Memoirs of Beijing

For the 3 day weekend during Easter, we had our first 3 day holiday which is Tombsweeping Day.  To save some money from travelling, I decided to live in style here in Beijing and checked-in at a 5 star hotel outside the city center.

My choice:  Pullman Beijing West Wanda

Introduction / Location

Pullman Beijing West Wanda is a 5 star hotel located at the west side of Beijing.  It’s part of the Accor Hotel group and has 312 rooms. Getting there is quite easy as you can take subway line 1 to Babaoshan Station.  Take exit D and you have the option to ride a tricycle/tuk-tuk for RMB 5 or walk for roughly 5 minutes to the hotel.

Beside the hotel, there’s a cinema with IMAX, Mcdonalds, KFC, Carrefour and Wanda Plaza.  Across the hotel is the Laoshan Cemetery.  Creepy eh!  hehehe..

Check In

The number one rule when you check in in a hotel is to show your identification.  In this case, identification should be in the form of passport for foreigners and Chinese ID for Chinese. 

As I totally forgot about my passport, I had to go back home just to retrieve it.  I’m just glad that they allowed me to leave my backpack as I really don’t want to carry it around as the subway is quite full of people. 

Upon showing my passport, they asked for a deposit of RMB 500 per night and you can use either a credit card to guarantee it or pay in cash.

If you use a credit card for your deposit, make sure you take back the merchant’s copy of the credit card slip which you signed when you check out to make sure you’re not being charged by the hotel.

Room

The room I reserved online is there Pullman Weekend Escapade Superior Room package which requires full payment prior to check-in and is non-refundable.

Each room is quite different as I noticed during my stay.  My room has a front porch or the hallway to the main bedroom area.  The front porch has a bench which looks weird.  If there’s a window behind it, then it would be a perfect place just to relax and read a book. 

The king size bed dominated the room with 9 soft pillows in different sizes.  It was too soft for my taste as my head keep sinking.  In front of the bed is the LCD TV with satellite TV.  I was a bit disappointed as there were only a few channels available and only HBO as the movie channel in English.

Free beverage consists of 2 bottles of water and tea bags.  No coffee.  If you wish for hot water, you need to ask housekeeping.  They offer free adapter if you forgot one and free phone charger. 

The bathroom was huge as the size was like half of the bedroom.  Kids can play there with no problem.  It’s divided into two, the bathing area with a full size tub and shower, as well as the sink area.  It can be a little bit cold for your feet as there’s not much floor padding. 

For the shower, you have two option, you can either have a shower from the ceiling or the one that’s retractable.  I love the lemon smell of the body lotion, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. 

The room also comes with a free welcome fruit plate, yoga mat and free wired internet access.  The window was also a disappointment as it only occupies half the wall.  Don’t take home the laundry bag as it will set you back RMB 10.

Hotel Amenities

The hotel is well suited for people who are on a business or would like to escape the main city center.  For tourists, it’s a little bit too far for my taste but is perfect for the budget.

The hotel has a fitness center and indoor swimming pool which is free for use for hotel guests.  A Shanghai, Chinese and Japanese restaurant which offers different dining promotion.  A bar with live music at night. A disco in the basement area. 

Ballroom and meeting rooms for company events.  Executive floor with happy hour in the executive lounge during the afternoon.

My Hotel Experience

Every morning from 630-10am, you can avail of free breakfast at the 1st floor Chinese restaurant, Cheng. 

Breakfast choice is a bit limited but it has Chinese, Western and Continental choices.  It’s buffet style with assorted juice, yoghurt drink, bread, fruits, porridge, fried rice, salads, bacon, pancakes, veggies and wonton soup.

I usually eat around 930am and the food will last me till evening.  That means no lunch!  hahaha..  Weekends and holidays at Cheng’s right now means seafood buffet for RMB 158.  On Sunday, I tried this buffet but was a bit disappointed with the seafood as it wasn’t fresh.  The grilled meat however was fantastic!  I loved the sauce they grill the meat and makes me remind of barbecues at home.  You have the option to have chicken, beef or lamb meat.  For seafood, they have crabs, shrimps, shells for cooking.  You also have the option of cooked seafood already and Beijing roast duck! 

For dessert, you have the option of fruits, pastries or Haagen Dasz ice cream.  For drinks, you have the option of softdrinks, juice or wine.  They also have a small selection of sushi, sashimi and maki for Japanese food lover.

I was quite happy with the dinner buffet as the meat really satisfied me.  It would be great if the seafood is fresh and with fish for grill.  For the price, it’s well worth it.

During my stay, I also used the indoor swimming pool.  It was calming and relaxing as the water is a bit warm and there weren’t any people swimming at that time.    Make sure you wear a swimming cap or else you’ll be either forced to buy or they will not allow you to swim.

Wireless internet is free in the public area including restaurants.  You can see guests availing of this free service and just relaxing in the lobby’s spacious area and comfortable seats.

Housekeeping was a bit of disappointment as they were a bit noisy in the morning around 9am.  You can hear them chattering from the hallway or vacuuming the carpet.  They forget to replenish all the used items in the room and the bathroom wasn’t cleaned that well.  I can see hairs left on the drainage of the shower area. 

They also forgot to give me the RMB 38 coupon that was part of the package during check-in. 

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Price booked is quite good especially for a 5 star hotel.  Nice place to escape but the food choices and freshness of the food needs improvement.  Also, is there anything you can do with the doors?  They close very loud that your next door neighbor can hear it from the inside.

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