Beverage

I’m so glad that they got rid of the Black Sesame theme and introduced three new cold tea drinks and frappuccino.  The first cold tea drink is the Black Currant and Raspberry Juiced Tea.  I haven’t tried this one yet but I would imagine it would taste more berry.  The next tea drink is the Hibiscus Mango Juiced Tea.  It has a flowery mango taste and the mango doesn’t taste like Chinese mango flavor.  Price: Tall for RMB 20, Grande for RMB 23 and Venti for RMB 26

The Coffee Jelly Frappuccino Blended Coffee is back.  I’m not sure if the black jelly is the Chinese “Gui Lin Gao” but if it is then it’s good for you to have it in the summer months.  Price:  Tall for RMB 30, Grande for RMB 33 and Venti for RMB 36

Pastries

Three new pastry products are out.  One of my favorites is the Mango Charlotte.  Cookie in the side, mango on top and mango mousse inside.  I would say it’s a bit pricey (RMB 20) considering it’s not a big pastry.

The Paris Almond Puff is a bread with cream filling.  I haven’t tried it yet but I think it will be just fine.  Nothing special or tasty to it.  Price:  RMB 16.

For snack or lunch, you can try the Lemon Chicken Panini.  It can be eaten cold or warm depending on your preference.  It’s not really filling but you won’t go hungry for a couple of hours.  Price:  RMB 26.

Merchandise

Since it’s summer, the tumblers are geared towards flowers, under the sea or a safari.  My colleagues like the under the sea theme and 3 of them have the same tumbler.

Promo

The Starbucks Discount card is back.  You can purchase it for RMB 88 and you’ll get 4 “buy one get one” days of drink from Oct 1-4.  No free drinks any longer.. :(  Card is valid until November 18, 2010.

On Aug 12, 2010 from 6pm to 7pm, head over to Starbucks in Wangfujing and you can try out for free the new summer drinks.

The first 3,000 transaction every Friday for Guangdong Development Bank credit card holders can purchase one drink and get one drink free. 

Location

Grand Millenium Hotel Beijing is located in Chaoyang District along East Third Ring Road. It’s a 3 minute walk to Jintaixizhao subway station line 10 and if you’re lucky with a view of CCTV Tower. It’s part of the Fortune Plaza complex with a mall beside it.

Deluxe Room

Their website was bragging of city view for deluxe room. When I entered the room, the first thing I see is the bathroom area with bathtub and separate shower and urinal rooms. The main part of the room has a sofa with table, a large desk with chair, a king size bed and a flat screen TV on the wall beside the bathroom window.

The city view? The service apartment in the other building. It was a bit of a letdown considering they said it’s a five star hotel with a five star price. The TV was hooked to the internet with a wireless keyboard. The router they installed cannot handle the load that it kept making irritating noises. I just hooked my laptop and watched House episodes. The TV selection was better than Pullman with more English channels.

A free welcome fruit plate contained two apples, one of which I ate due to hunger. The bathroom is quite spacious and you can also hear what’s on TV as a speaker is hooked to it. Downside is it’s hard to look at yourself in the mirror as they only have vanity mirrors in the side and a full length mirror beside the bathtub wall. The shower area has a seat wherein you can turn it to a semi-sauna. You can give your companion a view of yourself while bathing or you can manipulate the blinds for privacy.

The cabinet is quite spacious with a flat iron if you want to iron your clothes. There’s no coffee machine but a tea kettle. It was relatively sparse that when I brought a bottle of wine, I had to ask them to open it for me.

Breakfast at Deli Café

The voucher includes breakfast for two and you better tell them that you want two breakfast or else they will assume it’s for one if you’re the only one to check in. Since the hotel is near my friend’s office, I asked him if he want to avail of the free breakfast.

The food selection is quite plenty with Chinese and Western choices. Tea and coffee are offered as soon as you seat down while fruit juices are available on the buffet tables. You have the option to have them cook noodles and wonton soup. There’s salad, fruits, yoghurt, rice, dishes, bread and pastries. I didn’t enjoy it that much as it was too early for me to wake up to eat breakfast.

Verdict: 2.5 out of 5

Room was a letdown especially the view, the weird router and sparse furnishings. Breakfast was great and not too much noise in the hallway. No newspaper in the morning or maybe because it was just too early. I wouldn’t say it’s a 5 star hotel as I’ve seen better ones compared to this.

Promotions

From April 27 to June 27, every purchase of the Black is Chill merchandise or food product will entitle you a sticker.  Collect 12 stickers to form a picture of the new summer drink and get a free Starbucks summer cloth bag.  The stickers they will give you may be the same as your previous one so better befriend your local barista and they might give you the missing sticker you still need. 

Collect 6 stickers and they will give you one free Black Sesame Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Cream drink. 

