Sheraton Golden Beach Resort Yantai

The beach is great, and the rooms have good views, but the hotel itself felt very disappointing. It’s dated, with finishes that seem to be wearing badly. Some hallway lights and lights in my room were out, the shower drain was clogged, and a lot of things were crooked. One elevator card reader and one call button didn’t work. The lounge only put three warm beers in the fridge at a time. If they can’t keep up with small fixes, it’s hard to trust the bigger things. I’ll stay at the Marriott next time.

The furniture was nice, but worn and dated, and the carpet wasn’t clean. The room also had a mildew smell when I turned on the bathroom water, and there was one outside my door too. The air conditioning never got the room below 75 degrees F, even after I called maintenance. I ended up opening the window and running the unit just to make it somewhat comfortable. The elevator card readers often failed, which made getting to my room frustrating. Laundry was expensive, and the clothes came back wrinkled and still smelling of sweat, as if they hadn’t been cleaned. It might be okay for a short stay, but I wouldn’t recommend it for long business trips.

Breakfast was decent, but they stop serving it by 10, so it doesn’t suit a lazy sleep-in holiday. The pool was crowded and dirty, nothing like the photos, and my room’s armchair and carpet were grimy, as if they hadn’t been steam cleaned in 10 years. Both the lobby bar and Club bar are closed indefinitely, leaving nowhere for coffee or a drink outside the crowded restaurant. They say it’s because of Covid19, even though the all-you-can-eat buffet is open, with all those hands touching the food. Worst Sheraton I’ve stayed in.

The bed was the best part of my room. It was big and fairly comfortable, but the room felt old and needed better maintenance, and the air conditioning barely worked. The hotel had promised a lot, so it was a letdown. As a foreigner, communication was a struggle. English isn’t my first language, but I can manage it pretty well, and it seemed like only one person at the desk spoke English. I couldn’t get anyone to understand that I wanted an early check-in. Breakfast was pretty good, with a mix of Western and Asian food, which could help if you can’t handle Yantai’s mostly South Korean and Chinese food. There are three restaurants: Chinese, Japanese, and the main dining room. The Chinese one was disappointing compared with food in the city. The Japanese restaurant was very good, and the raw food seemed clean. The main dining room was just okay. The bar service was gentle and the ladies always smiled, but none of them spoke English. When I asked for a Mojito, which was listed on the menu, they had no idea what it was and searched online without finding anything. I then asked for Macallan 15, and they didn’t know that either. I had to point to it on the menu, and after several calls they brought it over, more than 15 min later. They brought the whole bottle, thinking that’s what I wanted. Sure, I did, but I was just there to relax, not go hard. For a Sheraton, I expected better.