No.8 Hotel (Gongzhuling High-speed Railway Station)

Before I start I must say that there might have been better rooms available. The check-in staff were polite but unfriendly. The room had no outside window so was poorly ventilated, having a window opening onto a passageway. This might have been adequate had it been winter. The room hadn't been adequately cleaned, but a staff member happily changed the sheets for us as they'd obviously been slept in. The bathroom had a drain which hadn't been put at the lowest point in the tiled floor, resulting in a pool of water impossible to clear after shower without a mop or similar tool. So the bathroom became virtually unusable after a shower. The shower itself functioned well, except that on certain settings it was dangerously hot. And I thought it strange that there was no extractor fan in the bathroom, considering there are uncovered electricity power points in there. The hairdryer worked, but for some reason not well enough to dry my wife's hair. The bed was very comfortable and we slept well. The breakfast is a buffet style Chinese breakfast, which was adequate for me as I'm now used to a Chinese breakfast, but some westerners might be disappointed. Access is convenient from the main rail station is convenient using the number 7 bus to the O2 Jiu Dian, which only costs 1 rmb/person. Access from the High Speed station is less easy and would probably be worth a 7 minute taxi ride which would probably cost about 8 rmb (max). Shops and restaurants are located up the road and across the intersection - about 10-15 minutes walk. Gongzhuling is a run down and delapidated town without much to look at. However, I found the locals to be friendly and some of the prices to be competitive.