Food and Beverages

The new drink this summer is the Black Sesame Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Cream.  I used one of my free drink coupon and the green tea is good but the black sesame was mashed to make it imitate sand.  It tasted weird and yucky.  I hope they discontinue it soon as even my Chinese colleagues doesn’t like the taste.

For pastries, they have seven new offerings, black bean muffin (RMB 13), black sesame croissant (RMB 12), Cuttlefish Cheese Bread (RMB 14), Black Sesame Green Tea Roll (RMB 14), Black Bean Kiwi Tart (RMB 18), Blackberry Apple Pie (RMB 22), Sesame Surprise Cheesecake (RMB 22).  I never was a fan of Starbucks pastries and putting black sesame seeds everywhere will turn me off further.

Merchandise

It seems like Starbucks chose the two extremes to color their merchandise this summer.  For the dark colors, they opted for black and dark red.  For the light colors, they went for white, pale orange, pale green and pale blue.  Looking at the merchandise doesn’t appeal to the customers as they lack vibrancy that will make you want to touch it and have it.

‘Black’ Series 

• A. 12 oz cup is RMB 75
• B and C.  3 oz demitasse cups are RMB 50 each
• D.  12 oz Tumblers are RMB 100 each

‘Red’ Series

• Left.  Diana red tumbler – RMB 160
• Right.  16 oz tumbler with straw – RMB 95

‘Tumblers’ Series

• Left.  12 ozRed fish tumbler – RMB 85
• Middle.  12 oz Pale blue flower tumbler – RMB 85
• Right.  8 oz Bird tumbler – RMB 75

‘Plain Starbucks’ Series

• Colors:  Green or Orange
• Size:  12 oz.
• Cost:  RMB 75

‘Pale’ Series

• Above left.  8 oz mugs in green or blue color – RMB 70
• Above middle.    14 oz mugs in blue or brown color – RMB 80
• Above left.  12 oz mug – RMB 75

That’s what’s new and will be available while stocks last till late June.  To continue and help the environment, bring your own Starbucks mugs or tumblers when you purchase your favorite beverage and get RMB 2.00 off your bill.

Enjoy your free cup of coffee!

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.

Taxation in China is quite different from other countries.  My sister who’s working in the US always talk about getting tax refunds.  In the Philippines, you’re taxed according to your civil status, whether you have dependents and your work status.  I haven’t heard of any refunds but they usually have deductions when the annual income tax deadline looms.

In China, expats are being taxed for income of more than RMB 4,800 a month.  After the first RMB 4,800, you have to look at your tax bracket on how much they will charge you.  In any case, whether you have kids or not, whether you work the whole year or not, you would still be taxed for any income more than RMB 4,800 (expats) and RMB 1,800 (locals).  No refunds whatsoever so tough luck!

After filling up the form on their website, http://gs.tax861.gov.cn/index.htm, you will get a “Thank you for filing your tax” screen.  In any case, I still prefer it here as I pay less taxes than in the Philippines and life is a bit better here in Beijing.

So don’t wait till the last minute, tax filing deadline is on MARCH 31, 2010.

Tickets to this ball was RMB 998 per person but there’s no stopping the 720 Irish, Scottish, English and other expats who attended the event. I was lucky enough to be able to attend by winning tickets through one of their sponsors, thebeijinger. The venue was Kerry Center’s Grand Ballroom with drinks starting at 630pm and dinner at 730pm. A live band who came all the way from Europe played cover tunes from the 60s to the 90s. A world famous harpist serenaded the guests with Irish songs. Young ladies and gents tap danced their way using Irish tunes. Dinner was good though the steak was a bit bloody. Booze is overflowing with pint of Guinness, Irish whiskey, red and white wine. The goodie bag was a bit disappointing as there’s only a pack of gummy bears. A silent auction was also held with signed photos, Olympic torch, signed U2 guitar which were up for grabs and proceeds to be given to their favorite charity. It was all glitz and glamour with ladies all made up and men in kilts and black ties. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would go again next year if I win tickets (*wink-wink*).

On the day itself, it’s better to be with all the booze drinking expats at Paddy O’Shea to enjoy a pint of Guinness to celebrate the event. Online, facebook games are giving away gifts or changing their theme to match the occasion.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day y’all!

In Beijing, the Octopus card counterpart is called the Yi Ka Tong.  This card can be bought at the nearest subway station.  Not all ticket booth in the station have this card.  They might direct you to a different ticket booth to purchase this.

Basic Information:

• Cost:  RMB 20 for the card
• Recharge:  Increment of 10, 20, 50 or 100. 
• Recharge Location: Vending machines in subway station, ticket booth in subway stations or CITIC bank.
• Charges:  RMB 2.00 for city subway;  RMB 0.40 for bus (minimum)
• Where can you use it?  Subway, Bus, Some taxi, Some supermarkets
• Maximum load:  RMB 1,000
• Valid only for use in Beijing

Benefits:

• Subway – ease of access as you don’t need to queue at the vending machine or ticket booth.  No cash needed.
• Bus – discounted rate of RMB 0.40.  Without the card, the minimum bus rate is RMB 1.0
• No cash to carry around.

