pool, and tennis courts, and about a quarter of a mile down the road, at the table in heated pots. Before heading off to Shanghai for the final
there’s the Hangzhou Hot Springs Center, a large, 2-story building with leg of the trip, they’ll visit the Panda Sanctuary just outside of town for
interior pools fed by external hot springs in the building itself, along with an up-close look at China’s famous and beguiling little bears.
a large jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Outside, there are an additional In Shanghai, clients have a full-day city tour with visits to the Jade
three hot springs beautifully set amidst the trees—the Lilac pool, the Buddha Temple where they’ll see one of the city’s most famous sights—
Chair pool and the Sparrow Bridge pool. After a soak, tell clients to take rare, white jade Buddhas brought from Burma in the 19th century.
advantage of a 20-minute massage—okay, more of a mugging, than a They’ll also visit Yunan Gardens, Shanghai’s largest ancient gardens.
conventional massage—but for the equivalent of about five dollars, it’s “This is a first pass at a recommended itinerary for the first-time trav-
worth it. On the second floor of the 2-story building is a nightclub that’s eler exploring Chengdu, as well as other must-sees in China,” explains
apparently very popular with the locals. Kathleen Doheny, Kensington Tours’ director of marketing. “The price
of a tour like this will vary slightly depending on time of year traveled but
package it it starts at $4,250 pp dbl.”
KENSINGTON TOURS has an FIT program to China that includes Doheny adds that because all of Kensington Tours’ itineraries are FIT,
Chengdu, as well as visits to Beijing, Xian and Shanghai. The compa- “We can change anything on this itinerary—looking at different accom-ny’s 11-day sample itinerary, China Pandas and Peaks, starts in Beijing modation levels to bring the price down or we can increase properties
with visits to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tours, to the super luxury level for the most discerning travelers (or we can do
the Olympics and Art District, the Temple of Heaven, the Dashanzi Art a mix of property ranges to let a more budget-conscious traveler con-District and, of course, a trip to the Great Wall. serve in one place and then splurge in another). Our clients are never
From there, clients fly to Xian, where they’re picked up by private car locked into a ‘value’ level as with most group tours and right now, we
and spend the evening at dinner and enjoying the Tang Dynasty Show. have booked this itinerary at the four-star level.”
The next day, they visit the famed Terra Cotta Warriors, followed by a Additionally, AIR CHINA offers several flights daily from both Beijing
trip to the beautiful Bampo & BWG Pagoda. Before flying off to Cheng- and Shanghai to Chengdu. ■
du, they enjoy a morning visit to Xian’s Museum, Wall and Mosque.
Upon arrival in Chengdu, guests, along with a car and driver, spend
the next two days touring the beautiful mountains of Emei, visiting the
elegant and ancient Buddhist temples that are located throughout the
region. They’ll also have ample opportunity to savor the wonderful cuisine here in the capital of Sichuan Province, where a highlight is the
region’s famed hotpot dinner, a conglomeration of pork, chicken, fish
and vegetables where diners cook the various courses themselves right
contact information
Air China: (800) 882-8122; us.fly-airchina.com
Chengdu Culture & Tourism Development Group L.L.C:
www.cdctg.com
and www.pandahome.com
Hangzhou Shan Hotel:
hzshotel.com
Kensington Tours: (888) 903-2001; kensingtontours.com
Jinjiang Hotel: jjhotel.com
CHINA
Beijing and beyond
China National
Tourist Office
NEW YORK
370 Lexington Ave
Suite 912
New York, NY 10017
info@cnto.org
LOS ANGELES
550 North Brand Blvd
Suite 910
Glendale, CA 91203
la@cnto.org
www.cnto.org
www.cntovideo.org
Air China
www.us.fly-airchina.com
