Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Weetbix Kid]

My mother is coming over to Asia, and we're going to check out Beijing together. As it's my mother, and we're going to be there for 2 weeks in the HOT season, I thought that a tour for about 5 days would be the way to go.

Does any one have any recommendations regarding a tour company? or a good hotel (with a pool would be awesome!) that won't break the bank, that would be great to know too

Thanks

[prideofidaho]

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Central Plaza and it blew my mind. It's a really nice hotel, with a fantastic staff. I was with my parents, so we were traveling in their 'style' and I was a bit worried about hotels breaking my bank, but this one was ok...about 100 CDN per night. My old man snores to wake the dead, so I had to get my own room, perhaps you'd be sharing. They had a pool, and the price included a breakfast.

The concierge (named Storm) sorted everything out for us. We saw the Summer palace, the Great Wall, Tian'an'men Square, Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven (best spot, IMO), and the Pearl and Silk markets. We only had three days, so we crammed it all in.

That being said, it's not at all the way I would travel. I felt it to be a bit 'touristy' and I would have loved to have had time to explore, etc...

Anyhow, I will say this:

When I was at the Pearl market, I overheard some British tourists hassling their tour bus lady to know when the tour would be over. They obviously got on a scam tour, which takes you to a billion crap places before you go to the place you want to go to. The idea is that the tour operator brings you round to shops and restaurants owned by friends, from whom they get kickbacks for bringing in customers. Makes sense, but be weary of them. The people I overheard had dinner plans that they were clearly not going to make.

Read this for free, decent info: http://wikitravel.org/en/Beijing

[chris_J2]

http://www.beijingpage.com/tourism/