Paramount Hotel

We spent a week at the Paramount Hotel in New York City.

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Our room

We booked our room using Priceline, so we weren't really sure what we were getting. We took a cab from the airport to the hotel, and the driver had no idea what hotel we were talking about which made us a little bit concerned. It took him awhile to find it, but once he did we realized it was actually in a really great location, just a couple of blocks from Times Square. 

We spent a lot of time in our room the first morning we were there because my suitcase had gotten lost and we were waiting for someone from the airport to deliver it, and I have to say that bed was the most uncomfortable bed I have ever slept on. It was rock hard, and I would wake up in the night sore and have to change positions. I really think I would have been better off sleeping on the floor.

We thought the painting above the bed was a little bit weird too. I don't mind the painting itself, but having a huge face above you when you're sleeping is kind of creepy.

I don't have a picture of the bathroom, but it was tiny. Definitely only one person in there at a time. That was fine for us, but something to consider depending on who you're traveling with. The room was small too, but adequate.

The location of this hotel was the best thing going for it, at least for us. It wasn't horrible and we got a good deal through Priceline, but after a full day of site seeing you want to fall into a comfortable bed, and we definitely didn't get that here.

#ParamountHotel #NewYorkCity #NYC

Holiday Inn Vista Shanghai

The second half of our China trip took us to Shanghai, and we stayed in the Holiday Inn Vista.

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Hotel lobby


Our room


Fish! I've never had a hotel provide pets :)


Elevator lobby that changed with the weather


This hotel wasn't just clean and comfortable, it was luxurious. From the moment you walk through the door you see special touches that put it a step above the average hotel. Definitely more than just a place to keep your luggage and crash at night. Along with the great service and quality accommodations you would expect, we were also pleasantly surprised at the assortment of food offered in the morning (and probably other meals too, but we only ate breakfast there). Hotel breakfasts can get a little bit boring after a few days, but with so many options here, we were never disappointed.

We were just as impressed with this hotel as we were in Beijing (see that review here). If you're looking for a fantastic experience in China at a great price, definitely check out smarTours. You won't be sorry!

#HolidayInnVista #Shanghai #China

Penta Hotel Beijing

We stayed at the Penta Hotel in Beijing

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Hotel lobby


Our room


We were very impressed with this hotel. The lobby is stunning, the employees were gracious and helpful, and our room was comfortable with all the amenities we could ask for. We had heard that you shouldn't drink the tap water in China, and our room included a pot to boil water. We opted for bottled water instead, but it was a nice inclusion. We had to pay for internet in their business center, but that was in 2011 so it's possible they have added wifi since then.

This reservation was booked as part of a vacation package, so we didn't deal with the staff much other than checking in and out, but they handled our large group of over 30 quickly and efficiently. Most spoke English, so we were able to ask questions and get any help we needed.

The location of the hotel, as far as we could tell, was great. Beijing is such a huge city that it's hard to know what the best location would be. We were near a variety of food options, and it never took long to get anywhere we wanted to go. For most of our activities, we were with our tour group and didn't have to figure out transportation ourselves, but the few times we ventured off on our own we were able to find a taxi easily and get where we wanted to go.

Definitely an option to consider if you're going to be in Beijing!

#PentaHotel #Beijing #China

Air China

We flew from San Francisco to Beijing on Air China.

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We were packed into a very old plane that had ash trays in the arm rests, no control of air flow, and seats so old that there was barely any padding left.

When everyone was on the plane and they had shut the door, we sat there for an hour at the gate while they were dealing with some kind of problem. We understand that things happen sometimes, but what bothered us about that hour was that they didn't say one word to us about what was going on. We weren't allowed to get out of our seats, so add that to a 12 hour flight and we were stuck in very uncomfortable seats for 13 hours with no idea what was going on. I was so ready to get off that plane!

So, Air China got us to China...but it was extremely uncomfortable, especially for such a long flight. If you have another option for getting there, I say take it.

#AirChina

smarTours

We booked a trip to China with smarTours, and I am very happy to write a review about them because we could not have been happier with the service we received and the trip itself.

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Everything from start to finish with this trip was wonderful. The booking process was quick and easy, every detail of the trip was smooth and seemless, and we were amazed by the low price. 

Our trip was 10 days in Beijing and Shanghai. We flew from San Francisco to Beijing and were met at the airport by representatives from smarTours who took us to our hotel. Our guide in Beijing was Michael and he was wonderful. He was so much fun, and we loved hearing stories about his life. One of the things I love most about traveling is seeing how other people live, so it was fun to have a local guide telling us about life in Beijing. 

The first night we were there we had the opportunity to book some optional activities with Michael, and we took advantage of everything that was offered. We thought the prices were reasonable, and we loved every tour and every activity.

Our guide in Shanghai was Lily, and even though she wasn't quite as fun or funny as Michael, she was knowledgable and interesting. We took advantage of every tour we could with her too.

smarTours specializes in tours of Africa, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Europe, India & Nepal, the Mediterranean, and Latin America. They are great to work with, their tours are wonderfully fun and informative, their guides are fun and knowledgeable, and their prices are surprisingly low considering the quality and all that's included. I would definitely use them again and recommend them to anyone!

#smarTours #China