Golden Dragon Hotel & Spa

The breakfast was awful: very few choices, hot food served cold, and bread so stale it seemed to have been there since the hotel opened, astaghfirullah. The hotel's location isn't great either, though there's a convenience store across the street and a couple of half-decent restaurants nearby. It's not very close to the main center or the city parks. The property claims to be five-star, but it's nowhere near that standard. Online ratings misled me, and I wouldn't have been so disappointed if I'd known what to expect. For the same price, you can definitely find better hotels. Don't trust reviews above 2/5, or at most 3/5. I'd avoid it unless desperate. It's not the absolute worst option in the world, but it's pretty bad. The place looks nothing like the photos. It felt like walking into a 1990s prison that had gone out of business and been turned into a hotel. I've stayed in $15-20 hostels run by teenagers that were better. The staff seemed unmotivated and not trained in hospitality. The front desk knew nothing about nearby points of interest or restaurants and made no effort to help. My room was dated, the bed springs were worn out, the shower drain didn't clear the water, and the room phone didn't work. There are two buildings. If your room is in the second one, you have to go through an emergency exit behind the main lobby and down a very narrow corridor marked 'staff only.' It felt like sneaking out via my college dorm's emergency stairs. Housekeeping walked into my room while I was inside, then simply left without apologizing or acknowledging it. The property looked as if it hadn't been maintained since 1991. Floor tiles were broken, stairs felt unsafe, and doors didn't close properly. There's a piano in the lobby so out of tune that even Beethoven couldn't save it. When I tried to play a little, they told me it was just for decoration and I couldn't touch it. Pretty expensive decoration, if you ask me.

I was unsure about booking after reading the negative reviews, but seeing the place in person changed my mind. We had a pleasant two-night stay and found it to be very good value for the price. The room was spacious, the bathroom clean and tidy, and there was no noise from neighboring rooms. The view was lovely. I noticed a furniture smell when I first entered, and breakfast was decent and met my expectations. The hotel also has a pool, spa, children's play area, and a couple of restaurants. I recommend it for its value, but the price is for a 3-star stay, so don't expect 7-star facilities.

The room was attractive and spacious, but the bathroom needs a full redesign and renovation, not just a few new fittings. The old tiles were cracked and the grout had mould. The new rain shower put out more water than the floor drain could handle, so I ended up standing in a pool. The toilet was almost in the middle of the room, leaving very little space to move around. It wasn't up to the standard of a 4- or 5-star hotel.

Breakfast had plenty of variety, and the staff were really friendly. Our room was a little dated and the bathroom could use some attention, but everything was clean and comfortable, with all we needed: tea, coffee, water, a hair dryer, an iron, and air conditioning. Good value for money.