Hangzhou Eastern Golden Plaza Apartment

* The staff don't speak any English. * The hotel is a bit hard to find. I think it's in the east king plaza (?) building, to use the lift you need to be swiped in by the ground floor staff. * The hotel is close to a big night market. * It's about 500 metres to the metro. * We paid about 290 yuan for one night for the three of us, which I thought was good value. * There was a TV and washing machine in our room; I couldn't figure out how to operate either.

janeyfergs review about this place is pretty close to the mark however, despite reading it in advance of staying here I thought I would give the place the benefit of the doubt due to the location, price and the fact the accommodation is an apartment not just a hotel room. getting there: (from train station / airport) not too difficult if have some experience of travel in China. There is a metro at the station / airport and it stops on the main street in Hangzhou (Pinghai Rd) which is fairly close to the property. That costs 4 RMB or a taxi will cost about 30RMB. service: disgraceful and cheaters, taking money for the Lake View Apartment and giving us a smaller, different one that was not as good. The receptionist was totally unwilling to rectify the situation despite having booked and reserved the Lake View Apartment well in advance. So basically we were ripped off and victims of daylight robbery. This receptionist person was, a rude, unfriendly, barefaced liar that could not speak a word of English and totally arrogant beyond belief about the situation, going as far as saying "ok complain, I don't care" to my Chinese speaking friend. We did not get a refund for the difference in room rates. Apartment: not too bad in terms of decor quality, did have wi-fi, (but these things are expected nowadays) however the TV did not work, and no cooking utensils whatsoever making the place a bit pointless. It did have a washing machine though. Location: a bit naff but if you take the time to wander around there are things to do and it is only about 10 minutes walk from the main street and West Lake, so not too bad just don't look that good when you arrive. This place does not seem geared up for Western style guests. I will not be returning to this place and I would strongly advise against booking a room here.

Arriving at this hotel was a lot of trouble - there was no signage and the location of the hotel was dirty (people urinating on the side of the street) and crowded. When finally getting to reception on the 5th floor, after asking about three different people, the staff did not speak a word of English. We had to pay a 200 Yuan deposit (on top of the room cost) upon arrival and when taken to the room it had not been cleaned. We were told to go away and come back in an hour when the room had been cleaned - it was rather average clean upon our second arrival with the counter tops not being wiped down and the floor not being swept. The power sockets would not work so we ended up charging our devices at the local Starbucks. The staff were very unhelpful and could not care less. Due to the staff's lack of English it was a highly stressful and unpleasant experience/holiday. We would never stay here again and urge future travellers to avoid at all costs.