Time to up date again and yes, I'm late in doing this, but only by a couple of weeks. Things have been very busy here at school as we nearing the end of the term and final exams are racing up.
OK, the other weekend I ventured to Haikou, capital city of Hainan Province. My friend and I arrived there around 1am and went in search for a hotel, as this time I didn't pre book any and thought it would be easy enough to get one. How wrong I was. It seems that now is the time when all travel to this Island to escape the cold winters here. We were lucky with our 2nd choice and finally got to our rooms around 3 am.
The main reason for me going back to Haikou was business, so I didn't get to see as much of the city as I would have liked, but there will be other times, I'm sure. The city itself is old, mainly in the downtown area and the traffic is absolute bedlam 24 hrs a day. It is quite a noisy city, but the people there are very friendly and hold a relaxed feel about them.
I did go there a month or so ago and stayed in a different hotel to this time round and is another reason why I went back. The hotel then is classes as a 4 star hotel and is owned by Hainan Airlines and is situated in the downtown area. As soon as I walked into the Lobby, the smell of dampness hit me and it was very strong. I thought that once I get up to the room all would be right. How wrong I was. The whole room also smelt damp and musty and I felt as though it has never been aired. I asked for another room and was told all rooms are the same. (I booked this hotel for 3 nights, on line and on other guests reviews. As it was nearly 1 am I thought I would stay here for the night and try and fix the problem in the morning. I got into bed and was surprised to find that all of the bed linen was damp. After a few minutes I felt quite cold and got up again and had no sleep at all. The air conditioner didn't work in the bedroom and it was quite hot.
Next morning I checked out and went across the road to another hotel and found it to be the exact opposite of the one I just left. That night I slept like a rock in a dry bed. I wrote a review for the first hotel, stating what happened when I arrived back at school.
From then until my last trip to Haikou, I was contacted by the management of the hotel, where they apologised, in their normal Chinese way and asked me to stay there next time I come back as they have taken note of my review and have made many changes since. I informed them I would not stay there, but I would be happy to return and see the changes made and make another review. Then the manager asked me to delete my review, of which I could not, as it will damage their hotel.
K, now back to my latest trip to this city. On the morning I arrived I received a phone call from this manager again and was also invited to lunch. When I arrived there I could still smell the dampness before I walked in the front door. Lunch was pre-ordered for me and I was served different types of seafood, of which I don't eat, so needless to say I had very little to eat for lunch. After lunch I was shown around the hotel, but did not see the original room I stayed in and of which I continually asked to see it. Every time I asked the manager what changes have been made, he avoided the question and changed the topic. After 4 hours I left feeling that nothing much had been done at all, like I was told. My 1st review still stands to this day.
That night, my friends and I enjoyed a great meal at a restaurant where we demolished a BBQ Lamb leg each and made plans to meet for lunch the following day.
After lunch, we were taken to a couple of places around the city and our first stop was a park where most Chinese people go to fly kites, exercise or to jus wander around. It was very peaceful there and quite a few of the plants reminded me of home. After this we went to the beach where I watched bridal couples having their photos taken. Here in China, when they get married, they have photos taken before the actual ceremony and their wedding is called lunch or dinner with friends, just like our receptions. It's quite a site to see and watch, not to mention amusing :-)
At present I have no idea of where my next adventure will be, but there is talk with a few of us in going to Harbin in January to see the Ice Carvings. Stay tuned for more.
