria. It's in Tiandu Zhen, on Yu Hai Road about a kilometer west of Yalong Bay's big white entrance sign. Tel. 8710818 or fax 8710792.

For Yalong Bay
The new Dragonair office is in the Gloria Resort in Yalong Bay which should enable you to book other tickets worldwide from the comforts of this tropical paradise.

Mr. Cai Shidong of the Sanya Tourism Administration said that Austrian money is being used to clean up the beaches. The bad news is that the huge new Holiday Inn is being built within 100 meters of the beach, contrary to the original concept of the resort project. The Yalong Bay Development Company is now also talking of reinterpreting its own regulations. It is thinking of a maximum number of rooms rather than number of hotels. It hasn't yet decided on a figure, said an official. And let's hope it will make some wise, ecological decisions. See page 635.

China's best beach community however still looks wonderful and I wish I had more time myself to go back there to relax. It has a new expressway from the airport, now 30 kilometers away, and taxis charge Y100 to Y150.

Zhaolong Bay's disadvantage is the lack of things to do outside of the beach and resorts. One of the worthwhile attractions is the charming Butterfly Park with its well-tended plants. It is best seen from 9-11am when butterflies are flying. It is open 7:30-6pm, tel. 8568723. I was charged Y18 though the sign outside says Y15 and you can buy all kinds of butterfly-related products.

The shell museum (page 637) is also very good. A night club is being built beside the Huandao Beach Hotel, and Mr. Cai is talking about a new theatre beside Yalong Square for the 2002 Miss Universe contest. Stores in Yalong Square are closed after 6pm.

The 18-hole Yalong Golf Club is open 7am-6pm and is beautiful. It was designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. on 68 hectares and has rentals. Green fees are Y700 but if you book through Gloria Resort, it's Y500.

You can go to downtown Sanya. Taxis cost Y40-Y50 each way. There are many more restaurants there and a few tourist attractions. There's also shopping for cultured pearls and there's a showroom for crystal and other gem products on the road to Nanshan.

I've just spent the better part of three days trying to decide which of the two top five-star standard resorts is the best. There are now also acceptable, though problematic, cheaper hotels.

Both the five stars are world class, beautiful with gardens, good service, and huge free-form, fresh water swimming pools. They are side by side on the same beach, the Resort Horizon (Tian Yu Du Jia Jiudian) next door to Zhalong Bay's downtown square. The Gloria's entrance is another 300 meters away.

The standard of English, especially in the front office, is good but much work still has to be done and both hotels are talking of hiring teachers of English. In both, the lobbies are open to sea breezes and guest bedrooms are air-conditioned.

They both have several good restaurants and a western coffee shop. The Resort Horizon's German chef Christian Dudek has his family in Canada and tends more to European cooking. The Gloria's Christian Hoffman is German Swiss. The Resort Horizon has a Korean restaurant; the Gloria has Japanese. Both have in-room safes and CNN.

The differences in facilities aren't that important for foreigners who are not registered in the hotels. Those who don't look Chinese can easily use the facilities of both resorts. However, if you do look Chinese, you might be sent away from the beach, unless you pay something like Y300 for day use. This is a policy that is necessary, says management, especially during high season, when hundreds of vacationing locals want to camp out in the cabanas meant for paying guests. In effect, obvious foreigners can usually get away without paying this fee.

The Resort Horizon is better architecturally. You can sit in the lobby and see the sea. With two sets of elevators, you don't see many other guests even though there are over 360 rooms. And people at the Reception desk have stools on which to sit while signing their registration forms, a nice touch.

The Gloria Resort has had a foreign manager from its beginning in 1996. The Resort Horizon is newer, less experienced and less famous. The Resort Horizon has hardwood floors in its rooms, bigger balconies, and has the dive shop.

The Gloria has carpets in its guest bedrooms, better quality furnishings, more and better wind-surfers. It has a children's play program so parents can sleep on the beach without worry. It has a free shuttle bus for guests three times a day to Haikou and it's closer to the golf course club house. Both have e-mail (the Gloria's service costs Y100 an hour), archery, and jet-skis.

Both can host conventions. The Resort Horizon's ballroom can seat 550 theatre style, the Gloria's 500 theatre style. Rooms have scales, but let's not quibble. Both are fine and highly recommended.

As for prices, the Resort Horizon's published rate is US$138-$196 for rooms, and $240-$324 for suites. Hotels here add a 10% surcharge. The Horizon charges 80% more during spring festival but discounts 20% if the hotel is not full. Until September 30, 2000, its cheapest package is Y980 for one superior ocean view room, daily buffet breakfast for two persons, fruit plate, sauna, tennis for two hours, welcome drink and round trip airport transfer. For this it's a minimum stay of three nights.

Its breakfast buffet is Y85. It also has diving packages and golf packages. For individuals, it charges Y15 a minute for a jet-ski, Y60 an hour and up for a kayak, Y15 a minute for a banana boat, and Y650 a person including equipment rentals for scuba diving. For water-skiing, it's Y180 for 10 minutes. Beach volleyball and beach football are free.

Do be aware that from now to the end of September, it's low season, very hot and muggy. Prices will go up in October.

