Holiday Inn Shanghai Dishui Lake by IHG

The breakfast was decent, with a reasonable range of choices, though the restaurant was crowded when I stayed because there were lots of visitors. I also liked the self-service laundry. Hotel dinners were just so-so. I tried eating outside, but headed the wrong way while relying on Google Maps, so my food options ended up pretty average too. Google Maps can be very misleading in China, and the other English-language platforms are only a little better. I couldn't get the local ones working most of the time, and when I did, they didn't offer English. This place seems aimed more at local guests than overseas visitors. Communicating in English was a bit of a challenge, and translator apps weren't quick enough when people were waiting behind me in line. The location wasn't very convenient for me, so I'd look at other areas next time I visit this region. Maybe I should've gone west during my exploring. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to stay here with family. I had expected check-in to go more smoothly. I'm pretty sure I'd booked a single bed, but twice they gave me a twin room with a children's theme, which I could see in some of the photos. I got a proper room on the third try. Luckily, I wasn't in a hurry that day. The room I ended up with was good, though the thermostat was only in Chinese and took a few minutes to figure out. It wasn't a big problem since I had time and the room was already at a comfortable temperature. There are two PS4 consoles in the lobby, and kids were all over them during the day. If I hadn't been so tired, I would've had to fight them to get a turn 😂.

We got stuck at the hotel during the typhoon, but still had a great time. The staff were really friendly, and the breakfast buffet was the best.

Maybe the best hotel in China! If it's only 40 minutes from downtown and you get to enjoy your stay, there's no reason to spend more on Shanghai hotels.

Really good hotel. (xiaowu xiaoxu)