Golden Week in Xiamen
Mum, step-dad and I arrived into Xiamen during China's Golden Week. Golden Week refers to the celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival (Mooncake Festival) together with Independence Day - something which does not happen closely due to the former being on the lunar calendar while the latter on the solar.
The main street had been converted into a pedestrian mall for Golden Week, and was buzzing with people day and night. At night, it was like a mini-Shanghai with the neon lights. We were fortunate enough to be right in the heart of everything due to our choice of hotel.
Development in Xiamen has been at breakneck speed since my last visit five years ago.
The main reason for the visit was to introduce Mum to family in Xiamen ... a cousin whom I shared a common great-grandfather who lives in our great-grandfather's old home. I had visited this cousin and the ancestral home five years ago.
This hotel is located on the seaside end of Zhongshan Lu (Road), the main street in the city. The location is only second to the Lujiang next door but the Lujiang is in a pricey category.
The location was excellent of course, being handy to eating and sightseeing.
The rooms and housekeeping were quite good ... the aircon was powerful and filters felt clean (not smokey).
My situation required a triple room ... which was a single bed in the lounge, a separate double bedroom and the bathroom. Somewhat like a suite with a bed in the lounge area.
Good choice! But check prices carefully on the internet ... the "western" booking companies (usually realtime) charge more than the "chinese"-type operations (confirmation in a few days).
