First trip to Nanjing, September 2010

First trip to Nanjing

I lucked out this time!  Somehow Cathay pacific was as inexpensive as the cheapest airlines that we are normally bound to take, which meant i flew CP!  Well what a surprise when boarding the plane.  The new business class on CP is fantastic, even better that BA!  Basically, each passenger has a pretty private compartment!  And, flat bed seats.  Really flat.  Means you can toss an turn just like in your own bed at home.  Service was meticulous and friendly. No wanting for anything, almost to the point that they were asking too much if there was something further they could do…but that's nice.

Arriving in the morning in Hong Kong, with the night behind me and a full day ahead of me before the connection flight, I traveled into the city via the airport express.  It was hot.  Really hot!  So, I spent the day walking around the less touristy areas, which might not have been such a good idea in the tired state I was in.  But later in the day when I got my second wind it was just as enjoyable as always.

Taking a late flight and arriving Shanghai and a taxi to the Sheraton, which the driver struggled to find, I was met with a very nice hotel. This Sheraton in Shanghai is a definite recommend.  And, club level is fantastic: open all day, food and drinks all you want!

Next day was supposed to be travel to Nanjing, but the flight was cancelled, which put me back into the Sheraton.  As flights to Nanjing from Shanghai are very limited I took the train the next morning.  Unfortunately, no one at the train station spoke English so instead of catching the fast train (1 ½ hours) I ended up on the slow train to Nanjing (4 hours).  Hotel in Nanjing was the Sheraton… very tired.  Old, not kept up and service was minimal.  Not a recommend, and do not bother with the club level...very sparse!

A couple of days in Nanjing and then return via Hong Kong, with a night layover in the Sheraton Hong Kong, which is nice. 

This time I made the effort to travel over to Stanley on the other side of Hong Kong.  Very nice and peaceful, and very British!  Nice.

Returning on CP was as nice as the trip over.  The CP lounge at HK airport is very nice.  Drinks, cocktails and food to order.  Due to the nice business class the plane ride home was fantastic.  CP a definite recommend!