Grace Hotel Suzhou

For a hotel calling itself five-star, the breakfast was disappointing: limited in both quality and quantity, entirely Chinese, and served in a rather cold room. At the same price, you can find something better. The staff, though, were kind and spoke English, and the internet was fast enough and stable. The rooms and shared areas are spacious and furnished elegantly, but some of the room fittings feel cheaply made. The bathroom was a letdown, especially the very cheap hair dryer. The shower setup is awkward, with a small head that doesn't reach the tub, and it doesn't heat the large space enough, particularly with the big panoramic window spreading the warmth around. There are five elevators and they move quickly enough. If you're coming with a large group, ask them to run all of them; otherwise just one or two may be switched on, making each shift slow and stressful. This feels like a good four-star hotel, not quite the five-star place it is.

It's an old, dirty hotel. The bathroom toilet was blocked, and they wouldn't move us to another room, so we had to use the shared bathrooms. Better not to stay here.

The Premier Suite on the top, 27th floor, is the one I'd recommend. The views are unforgettable, even during the day. I was really impressed by the hotel: the rooms are fitted out to a high standard, with things like glass-enclosed bathrooms, a jacuzzi, and even an iron.

We couldn't get much help in English. When we had a problem or a question, there was no solution, and the translator wasn't much use either.