Marco Polo Parkside Beijing
Hotel Class: 
4.5 Stars - 199 Opinions
No 78 Anli Road , Chaoyang District (opening in 2007), Beijing, Beijing, 100101, China
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94%
of people enjoy staying here
199 Opinions
- Excellent
- 20
- Very Good
- 19
- Average
- 8
- Poor
- 2
- Terrible
- 0
More about Beijing
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Water Cube, Olympic Village, Beijing: Detail
Whita Pagoda Temple
Just Tracy, me and the Wall
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Forum Posts
local tour guide with van
by 1jabbar
Hi
Can anyone recommend a local guide who besides proiding travel services can provide transportation (5-6 people)Should be flexible in scheduling tours. Thanks
Re: local tour guide with van
by IndianPacific
It doesn't really surprise me that you haven't got any answer, because it's my impression that guide services in Beijing are tremendously overpriced.
Re: local tour guide with van
by Homanded
We've been recomending our guide Alvin to Vt'ers for years since we first found him almost 6 years ago.
He's never let us or anyone else down.
We just used his services again this past year when we returned with 13 people!
He was able to arrange a mini bus for us instead of his usual van.
We have him listed on our Beijing pages.
Not only is he a wealth of information, history, etc., but he is able to maximize your visit to Beijing by helping you arrange an itinerary.
Good luck!
Homer
Re: local tour guide with van
by Homanded
By the way IndianPacific, your answer to the poster amuses me.
Firstly, the poster just recently posted, there is no need for that kind of snarky reply. We all run on different time zones here and it takes time. It gives people a wrong impression about the helpfulness of VT.
Secondly, I did/do not find guides in Beijing expensive, quite the contrary compared to many other parts of the world.
Have you traveled extensively to other places to base that comparison on?
Please do not discourage poster from hiring a guide. It is a fantastic way to see Beijing if you are not familiar with the Chinese history.
Re: local tour guide with van
by IndianPacific
"Have you traveled extensively to other places to base that comparison on?" I certainly have. Now I don't only compare the prices to other places but also to the cost level of other things and services in China.
Re: local tour guide with van
by Homanded
Hmm...well, I can tell you that compared to say, most cities in US, in Bali, Cambodia, the UK, we found guide services in China quite affordable.
This is based on doing our own bookings and not just clicking/pre-paying for an advertised itinerary/tour on the internet.
Wow, I think you would be in for quite a shock then if you ever came to Miami Beach!
Re: local tour guide with van
by IndianPacific
"I think you would be in for quite a shock then if you ever came to Miami Beach!" I probably would. Or I have been unusually unfortunate in Beijing.
Re: local tour guide with van
by 1jabbar
Hi; Thanks for the free debate! I was in Beijing last summer with a small group (6 of us). Our 6 day stay (arranged out of Malaysia) was very, very reasonable. However we would like the flexibility of a private tour guide, and would appreciate if Homanded could send along Alvin's e-mail. Thanks for the info everyone (true about the lack of responses..but I don't know if it is the expense) Cheers all.
Re: local tour guide with van
by Homanded
Here you go:
Alvins direct emails: alvinbenton@hotmail.com or alvinbenton@gmail.com
And all our China tips, including some from recent trip (I've not had a chance to upload all our last visit) http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/97182/5a0/
Re: local tour guide with van
by Homanded
Go ahead and let him know that Homer and Eddie recommended you from VT.
He's guided many a VT members and is quite familiar with the group.
Re: local tour guide with van
by Kevinbj
Just google tour guide konglin or on find tripadvisor,he drives a nice mini-van.
Travel Tips for Beijing
Alvin, my best tour guide
by iclee
I met Alvin thru the recommendation of another VTer and thank goodness for that decision to hire him. My Beijing trip became one of my most memorable jaunts since I was bitten by the travel bug in 1989. So, do yourself a favor and get the best tour guide because it will become the deciding factor between a so-so trip to a truly fabulous one.
Alvin is a gem. He is:
1. Proactive (Prior to the tour, he always asks what kind of food we want for the day)
2. Sensitive (He rushed to ask GM Beijing if we can use their ladies room)
3. Helpful (He asked his taxi driver friend if he can ferry us to the airport instead of us looking for cabs at night, he bargained on my behalf, he carried our camera stuff while providing historical details) The Wall and its history is truly majestic.
Alvin whispered that he saw a Hollywood actor in one of the Wall's guard tower and it turned out to be Nicolas Cage. So, photo opportunity galore! Thanks Alvin.
Dogs
by nepalgoods
Most Chinese people do not eat dogs! Since many years it has been forbidden to have a pet dog or cat. Now this has changed. People, who own a dog or cat, have to pay lots of taxes. So a pet dog is a sign of luxury and the owners are very proud of their animals.
See this man! It is freezingly cold, therefore he carries his dog and has a warm blanket for it.
Airport Departure Tax
by opalzebra3
I just came back from a short trip to Beijing during the Paralympics (13 Sept 2008 weekend). The Beijing airport departure tax is no longer collected in cash at the check-in counter as the departure tax is already part of the airplane ticket price. The tip to set aside CNY 90 per passenger is an old tip. I ended up with excess CNY because I set aside CNY 200 for the two of us.
Beijing Zoo
by mke1963
Beijing Zoo is one of those places that is *just* off the beaten track, but one which is often on that secondary list of places once visitors ahve seen the main sights of Beijing.
I am not a great supporter of zoos or safari parks in general, but in Less Developed Countries they can play an important role in educating people about the environment. Of course they usually do nothing of the kind, and in China it is common to see ignorant people feeding fast food to the animals.
For a long time, zoos here demonstrated one of every animal, and each was housed in a small bare cage. It made a pathetic sight and was really a commentary on man's inhumanity to other species on the planet.
Things are slowly changing and some zoos in China are developing a more humane approach. At Beijing Zoo, the appointment of a specialist enrichment officer has paid dividends for the welfare of many animals. Dr Corinne Harrington has been working with the zoo authorities and local groups to create better living environments for the inmates.
Combined with a new policy of sharing animals between different zoos to create groups rather than single specimens has also resulted in better conditions for all.
The Giant Pandas are obviously the star attraction at Beijing Zoo and they have a big compound and a big indoor centre.
Our children have mixed feelings about the zoo, as hey get harassed a lot by people wanting to take their photographs (sometimes queuing up to take their photograph which is pretty pathetic).
The zoo is not as bad as some of the guidebooks make out, and if the weather is good it is an enjoyable place to visit.
Food Markets
by Susanna1975 about Wangfujing Street Food Markets
Beijing street food markets were quite clean compared for example to Shanghai's. I did eat meat sticks, corn and sugared strawberries and did enjoy all of them. If you want to be braver, you can try worms, crickets or scorpions - all were sold here! One good thing was that the prices were written down so you did not need to bargain here. No dress code - just blend in with the locals.
Questions and Answers
Q: Overnight at Beijing Airport. "Dear all
Need an advise.
Me and my wife will be at Beijing Airport on 29th Feb touching down at 0050 hrs.
The problem is travel..."
A: "Check out www.sleepinginairports.net."
Read 2 Replies ยป
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