After our trip to Shamin Island we then headed back to our second hotel of the trip. The hotel was called the Chateau Star River. This was not the hotel that we originally booked. We original booked the White Swan Hotel using Expedia. Apparently Expedia was accepting reservations for the W.S. even though they were under renovation.
We booked the W.S. in May and were happy to get an opportunity to stay there again. In June we received an e-mail from Expedia saying that the W.S. was not available so they were having to change our reservation for that evening. They told us that it would be a comparable hotel to the W.S. Boy, were they wrong!
The Chateau Star River was on the banks of the Pearl River just like the W.S. is but the similarities stopped there. The C.S.R. was a fairly new hotel, which boasts a starting rate of $450 per night and goes up from there. We had two rooms booked because in Asia the most you can have in a room is 3 people. Thankfully for us we got the W.S. rate which was about 25% of the C.S.R. starting rate.
Our rooms were spectacular! First off Kathi and my room had an “emperor size” bed. This bed was like two queen beds put together. Literally our entire family of 5 could have slept on this bed comfortably, and we are not small people. The kids rooms had two oversized queen beds for them. The room itself was gigantic with vaulted ceilings and posh décor. A 50 inch LCD was a bigger than normal TV for the likes of the Getzingers as was the free wireless Internet and the fact that the minibar was complementary as well. The kids were in heaven!
Another amenity was the oversized tub complete with a television built into the mirror wrapped around the tub. You could only see the TV when it was turned on. Otherwise it was part of the mirror. The waterproof remote control was the only way you could turn it on.
Did I mention the fitness facilities? Well there was a separate building which held that area. Inside this huge building two full size indoor tennis courts. When you head down stairs there are about 14 different rooms for different activities including several for billiards, massage, ping pong, ballroom dancing, a weight room that was massive, as well as some things I didn’t know how to play.
You then go into the locker rooms, which are equally as plush as the guest rooms. Lockers with personalized combinations, a fridge with cold water, a fridge with cold towels to wash your face. This is crazy but true: When you walk into the building you are met by someone with a walkie-talkie. They call down to the locker room and have people stock the locker they are going to give you with size appropriate gear such as flip flops, slippers, and a robe. This person then escorts you downstairs to the locker room area and shows you to your lockers. It was crazy.
Right before you head out to the pool you have to shower off. The water comes out of the walls and automatically adjusts to your height. How it knows how tall we all are I am not sure. Then you step out and see this massive pool. It is literally twice as big as an Olympic size pool. It is the biggest pool I have ever seen. That is only the indoor pool. Head outside and you see the outdoor pool that is also huge like a typical resort pool. Very cool! They were very secretive about the recreation area though. No pictures could be taken of this place. It was kind of weird.
One of the things you notice when you are in China is that people follow you around. We were the only ones in the pool and there were 3 people there watching us. They were sweet and were very helpful but you always are being watched, especially at hotels.
DINNER TIME: The hotel is pretty new and not next to any restaurants save their own. We thought we would go down to their restaurant and have some dinner. Little did we know dinner was $50 per person. $250 for dinner didn’t seem to fit into the budget so we decided to do something else. This was before we went to the pool so we decided that I would find some food and bring it back to the hotel while Kathi and the kids went swimming.
I started talking with the Concierge who spoke limited English. Since we had already had our fill of McDonalds I asked it there were any western style restaurants around. After he checked on his computer he said no. I then knew I had seen Pizza Huts around and asked it they would deliver. He called Pizza Hut and apparently they did not deliver to where we were.
That meant that I was going to have to venture out and find some food. I asked the Concierge if he could get me a taxi to take me to, you guessed it, McDonalds, yuck. Here is where it gets tricky. After the guy tried to call a taxi company they apparently were not interested in coming out to the hotel to take a guy to Mickey D’s.
So here is what my guy decides is the best way to get me to feed my family: We are going to have our shuttle take you to our sister hotel across the river, about a 15 minute drive. I will then have the bell boy there to get you a taxi that will take you back across the river to McDonalds. Make sure you let him know that you want him to wait while you get the food. Then have him bring you back here.
Really? That is your plan? Couldn’t the shuttle drive me to get the food? Apparently not. So what should have taken 15 minutes took over an hour. However after living in Asia for so long I have come to realize that my solution to a problem isn’t always everyone else’s solution. In fact all I could do when I climbed up into the shuttle was laugh. You have to be flexible when you are in a foreign country and not let things rattle you. I have learned this the hard way but our whole family has finally come accept this as normal. So in the end we all had our 3rd McDonalds meal in 2 days.
Back to the Hotel:
After we got back to the room the beds had been turned down and amazing chocolates were left for us. A great way to head off to dream land which we all did rather quickly.
After a good but too short night of sleep, (having to pack up to leave each night is a big pain in the rear!) we headed down for the buffet breakfast that was included in our stay. The buffet was an amazing spread. The food was from all over the world, including bacon, which we don’t get in Indonesia. Brooklyn had loads of Chinese Noodles and a type yogurt that she would eat at breakfast when we got her in ’07. She loved it then and still seemed to love it now. My favorite dish was the ahi sushi. Sydney and Kathi loved the omelets with real ham not chicken ham that we have grown to accept in Indonesia. Kade was a happy camper with lots of bacon and toast.
After breakfast we headed out to Foshan. Brooklyn’s hometown and the home to her orphanage. We hit the orphanage the next day but still had some exploring to do in Foshan before that. I’ll get to that in our next post. Thanks for checking in with us!
The gigantic bed.
A square toilet? Very modern.
Like all of China there is construction everywhere.
Since the hotel was non-smoking you could use the ashtrays for other purposes.
Kade trying sushi. He wasn't a big fan.
Chinese Noodles. Brooklyn thought she was in heaven.
Nothing like drinking your yogurt.
A better shot of the outdoor pool.
1 comment:
Hotel and breakfast sound and look fabulous--dinner arrangements, not so much.
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