Recommend me a good hotel with family room/s in Beijing?

[Shadowdh]

Hi there all, my family will be coming across next easter to visit me and see China for the first time (well Beijing and Xian anyway) there will be 2 adults and 2 kids and due to the time of year (anniversary and birthdays) we would like somewhere with a bit of luxury. Can anyone suggest a good hotel (3 star or above maybe?) that caters for a family in regards to rooms. Ideally it would be a 2 room type of thing so we can put the kids in one room and have the other to ourselves. any thoughts? cheers

[cdn_in_bj]

Do you require a kitchen? If so, then your options in Beijing are limited to the following:

Lee Garden Apartment (http://www.lgapartment.com)

Located just a block from Wangfujing street and within walking distance of the Forbidden City, the location can't be beat especially for first time visitors. The units are spacious (even the "regular", non-deluxe ones) and well-decorated. The main downside is the cost - at nearly 2000 RMB/night for a double room unit, it is not bargain-priced (though you will get a better rate if you book through C-Trip). But in my opinion, the location makes it worth it.

HWA Hotel (http://www.sinohotel.com/hotel/hotel.html?hid=1116)

Located at Xidan, this apartment hotel is a few "stars" down from Lee Garden (the non-deluxe rooms don't look like the photos on the website), but at 1/2 - 1/3 the price, it warrants consideration if cost is a primary concern.

Palm Springs Marriott (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bjser-palm-springs-beijing-marriott-executive-apartments/)

Newer than Lee Garden and having rooms which are even more elaborately decorated, the Palm Springs Marriott rates fairly high on the value scale. However, it is in a poor location for tourists (though great for business people). I was very tempted, but in the end realized how impractical the location was and I ended up going with Lee Garden when I booked for my visiting friends.

If you do not require a kitchen, then you have more options as many luxury hotels here offer 2-bedroom suites.

[Luobot]

If you're looking for a 5 star hotel, then I thought the Hyatt was pretty nice (apart from the price). It has a central location and a large (largest in Beijing, I think), year-round indoor heated pool with sky ceiling. The gym overlooks the pool. The rooms have broadband internet access, web TV, and most things you would expect in a 5 star hotel. The hotel is part of the Oriental Plaza, which makes it even more convenient for shopping around and indoor strolling. There are also some nice restaurants down there. The food court in the plaza is especially fun (though often crowded) and I think the kids will like it. As I don't have children, I'm not really sure about other kid-friendly features, but I can't imagine that it would be kid unfriendly. For business travel and tourism it's quite good. When you step outside, everything is right there. The group tourist trips that the hotel arranges, however, aren't the best, but you don't need to go though them if you want to do the group tourist thing.

Here's the contact info I have in case you want to follow up with them.

http://beijing.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

http://www.orientaltravel.com/hotel/city/det_Grand_Hyatt_Beijing.htm

Grand Hyatt Beijing Hotel

1 East Chang An Avenue

Beijing 100738

China

Tel: (86-10) 8518 1234

Fax: (86-10 ) 8518 6288

[cdn_in_bj]

I second the suggestion of the Grand Hyatt (if kitchen is not a concern). The indoor pool is indeed breathtaking and I have not experienced anything like it, though it can feel a bit small if it's a busy day and you want to do "lengths".

In addition, there are several other good hotels in the vicinity, on 金鱼 Hutong/金宝街 (btw, Lee Garden Apartment which I mentioned previously is located on 金鱼 Hutong). You can find these mentioned on tripadvisor.com. As you can tell, I am a big fan of the Wangfujing area for tourists. Again, if you require a kitchen then your choices are limited to the ones I posted about previously.

[Shadowdh]

Thanks guys you are awesome... just the kind of info I am after

Cdn in Bj a kitchen is not high on the priority list... well its not on the list at all really so I will look at the sites you suggest and see what I can find... I also think Wanfujing is a good spot for tourist type travellers... plus as you say everything is right there...

Luobot, thanks for the links... I will check them out... this is why I love this site...

[cdn_in_bj]

No problem! If you don't need a kitchen, then there are many more good options - the only other advantage to the apartments I mentioned is the large living space (the 2-bedroom units at Lee Garden range from 130-160 sq m!).

Grand Hyatt is close to the Wangfujing subway station and like Luobot mentioned is literally on top of the Oriental Plaza mall. Aside from the pool, it's also got a really good bakery if you're into pastries and cakes. The Red Moon bar seems a bit pretentious (I mean the crowd) but if you go with some friends it is a good place to relax and have some good cocktails and cigars, while also enjoying the soothing live music.*

Park Plaza International is located on 金宝街 and as such is a bit further from the subway, but it's close to Sun Dong An plaza (Xin Dong An), which in some respects I prefer to Oriental Plaza mall. There is also a Dragonfly spa within walking distance (http://www.dragonfly.net.cn/pages/retreats/forbiddencity.htm) which you can treat yourself and your wife to - my friends rated it very highly and went back several times during their stay. Note: I have not personally stayed at this hotel, though it seems to fit your requirements.

There are lots of hotels in this area so your best bet is to do some research online. But if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

*By the way, if you and your wife are into the upscale bar thing then you've got to check out Centro bar at the Kerry Centre Hotel (Shangri-La) in CBD.

[Luobot]

Grand Hyatt ... is literally on top of the Oriental Plaza mall.

Right. You can just take the escalator down from within the lobby, go through a door, and there you are. On a rainy day, you can spend hours walking around down there, window shopping, considering different restaurants and menus, and come back up to your room without ever knowing that the world outside exploded. But the huge underground pool with the virtual sky has got to be the real highlight of this hotel.

You might want to check out their Family Grand Experience package.

(For anyone planning to be in Beijing during the upcoming golden week, expect it to be horribly crowded and rooms difficult to book.)

I'll be curious to know what you eventually settle on and how you review it.

Good luck!