Sun Plaza International Hotel

The park outside was lovely for a short walk. It was completely empty when I was there, which I enjoyed. I had a good night's sleep, and for this part of the world it's a good place to stay, though it may be the only option. The room itself was another story. Mine and my colleague's were both quite dirty. The bathroom had stains all over, the shower glass clearly hadn't been cleaned, and the toilet looked like someone had made art with a cigarette. I didn't want to step barefoot off the towel. The carpet looked filthy and as though it had never met a vacuum, so I started inspecting the bed and furniture closely and couldn't really relax. The hotel is enormous. Its lobby, with red silk chairs and marble everywhere, is about the size of a football field and very Asian in style. There's even a big rock right in the middle, with a note saying it represents the “beauty of simplicity” :). You've got to love it :). The staff were very friendly, and a few spoke a little English. The big restaurant apparently stays open 24 hours, with large lunch and dinner buffets. Food and room prices were very good. My room was large too, and I got to peek into a few other rooms with their doors open. I had to stay the night to see a customer in town.

The location suited what I needed, and the gym and swimming pool were available. The train station in Qufu is nearby, about a 40 minute drive, with good connections to Beijing (2.5h) and Shanghai (3.5h). Breakfast was good for a hotel in such a “small” town, and the hotel itself was very good.

It's a huge, well-built hotel, and everything else was good. The staff just don't understand English.

The room gets 8/10, breakfast 2/10, and the facilities 0/10.