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Saturday, June 29, 2013

KMG, PEK, and Crown Plaza Beijing

Kunming Airport-Air China Economy-Beijing Airport-Crown Plaza Beijing International Airport (5/2/2013)

We had a plane to catch at 4:45pm today so were able to sleep in a bit before heading down for our last breakfast at the hotel. It seemed like that most patrons at breakfast were local tourists this morning. After breakfast we walked to the Bank of China near the hotel for some money exchange and then bought some delicious breads from the bakery on our way back. They were well-stocked this morning with freshly baked goods. We were not sure if their famous "flower cake" is allowed through US custom and regrettably not getting any. Kunming is the main producer of fresh cut flowers in the country and it is natural that they cleverly make good use of flowers in marketing their baked goods.

The driver came to pick us up at the hotel promptly at 2pm. and we arrived at the Kunming airport before 3pm with plenty of time to spare before our flight to Beijing.


Checked out and waiting for our ride to the airport at the hotel lobby.


Kunming International Airport

This airport is about a year old.

Airy and spacious


VIP lounges--unfortunately we were flying economy this time, so no access to the lounge.



a lot of plants


onboard the Air China flight


The flight was uneventful and they served a decent meal on board, much better than the staled sandwich that we got on our last trip.


Crown Plaza Beijing International Airport
It was after 9pm when we arrived Beijing International. We had to retrieve all our luggage from the carousel before heading outside. We had called and ordered the hotel shuttle when we were here at the airport a week ago and the driver should be there waiting for us. It was a little confusing finding our way out to meet the driver but after a call to the hotel we got the right instruction and met the bus and driver with no problem. The drive from the airport to the hotel was about 12 minutes, longer than I expected. The hotel that's closest to the airport is the Hilton, next time I will remember.

We booked the Crown Plaza Beijing International Airport because of its location, closer to the airport so we could rest and then go back to the airport early in the morning for our flight out. We used our annual free night certificate from Priority Club for the stay but we were still charged for the 3rd person plus tax and fees for close to $70USD. Not a very good deal but at least we did not have to travel far for the night.

As Platinum Priority Club member, we were told at check-in that we were upgraded but I couldn't tell the difference. Maybe this is a corner room? We were also told that the 3rd bed was ready but it was not. So we had to call and wait for the 3rd bed to roll in which made the night even longer. We desperately needed to sleep because we had to go back to the airport early in the morning.

Good size room and decent

Fruit plate and a welcome letter was waiting as platinum member. We didn't even have time to enjoy this fruit plate.

huge shower stall


Looks pretty plain from this angle.


Unfortunately we were there only for the night and didn't have time to enjoy all the amenities of the hotel. Our wake-up call was at 5am, and we took the 6am shuttle back to the airport to catch our flight to Incheon. Overall, the service at this hotel was quite good and the free shuttle was definitely a plus. If they had the 3rd bed prepared before our arrival, it would have been much better.

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