Lin'an Longgang (#SanduMountain, #LonggangStories): My 'Trap Advisor' Alert!
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Sisters, this post is absolutely going to help everyone avoid some real pitfalls! I take my kids out for fun dozens of times a year, but this time in Hangzhou (a very popular tourist city in China) was a total disaster from start to finish. It's like spending money to suffer. I must write it down and warn everyone.
First, let's discuss where we stayed - #HANGZHOU DRAGON GINLING STORY GUANTANG HOTEL#:
- I used to have a good impression of hotels under the "Kaiyuan Guantang" brand, such as the branches in Xiaoshan (Hangzhou district) and Shaoxing (near Hangzhou, known for ancient towns and yellow wine). They were typically quite comfortable and stylish boutique or resort hotels.
- But this Dragon Ginling Guantang was eye-opening the minute we got off the car:
- Almost zero service: after parking the car, we couldn’t figure out where the reception desk was, and no one came over to help carry our luggage. Check-in was incredibly slow.
- Oddly designed room: The real shock came when entering the room - no toilet door! A bath became a struggle to ask the kids to leave due to privacy concerns since angles from any spot in the room could catch a glimpse inside. No hooks even inside the shower, making changing clothes a real headache.
- Be warned! If privacy is important or if you’re traveling with children, the no-door toilet design might be really upsetting.
- Disgusting breakfast experience: too crowded, the food disappears within seconds of arriving, quite exaggerated, and few choices were available.
- Unrecommencable hot spring pools: the water wasn't very clean, nothing particularly fun.
- The only redeeming feature was outdoor movie viewing in the evening.
Next, we visited #SANDU MOUNTAIN SPORTS PARK# (a mountain sports themed park):
- Despite online reviews saying it wasn't crowded, I was terribly unlucky – day in, sea of people!
- Luckily we lived close by; it took us until nearly 9:30 AM to leisurely eat breakfast before setting off.
- Ticket exchange tip: Long queues were found at the ticket swap area, but in the corner a side window had rarely queuing people! The staff didn’t give a hint, but you could change your ticket there if bought online.
- Riding across the region and onto sightseeing vehicles up the mountain, starting with “Raju Speed Car” (a small car sliding down from the mountain) and “Cliff Roller Coaster”, these rides happened quite smoothly without long queues.
- But subsequent games like “Raju Speed Car” required waiting half an hour – this was still acceptable.
- Later at “Nutty Wonderland” and “Dream Camp”, we found fewer crowds. “Elephant Nose Slide” had us queuing for around 20 minutes, with two rounds played.
- At midday, we rested in a place called “WhatChaiYuan”:
- Drinks caution: I ordered a $20 Yoko lemonade, but it only contained half a bottle of Yoko. Everywhere else offered at least two bottles!
- Horror waiting times for meals: even for drinks. Lunch options were seriously limited; hot dogs and hamburgers took ages to get ready. Gindousou (Japanese snack very popular in China), too, had long queues. Most people eventually settled for instant noodles. After much wait time for food, finally got chicken nuggets and french fries. There weren't enough tables!
- Warning! Limited meal choices and extended waiting times within the park, recommend bringing your own supplies or avoid peak dining hours.
- At 2:30 PM, my kids wanted to ride again but were now queuing at the foot of the mountain – it took two hours!
- Beware of queue-jumping!: while staff made announcements not letting in those jumping queues, they still allowed VIP cardholders to skip – “VIP card, you know” – sigh, staff is really hard-working, but rules are rules.
- The key advice is: after 4:30 PM, the crowd decreases. Therefore, go early, avoid crowds!
Regarding dining in Dragon Ginling:
- A restaurant called #Fish & Rice Country# (a common name for dining venues in China indicating a bountiful region):
- Very crowded. They said wait half an hour, actually nearly an hour.
- Flavor was pretty average.
- Big warning: smoking is excessive, with smokers constantly lighting their sticks and no action from the proprietors, creating choking smog.
- Dining the second day in the hotel’s premises of #Hangzhou Dragon Ginling Hotel#: environment pleasant,
- Extremely slow servings, very high prices. Only luxury of the “hotel” can be enjoyed here.
- Not even asking for further checks or dietary information.
Stay away from these traps, enjoy your adventure!
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If you're trying to warn us about a place, you didn't have to make the photos this stunning, did you?
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I just wanted to prove I was there. I'm so touched! It's the first time anyone has complimented my photos. The scenery really is beautiful.
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As someone from Lin'an... what on earth is this place?
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It's about an hour away from Lin'an.
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What room type is it? Is picture 2 the hot spring?
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I booked a standard king-size bed room, but I'm not sure what type of king-size room they actually gave me. Picture 2 shows the outdoor hot spring.
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For that hotel in Longgang, with the 'health and wellness' ticket, is the hot spring any good?
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The water isn't very clean.
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A place even Lin'an locals haven't been to, and you guys went!
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Haha, we'll go check it out first then.
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Looks like we shot from almost the same spot/angle.
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It really is the same!
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Picking up tickets is indeed quite time-consuming; the self-service machines are just there collecting dust.
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There are self-service ticket machines? I didn't see any at all.
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Haha, Sandu Mountain Sports Park is right in our village, and Guantang Hotel is in Longgang Town!