I’ve been using this card for a few years now and I’m quite happy with it.  I rarely use it in the taxi or supermarket as I don’t put much money on it.  Cash is still king in China but people are being slowly weaned out by carrying a huge wad of it.  This card is especially useful before Chinese New Year when robbery is rampant.

If you plan to travel to Beijing, don’t bother buying one as there’s no discount for subways.  I doubt you’d like to take the bus especially as it’s not very friendly to tourists. 

Happy Travels!

One of our plans this year is to witness this event and to start it off, we need to apply for a visa to visit Japan. The Japanese Embassy’s visa section in Beijing is located at the 2^nd floor of Silver Tower at East Third Ring North Road. However, starting 1 March 2010, visa application can only be coursed through accredited travel agencies.

Here’s a list of the requirements needed for tourist visa application:

• Passport with a valid Chinese working visa
• One (1) 2 in x 2 in photo
• Certificate of Employment (Original with company chop)
• Bank book and International credit card (Original)
• Company license (copy)
• Filled application form
• Itinerary

Visa fee for Philippines citizen living in China are free and processing time is at least 4 working days.

Accredited travel agencies for foreigners:

• 北京市人民政府外事办公室出入境人员服务中心                                                                          Office Address: B1, Silver Tower, #2 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing             Tel. No. 010 – 64106735                                                                                                         Service Charge: RMB 235 per application
• China International Travel Agency                                                                                           Address: Guo Lv Bldg, #1 Dong Dan North Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing                                   Tel. No. 010 – 65226855

Well.. I will let you know if there are any other surprises. Hopefully, we won’t have any problems acquiring tourist visas. Sayonara!

Photo credits: www.relaxwithin.net

WIDOW YEAR

As I was having lunch with my friend last month, I was telling her about my friend who’s getting married.  She then mentioned that this year is not a good year to get married. 

The reason?  This year is a Widow Year.

Chinese has a superstition that if the Chinese New Year falls after the start of Spring which happened in early February, the year is considered as a bad year for marriage.  You wouldn’t want to be a widow don’t you?

AIR CHINA FLIES TO MANILA

Starting on 29 March 2010, Air China will be flying direct to Manila, three times a week.  They will complement PAL’s current schedule who flies four times a week.  As an opening promo from 29 March to 29 April, Air China is selling roundtrip tickets from RMB 1430 and up exclusive of taxes.

Schedule:  

• Beijing to Manila – CA179       2000-0055+1      Mon, Wed and Sat
• Manila to Beijing – CA180       0630-1100          Tue, Thu and Sun

For those planning to go home for the Easter holidays, this is a good chance for you to spend the holidays with your family.  Easter Sunday also falls on the Qing Ming festival weekend.

VISIT BEIJING’S TOP TOURIST SPOTS FOR FREE

To boost the top tourist places in Beijing, the Beijing Tourism Bureau recently launched the so called “Visit Beijing during Spring Festival” project.  Visitors from here and abroad who are planning to visit during the holiday are encouraged to register at http://english.visitbeijing.com.cn for a chance to win tickets to Beijing’s top tourist spots.  There will be 300,000 tickets up for grabs and lucky draw winners will be sent a notification on their mobile phone. 

I’ve tried and I didn’t win.  My friend’s sister got a ticket so you know it’s the real deal.  Have fun!  Oh yeah.. don’t restrict yourself for the Spring Festival only.  Tickets are valid till March.

LANTERN FESTIVAL

This year’s Lantern Festival falls on 28 February 2010.  The Lantern festival marks the end of the Chinese New Year celebration.  It’s the 15th day of the 1st month of the lunar calendar.  This festival also marks the last day where fireworks are allowed to be lit in Beijing.

Last year’s lantern festival was quite remarkable as the biggest firework of them all was lit.  Fireworks burned the almost completed Mandarin Oriental which is beside the CCTV building.  The building is still standing and from the rumors circulating around, they’ll be just renovating it as they can’t tear it down due to structural issues.

BACKSTREET BOYS “THIS IS US” CONCERT

Yes.. the Boys are back and they’re coming to Beijing!  I’m not sure if I should be giddy with excitement or just passed it up but in any case, the Backstreet Boys included Beijing on their “This is us” world tour.

Their Beijing pit stop will be on March 17, 2010 at the Wukesong Arena.  Concert starts at 730pm.  Ticket costs RMB 180/280/480/680/880/1080/1280.  You can head to piao.com.cn for ticket inquiries and purchase. 

Oh yeah.. if you plan to watch, don’t buy the RMB 1280.  Concerts in China are not unlike other countries.  People should sit and not stand and dance. 

That’s it for now.. Happy Spring Festival!