Blue Palace Hotel - Shanghai, China 

Clean and friendly home from home.
Posted: Fri, Dec 15 2006
I traveled to Shanghai in May and stayed at the Blue Palace Hotel in Jiading on business. The hotel was chosen by the management at our Shanghai branch because it was just round the corner from our factory there. Also it is not far from the F1 motor racing circuit, if you were looking for somewhere to stay if you visited to see that or the moto gp. I've never been abroad before, so was a bit worried about what the facilities would be like. I need not have worried. As soon as I entered the reception, I was impressed. The staff were friendly, the only problem being that there did not seem to be many people who spoke good English about during our stay apart from some in the small bar next to the Western Restaraunt. The room was clean and tidy with a water dispenser, which is a must use in Shanghai. Never drink out of the taps. The cooked breakfast was a bit difficult to cope with, as it is very Oriental in style, but this is only my opinion and is all down to what you like, I am afraid I am very stuck in my ways of cereal and English breakfast with toast and am not that brave in trying new things. I just stuck to toast and coffee, seeing as we had dinner at work at 11 o'clock and needed to be hungry for that, so as not to upset our hosts, but there was a display of cold fruits etc that I never tried, but looked nice. I am going back for another 2 weeks in November, so I might try it then. The first 2 nights were difficult, as I never realised there was a western style restaurant there, but it turned out to be the same place I had been eating breakfast every day. Well, after one meal in that restaurant, I began to wonder wether I had ever tasted steak before. It was fabulous. I had a starter of potatoe skins with cheese and peppers in (And I do not even like peppers! ), which was beautiful. Then steak with a mushroom sauce and french fries, all washed down with Chinese beer. It was like that every night of my stay. Same wonderful quality and taste, with excellant service. The only thing a bit odd was the fact that the courses never seemed to come at the times expected. One evening I was served my steak first, then my fries and finally my starter. It didn't bother me though. But keep one thing in mind. It was so good I felt I should leave something as a tip, even though my colleague warned me not to. The waitress was very polite in turning it down, but I could tell I had offended her. It is difficult in Shanghai to know what to do, because tipping is expected in the posh hotels in the center of the city, but not in others in the suburbs. Trial and error I suppose. All in all I had a lovely stay and am hoping my next visit will be the same. One other thing, the rooms did not have an internet connection, although my colleague had a dial up account and used the phone, also the TV channels are mainly Chinese. Maybe things will have changed when I get back in November, if so I will update this review. I am not complaining though, as I think the hotel mainly catters for Chinese businessmen rather than foreigners, it being on the outskirts of Shanghai. But I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is unsure of finding a good hotel on a first visit and do not want to be in Central Shanghai, but would like to be in a more traditional part of the city. One last thing, then I will shut up! During all my stay, I always felt safe in and around the area the hotel is situated. People were curious of course, but I was never harrased or felt intimidated and thats coming from a person who worries about going to a pub they don't know for the first time, so that must be saying something. They are friendly, welcoming people who made my stay a wonderful experience I will never forget.

Clean and friendly home from home.
Posted: Thu, Dec 14 2006
I traveled to Shanghai in May and stayed at the Blue Palace Hotel in Jiading on business. The hotel was chosen by the management at our Shanghai branch because it was just round the corner from our factory there. Also it is not far from the F1 motor racing circuit, if you were looking for somewhere to stay if you visited to see that or the moto gp. I've never been abroad before, so was a bit worried about what the facilities would be like. I need not have worried. As soon as I entered the reception, I was impressed. The staff were friendly, the only problem being that there did not seem to be many people who spoke good English about during our stay apart from some in the small bar next to the Western Restaraunt. The room was clean and tidy with a water dispenser, which is a must use in Shanghai. Never drink out of the taps. The cooked breakfast was a bit difficult to cope with, as it is very Oriental in style, but this is only my opinion and is all down to what you like, I am afraid I am very stuck in my ways of cereal and English breakfast with toast and am not that brave in trying new things. I just stuck to toast and coffee, seeing as we had dinner at work at 11 o'clock and needed to be hungry for that, so as not to upset our hosts, but there was a display of cold fruits etc that I never tried, but looked nice. I am going back for another 2 weeks in November, so I might try it then. The first 2 nights were difficult, as I never realised there was a western style restaurant there, but it turned out to be the same place I had been eating breakfast every day. Well, after one meal in that restaurant, I began to wonder wether I had ever tasted steak before. It was fabulous. I had a starter of potatoe skins with cheese and peppers in (And I do not even like peppers! ), which was beautiful. Then steak with a mushroom sauce and french fries, all washed down with Chinese beer. It was like that every night of my stay. Same wonderful quality and taste, with excellant service. The only thing a bit odd was the fact that the courses never seemed to come at the times expected. One evening I was served my steak first, then my fries and finally my starter. It didn't bother me though. But keep one thing in mind. It was so good I felt I should leave something as a tip, even though my colleague warned me not to. The waitress was very polite in turning it down, but I could tell I had offended her. It is difficult in Shanghai to know what to do, because tipping is expected in the posh hotels in the center of the city, but not in others in the suburbs. Trial and error I suppose. All in all I had a lovely stay and am hoping my next visit will be the same. One other thing, the rooms did not have an internet connection, although my colleague had a dial up account and used the phone, also the TV channels are mainly Chinese. Maybe things will have changed when I get back in November, if so I will update this review. I am not complaining though, as I think the hotel mainly catters for Chinese businessmen rather than foreigners, it being on the outskirts of Shanghai. But I would recommend this hotel to anyone who is unsure of finding a good hotel on a first visit and do not want to be in Central Shanghai, but would like to be in a more traditional part of the city. One last thing, then I will shut up! During all my stay, I always felt safe in and around the area the hotel is situated. People were curious of course, but I was never harrased or felt intimidated and thats coming from a person who worries about going to a pub they don't know for the first time, so that must be saying something. They are friendly, welcoming people who made my stay a wonderful experience I will never forget.