Gloria Resort's published rates are now US$158 to $208 for rooms, and US$348 to $3133 for suites. It currently gives a discounted price of Y1088 (or about US$135) to Y1388 for rooms and Y1988-Y20,000 for suites. Its cheapest package seems to be its family special, Y439 per person per night, minimum three nights, for a superior golf view room. Add 15% surcharge on Fridays and Saturdays, and Y100 for an ocean view room. Gloria's prices tend to be a little higher, but its general manager said he didn't want to compromise on quality.

Gloria's package price includes international buffet breakfast, fresh coconut welcome drink, daily fruit basket, free stay for children under 12 sharing room with parents, kid's menu, free admittance to children's play programs for those four to 10, complimentary day use of tennis court, use of
fitness center, and scheduled shuttle bus transfers to/from Sanya airport. Gloria's addresses haven't changed from those on page 636 but its new e-mail is: gloria@gloriaresort.com  .

The Gloria charges Y200 for 20 minutes in a speed boat (maximum four), Y150 for 10 minutes water-skiing, Y120 for 10 minutes on a banana boat (maximum six) and Y260 an hour on a Hobie-16 (maximum two). Its wind-surfers cost Y150 an hour.

The Resort Horizon's address is Yalong Bay National Resort District, Sanya City, 572000. Tel. 899/8566013, fax 8567999, and e-mail: welcome@horizon.com.cn   . Its Web-site is www.horizon.com.cn .

English in the other hotels is almost non-existent, even in the Cactus which is a poor but acceptable relative of the Gloria Resort. The Cactus (Xian Ren Zhang) however does offer a menu in English and Chinese, one fluent English speaker on call, and the use of the Gloria's free shuttle service. It is across the street from Butterfly Park and is about 300 meters from the beach
and the Underwater World kiosk. Prices listed and some addresses on page 637 have not changed but discounts are available with prices currently Y369 to Y555 for rooms and Y888 for suites.

Its fax is 856-8867, e-mail is cactus@cactusresort.com   , and web-site: www.cactusresort.com . Reservations can be made through gloriahl@hkstar.com   .

The Cactus has had a complete renovation since its opening over two years ago. It was plagued with poor workmanship, and now looks perky and cheerful in pink. Its 1600 square meter pool and gardens are wonderful and it has a Mayan pyramid and swim-up bar. Rooms are spartan with in-room safes, squealing plumbing, remote control individual air conditioning. Its ample
breakfast buffet costs Y30 and recently offers scrambled eggs, kemp with sesame seeds, congee, orange juice, fried rolls, stuffed tomatoes, cold cereal, toast and fried noodles, etc. It charges an additional Y15 for a cup of coffee at breakfast.

With no carpets, it has a problem with noise. Doors bang and loudly partying guests could disturb your sleep. This could happen in any of the hotels, but in the expensive resorts, someone speaking English should come quickly to your rescue.

The Tian Hong Resort (Tian Hong Du Jia Cun), a yellow building with green palm leaf designs on its exterior walls, is a tiny hotel with big aspirations. It says it's aiming for five stars even though it only has 35 rooms. Opened in February of this year, it is close to the beach but its sea view is obscured by coconut trees. It has a comparatively small pool, a coffee shop, and rooms with good furnishings, large twin beds, CNN, big televisions, kettles, and in-room safes. Its bathrooms have tubs and separate shower stalls. Its 60-seat Chinese restaurant has a deck that overlooks a lake and beyond that, a view of the Cactus Resort. It is a pleasant place for dinner but I didn't have time to try the food. Rooms cost Y1288-Y1688 with a 50% discount until May, 2000. Without the discount this hotel is overpriced. Tel.8550088 and ask for Lily Rong who speaks good English. The fax is 8550066 and web-site is: www.Tianhong-Resort.com . It accepts credit cards.

The Huandao Beach Hotel (page 636) is the same with a new huge hotel being built almost across the road. The Huandao has karaoke, CNN, and pleasant rooms but no menus in English,
and no western food. It has only limited English; if you have a problem, ask for the telephone operator. It now has 70 rooms and a night club is being built next door.

The only restaurants in Yalong Bay are at the hotels except for the Food Court below the monument in Yalong Bay Square. This is open primarily for lunch for groups from 11:30am to 2pm. Individuals can get a set lunch there for Y30. Tel. 856-8899 X 8012.

The Sea Breeze Restaurant at the Resort Horizon charges Y48 for Jiaji duck, Y40 for seasonal local vegetables, Y88 for braised pomfret, and Y35 for black chicken soup in a coconut.

The Gloria's Chinese restaurant charges Y80 for braised lamb in a clay pot, Y80 for marinated Jiaji duck, Y80 for cold Wenchang chicken, Y120 for steamed hele crab, and Y40 for saut‚ed five-fingers mountain vegetables.

The Cactus' restaurant is open 6:30am-10am, 11:30am-2pm and 5:30pm-10pm. Hainan duck costs Y48 and poached Hainan chicken Y48. Sauteed spare ribs with sweet and sour sauce costs Y32 and beef with oyster sauce Y28. It was quite adequate. --RLM, April, 2000.

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