brad0929 :

I’m beginning to look into potential places to stay in Beijing when I go there to attend the summer games in 2008. I’ve been looking at craigslist.com to get some ideas. Ads show places like Chaoyang, Guo Mao, Jianguomen, and Haidian. Are these streets or districts within the city? Does anyone know of districts that are close to the Olympic village or olympic green? I’ve looked at the emap on the beijing olympic website, can’t seem to figure out where any of these places are. I am open to renting an apartment temporarily, hostel, or hotel/motel room. Any advice or recommendations, websites, would be great! Thank you!
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athena004 :

I am looking to travel to China to visit a friend during the first or second week of August. He lives in Hong Kong, so my trip would be based out of there. I’ll be there for approximately 10 days.

I definitely want to visit Beijing, but doing so means I can probably only afford to fly to one other city. Where should I go?

Lastly, any recommendations on inexpensive but non-hostel hotels? Any weather issues or travel advice for August? I have been to Asia before, but it was almost a decade ago. Thanks.
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TLMF :

I actually asked this last week, but I was out of town and couldn’t respond to some of the comments while the question expired. What i said was:

Can anyone tell me why LP China is banned in China?

I know that one reason is because they list the crime rate in tourist areas, like the number of tourists that get knifed by Chinese locals at Guilin, and a lot of other crimes in Beijing, ect.

Anyone else know any reasons as to why it might be banned?

A few Chinese people said that it wasn’t banned, but the fact is it is banned. I’ve been to countless bookstore in malls, 5 star hotels, and airports in China and it is no where to be found. In fact it’s the Chinese store owners who informed me that it is banned.

There are plenty of Lonely Planet books in China, but those are all about other countries. However, you will not find the volume that is about China.
Listen Jim, China is very safe in terms of serious crime like rape or murder, but other crimes like robbery, and assault are through the roof.

In fact I the number of petty crimes like scams and pick pockets are so astronomically high that the only number I can compare it to is how many bullets have been fired in Iraq over the past 3 years.

On the other hand, for every murder you have in the US we will have 10 people who are killed by a stupid Chinese driver who runs a red light. Don’t know about you but that’s not what I call a safe country.
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methylbutane :

hi -

l’m travelling to beijing in a few months during feb-march and i’ll be there for 2 months.

l’m 18, going alone to relax after year 12. i am staying at a beijing apartment, it’s what i wanted – a nice, normal apartment with a balcony. l wanted to go so that i could relax and re-focus before i being my university back in adelaide.

l didn’t want to go with my friends, i can speak a bit of chinese. what should i do with all my time? i really think i will spend a week just by myself relaxing, looking around, i might travel to shanghai for a few nights and stay at a hotel.

what are some things i can do in beijing to get a good sense of the true culture? how friendly are the locals – do many speak english?

my hobbies are reading, watching movies, and i smoke – so i have a balcony apartment. how many people smoke in china?

will it be easy for me to make local friends?

lilyflower20042000 :

Hi! I will be going to Beijing this June and need some help to know for sure how much money I will need there per month. I am going there with my 3-year-old kid and I will need a babysitter for him for 3-5 hours a day, and then plus a good full time kindergarten. I will be staying in a hotel for a month (they charge me 160 RMB per night but advices on something better are most welcome). And of course I wanted to know how much does a meal in a restaurant cost (I mean average).

Thanks!!

a11st4rc :

i am from the uk and bought a dvd writer at the weekend in beijing in an official tech store. got it back to the hotel and it reads ok but does not write. i have tried several disc types.

how do i stand if i ask for a refund on this item? does consumer rights exist here?

quentinpiller :

Hi,

I´m going to Beijing next month and i´m wondering if there is a complete hotel overview somewhere?

Thanks
Quentin

debo :

My sister and her family are coming to see us. My kids are about the same age as hers,ranging 8 to 11. We live 4 hours South of Shanghai and know that area well enough to entertain them and get around. I am not sure about Beijing, Xi’An and Chengdu. They also want to see the Three Gorges Dam. Is it too dangerous for kids to ride the riverboat tours? I have not been impressed with the safety standards here so far and would like input from foreign families who live in these areas. They will be here for 3 weeks starting mid June. I want them to have a great trip, and am planning the Great Wall, Terra Cotta Warriors and Shangahi, but I am worried about the conditions in some of the hotels. The kids expect clean pools and fun and they don’t have the money to stay in the 5 stars, neither do I. All the travel services want too much money, so any suggestions about these or other areas would be appreciated. I would be glad to reciprocate with my knowledge of the Shanghai/Ningbo area.

Persian X :

In Beijing which of these two hotels are located in a better part of the city and which one has a better access to the landmarks and tourist attractions?
1) Holiday Inn plaza
2) Harmony hotel

stucknarabia :

I have a 5 hr stopover in Beijing in a couple weeks. does anyone know if you can get a good massage at terminal 3 (or elsewhere in the airport) for some happy times :) I presume some of the airport hotels have such services, but do you need a visa to enjoy them?