Trip Preview — Last Minute Trip to Shanghai & Hangzhou
I got a last minute notice to attend a meeting in Shanghai next week. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I decided to also visit Hangzhou for two days since it is just an hour away from Shanghai. Not only the world-renowned Alibaba Group is based in Hangzhou, it is also famous for the West Lake and the top-10 attractions in the West Lake area.
Reviews:
Cathay Dragon A320 Economy Class: Hong Kong to Shanghai
Mercure Shanghai Yu Garden Review
China High Speed Rail Review: Shanghai to Hangzhou
Mercure Hangzhou Qianjiang Review
Flight Bookings
Roundtrip fares on Cathay Dragon from Hong Kong to Shanghai is the same as open-jaw fares from Hong Kong to Shanghai and return from Hangzhou to Hong Kong, therefore it is a no-brainer to save the hassle and return from Hangzhou.
Cathay Dragon has 15 flights and 4 flights daily to Shanghai and Hangzhou respectively, operated by a variety of aircrafts from A320, A321 to A333.
I was hoping to book on at least two different aircraft types. However, my schedule only allows me to fly on specific flights and both flights are operated by A321.
The following flights were booked directly on Cathay Pacific’s website at HK$1,945 (~US$249):
- Cathay Dragon A321 Economy — KA876: Hong Kong to Shanghai
- Cathay Dragon A321 Economy — KA637: Hangzhou to Hong Kong
As a Marco Polo Silver member, I was able to select extra legroom seats (35A/K) for free during the booking process. I will also have access to the Cathay Pacific business class lounges in Hong Kong and the contract lounge in Hangzhou prior to the flights.
Hotel Bookings
I initially looked for hotels in the Pudong area since my meetings is going to be around that area. However, there aren’t many options available besides the luxury international brands such as Park Hyatt, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, InterContinental…… Therefore I started looking across the other side of the river in the Huangpu area. I eventually settled with Mercure Shanghai Yu Garden for HK$708.25 (~US$91) per night. It is conveniently situated in Downtown Shanghai with Yu Garden, the Bund, Nanjing Road and Shanghai Museum all within 25-min walking distance from the hotel.
For accommodations in Hangzhou, the West Lake area seems to be a lot more pricy compared to the areas that are about 15–20 minutes away by metro. I decide to stay in the area along the Qiantang River, which is about 25 minutes away from the West Lake area by metro and 30 mins away from the airport by car. There are numerous international hotels along the river, from Courtyard, InterContinental, Marriott, Conrad to Mercure. All of these other hotels are running at about HK$1200 (~US$153) per night besides Mercure, so I settled with Mercure Hangzhou Qianjiang at HK$634 (~US$81) per night. Apparently this hotel is a new addition to the area, having opened back in 2018. I look forward to staying there to see how it fares compared to other hotels in the area.
I booked both hotels via Hotels.com. Not only it has a map feature with filters that allows you to look for hotels in a particular area that fits your criteria, it also has a loyalty program that presents significant value for travelers like myself who do not always stay in the same hotel chains. For every 10 nights you booked via Hotels.com, you will earn one free night with a value equivalent to the average price of the 10 paid nights.
Train Bookings
Last but not least, I need to find my way from Shanghai to Hangzhou during the trip. High-speed rail seems to be the obvious option. There are trains traveling between Shanghai Hongqiao and Hangzhou East every few minutes, and the whole journey takes approximately one hour.
Train fares are actually very reasonable as well, ranging from HK$82.98 to HK$249.49 depending on the class you are traveling in. I was tempted to book the Business Class fare to try out the lie-flat seats on the train. However, at 3x the price of 2nd Class for such a short ride, I decided that it might be a better option to stick with 2nd Class.
Stay tuned for the reviews of the trip!
