2010 Our first 7 days in Beijing, China

Dimitri is in charge of logistics and accommodations for our Global Meanderings. When we are going to stay in a place for more than a few days, he makes reservations for our first week at a reasonably priced hotel and we go looking for our longer-term accommodations. Our first week in Beijing was booked at Link Cosmopolite Boutique Apartments Beijing (also known as Seasons Park), No. B36 Dongzhimenwai St., Dongcheng District, Beijing 100027, tel. (0086) 5166 0060, web: www.bjlinkhhotel.com. We didn't like it and we posted a review of it on Trip Advisor. Click here to read what we said.

Audre sitting at our eating area of our temporary digs in Beijing

During that first week we've been looking at all of the serviced apartments that Dimitri had identified through his Internet searches (and learning about the different neighborhoods in Beijing in the process). We must have looked at 15 and have found what we think is the best value. It is a very large one bedroom, one bath on the same grounds at the Grand Hyatt, close to Tiananmen. It has mod cons (like a washer/dryer) and maid service (and the building has white-gloved doormen). We get to use the magnificent gym, pool, Jacuzzi, steam and sauna in the Hyatt as well. And the price you ask? It’s US$64 a day. Is Dimitri impressive or what?


We moved one week after we arrived and there were things we didn’t like but still….we felt like a million dollars in the process. We knew that the apartment only had one cable Internet connection so we went to the computer shopping center (huge) and looked for routers. It took 2 days of looking and research there but Dimitri found one that he thought would work and for a US$30 investment bought it (in a box that said "Netgear" in English so we thought it would be a brand name). Dimitri had it working in our temporary digs. Audre sure hopes she doesn't take Dimitri for granted because he does magical work.