Hotel Meridien - Xiamen 厦门

Le Meridien Hotel in Xiamen

I finally have some time to update this. Last weekend I went for my first business trip in China to Xiamen. It's an island off the southern coast of China in the Taiwan strait. Pretty cool place! I definitely want to check it out again.

We stayed at an amazing hotel resort called Hotel Meridien on a mountain on the north west part of the island. Great food, great view, and it isn't too terribly expensive.

The hotel is about a 45 minute drive away from the airport so the cab ride should cost about 40 RMB when all is said and done.

The View from the Hotel

When you arrive at the hotel you are greeted by one of the members of the friendly staff. The service here is what you would expect from a high-end resort hotel, which is to say, excellent.  If you don't speak Chinese, don't worry, as most of the staff at the concierge and restaurant speak English. The staff is also a valuable source of information for things to do around town.

This hotel also has many first class amenities like a spa, pool, sauna, and hair salon.  Prices here are above what you would pay if you were to take a trip into town, but not as expensive compared to similar services at hotels in the West.

The rooms are absolutely gorgeous and some of them have stunning views of the mountain side, a man-made waterfall, and the outdoor lounge area.  The prices for the rooms are extremely reasonable compared to their Western equivalents but still well above your average locally branded 2 or 3 star hotel.

One of the Club Rooms at the Hotel Meridien

Rooms start at about 730 RMB per night for the "Superior+Deluxe" room (the cheapest room) and go all the way up to almost 19,000 RMB per night for the Presidential Suite should you feel the need to have butler service, your own private library (you should be out exploring not reading books!), or if anything smaller than 2,325 sq. feet cramps your style.

I stayed in one of the club rooms and it was fantastic. The king size bed was comfortable and the pillows were just how I like them.  The bathroom was quite large and had a full size tub, a standing shower, and marble floors. 

View from the Room

Alright, now on to the one of the most important parts of the review...the food! It can be challenging for Westerners with delicate palettes to find food that doesn't make their stomachs churn, especially when you leave the heavily Westernized larger cities like Shanghai or Beijing.  If you are one of these people, fear not! The restaurant here serves a wonderfully delightful range of foods from your traditional Western fare like burgers or steaks, to traditional Chinese cuisine and local favorites. 

The breakfast and lunch buffets are sure to have something anyone will love (I especially loved the huge selection of dessert choices).  Get ready to spend a hefty amount of cash though. Prices for food here are astronomical compared to restaurants out in the city, but the quality and selection here are second-to-none.

Some Desserts from the Lunch Buffet

One of my favorite things about the hotel (which also happened to be one of my least favorite things) was the secluded feeling that comes with being tucked away on a mountain. If you are looking for a nice relaxing retreat, this is definitely your place!  The hotel is surrounded by lush scenery and a stroll around the compound can be quite serene. 

The obvious downside to this though is the inconvenience of having to travel a bit farther to the popular tourist destinations.  So if your time is limited and you want to see a lot of popular attractions you might be better suited staying at a different hotel.

My conclusion: The Hotel Meridien is an excellent choice when looking for a place to stay when visiting the beautiful city of Xiamen.  It's definitely nice to get pampered every once in a while.

Price:  $$$
Location: 2.5/5
Hotel Service: 4.5/5
Quality of Food: 4.5/5
Rooms: 5/5

Hotel address (Chinese): 冠军路 7 号, 南山
Hotel address (English): No. 7 Guanjun Rd., Nanshan, Xiamen
Hotel Phone: (86)(592) 770 9999

Back in China!!!

So it looks like this might be the only way to post information about what's going on in my neck of the woods so I thought I'd start this blog back up again.

My wife and I arrived in Shanghai last week for a new position that I am starting with Whirlpool. We've spent the last week or so looking for an apartment and we just recently signed a contract for a really nice 2 bedroom place (pics to come in the next few days).

I'm currently at the Hongqiao airport waiting to fly to Xiamen for the national sales conference. I'll make another post in the next few days and post some pics and stuff.

It's good to be back on China!