Accommodation as soon as reaching Hangzhou

[Jamuna]

Hi All,

 

I am travelling to Hangzhou on 7th September. The problem now is I am not able to find temporary accommodation. I will join Zhejiang University on Sept 15. Till then I need to find an accommodation. 

 

Anyone here to help finding accommodation. After 15th I can stay in university college but till then i need accommodation. When i tried booking hostels in few websites, the rate were very high.

 

Thanks in advance!

[ChTTay]

What is very high? How much are you wanting to pay?

I'm finding 50rmb a night in a 6 bed female only dorm as the cheapest roughly. Male and mixed roughly the same. Singles are from 80rmb and above.

This does not seem high to me. I looked on hostelbookers for the dates you mentioned.

[Jamuna]

@ChTTay.. Hey thanks for this info. I dint know this before. I was searching in tripadvisor before..

[shuoshuo]

Or try couchsurfing if you dare. Free.

[James3]

When I first saw couchsurfing mentioned in a story someone was telling, I wondered what they were talking about. Then later, I discovered they were talking about couchsurfing.org. I signed up, and then, preparing for a trip to Harbin, I sent out some emails to some members, and got two replies back. Both have turned out to be the nicest people, and are now language exchange partners. So you just never know! But of course, as people like to say, your results may vary.

[laohu489]

Ctrip.com is a good bet as well. I think the English version (assuming your Chinese isn't ready yet) is fairly comprehensive. They have robust filters based on location, price, amenities, star rating, etc.

[shuoshuo]

James3 - Yup. I personally know a few people who offer their place (in my country) at couchsurfing and they are really good people who mean well. They are friendly and they just want to help travellers, as well as meet them and just make friends. You hear some horror stories about couchsurfing and it's such a pity, but I think most people have a wonderful experience.

[Lu]

I knew an enthousiastic couchsurfer who had nothing but good stories about it (and who himself was a very good guest, which probably helped). As I understand it, you need to check the 'reviews' someone has and that should help a lot in ensuring you have a good experience.

Hostelworld.com is another option for hostels. Personally I look at hostels there and then google the hostels to book with them directly.

[prateeksha]

Jamuna, I was in Nanjing and Shanghai in July. I booked hostels using hostelworld.com. 6/8-bed female/mixed dorms are usually priced between 45-60 yuan (INR 450-600), price varies according to the city, location, and facilities offered. Toilets and bathrooms are communal and agreeably clean. Paid washing machines are available (considering you wish to stay for a week). Some might provide a microwave too. Lockers are provided where you can store your valuables.

 

I had the experience of living in a mixed dorm as well and I can assure you they are safe and free from any sort of "mischief" one might be afraid of. My best experience was in Nanjing Youth Hostel where I ended up spending entire evening with a bunch of 6 Chinese young men and went sight-seeing with a couple of them next day. If you remain open and friendly (which is the key to learning Chinese and understanding China, lots of communication with locals and foreigners alike), you will have some very memorable experiences to share!

[Jamuna]

@Prateeksha,

 

How about transportation to hostels from airport? Will there be any hostel person to help me reach the place. Also does the airport have telephones so that i can make call to local representative from airport?

 

I will reach Hangzhou at 10.30pm. So by the time i come out it will be around say 11 or 11.30pm

 

Thanks in advance!

[ChTTay]

Hostels usually provide instructions on their websites (or on hostel world / hostel bookers) on the best way to get to their hostel and how that might change depending on specific times of day. If you arrive very late, depending on the city and it's transport links, you may have to take a taxi. As I say, it depends.

 

The best thing to do would be to look at the hostel page on hostelbookers/world and see what it says. Some hostels also send you instructions once you have booked.

 

As for a pick up service, some hostels will offer to arrange a taxi for you ... but for one person this is usually not good value at all. I've never heard of any hostel sending a person to meet people at the airport, unless they've arranged a car for you, in which case it would be the driver.

 

If you are arriving late, it's best to let the hostel know how late you arrive (when your plane lands) and when you expect to get to their hostel. You can usually just guess this based on the instructions the hostels provide.

 

So, in short, go look at the hostels own websites. Look at the location they give and the instructions on how to get there. You can also email them with more questions.

[prateeksha]

+1 to ChTTay

 

Book your hostel. Since you will be arriving late with no knowledge of the place, your best bet would be to take a taxi which would drop you to the precise location. Hostelworld will send you complete location of the place along with nearby landmarks. In my experience I found the hostels to be very guest friendly. You can call them from the airport or request the taxi driver to call them in case you find it difficult to locate the place. And when you are in the process of booking, make sure you enter 11 pm-ish in your arrival time.

[SER]

As the airport is quite far from downtown and a taxi will be a bit expensive, you could also take the airport's shuttle bus (20¥) to Wulinmen and take a taxi afterwards. But be careful about the taxi prices, the driver might try to make you pay a lot more.

If you don't go to a hostel but directly to your dorm on Yuquan Campus, the taxi will be ~15-30¥.

You probably got a paper from university explaining it.

I can only recommend Couchsurfing, I have made great experiences so far. You get to know locals and the city (as they know it, not from a guide book) and, of course, a place to sleep for free.

[Jamuna]

@Prateeksha,

 

Can you tell me if using international debit card in china is expensive? or shoudl i have the money changed in india? or how to take money?..

[Lu]

I usually just take out money at an ATM at the airport. Fees depend on your bank and the kind of account you have with them, so best ask your bank.

[ChTTay]

Jamuna, best to take a mix to cover all bases. Change a bunch of cash in India (as much as you feel safe carrying on you - I use a hidden money pouch under my clothes) AND have some money on a debit card. In the UK you can also get "travel money" cards that you have to "top up". They offer better rates of exchange and lower charges than debit cards. You just go to the travel cards website. Log in, and put money on the card from your debit card.

When I travelled around and when I first got to China I had cash, a UK debit card, a global travel card and I also had some travellers cheques to hand (in USD). The travellers checks probably aren't necessary for you but it is nice that if you loose them they will send more to you (you need to keep the serial numbers) and they don't expire. You can change them at major banks in China, although it can take a while.

Hope that helps!

[Jamuna]

ChTTay,

 

Thanks for the information. I enquired for a travel card. But in India the travel card doesnt have RMB currency support. But I can use it for USD or Hongkong dollar. What should I do now?? How to go about it.?..

 

I have master card and visa debit card that I can use.

[ChTTay]

My travel card is not in RMB. It's in ££ pounds... Then wherever I use it, it's converted to the local currency. You could get one in Indian currency, then when you use it, it's just converted into RMB. That way there is just one conversion, otherwise you would convert from Rupee to USD to RMB. That probably wouldn't be worth it due to charges. The point is that the conversion is cheaper than a debot card usually and the fees might be less than your debit card. You should check that though as it's not always the case. The UK is pretty terrible for things like that. My German friend could withdraw anywhere in the world for free-no worries.

If you can't get one it's not the end of the world. Before you even bother, you should look at your debit card fees anyway. If they are quite low, then you wouldn't need one anyway!

The website below has an overview of the cards if you want more info.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/prepaid-cards/what-is-a-prepaid-card/

Really though, the answer to your above question is just bring a mix. So for you that might mean your debit card from India and also some RMB cash, maybe some high denomination Rupee.

Are you going to set up a Chinese bank account when you arrive??

[Jamuna]

ChTTay,

 

Thanks for the information. Yes, I'll have a chinese bank account open. 

 

I shall be having my debit card, travel card also.