After my parents short 2 week visit in the USA, we went on a 2 week trip to China, Japan and Hong Kong. Our itinerary included Beijing in China and Tokyo, Kyoto/Osaka in Japan and Hong Kong.
Here are the trip reports I will be posting over the coming weeks.
- Airline Review: Delta Airlines Business Class – Seattle to Beijing
- Trip Report: Beijing, China
- Hotel Review: Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing
- Hotel Review: Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel
- Trip Report: Tokyo, Japan
- Hotel Review: Hilton Tokyo (Shinjuku)
- Trip Report: Kyoto, Japan
- Trip Report: Osaka, Japan
- Hotel Review: Nikko Hotel Kansai Airport
- Hotel Review: ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto
- Hotel Review: Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka
- Trip Report: Hong Kong
- Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong
- Airline Review: Singapore Airlines First Class – Hong Kong to San Francisco
Note on Visa Preparations prior to travel:
Me and my wife applied for single entry Chinese visa at the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. The process is very simple and for US citizens they don’t ask for too much additional documentation. All you need is a completed applciation form, original passport, copy of cover page of passport and a flight OR hotel itinerary in China. That’s it. They collected the documents and told me to come back after 4 working days and collect the passport. When I went to collect our passport, I was surprised to find that we were granted 10 year multiple entry visa with no additional cost.
Cost (Total for 4 travelers) *:
Hotel:
- $192 for 1 night (2 rooms) at Park Plaza Wangfujing
- $235 for 2 nights (2 rooms) at Renaissance Wangfujing for cash portion of cash + points booking
- $228 for 1 nights (2 rooms) at Nikko Airport Hotel Kansai International Airport
- $256 for 3 nights (2 rooms) at Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka for cash portion of cash + points booking
- $439 for 2 nights (2 rooms) at Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui for cash portion of cash + points booking
Transportation:
- $30 for Round-trip cab from Airport to Hotel in Beijing
- $60 for one way train journey on Haruka Express from Kansai Airport to Kyoto Station
- $89 for round-trip Airport Limousine Bus from Haneda Airport to Shinju-ku area hotel
- $37 for one way Shinkansen (Bullet Train) journey from Kyoto to Shin Osaka station
Entrance Fees:
- Beijing: Great Wall Mutianyu ($94), Summer Palace ($18), LLama Temple ($15), Forbidden City ($27), Temple of Heaven ($12)
- Tokyo: Shinjuku Gyoen garden ($7.5)
- Kyoto: Kinkaku-ji Temple ($15), Kiyomizu Dera Temple ($7.5)
- Nara: Todai-ji Temple ($18)
Miles/Points/Certificates Redeemed:
- 280,000 Delta Skymiles for 4 one-way Business Class tickets from Los Angeles – Beijing
- 140,000 Singapore Airlines Krisflyer miles for 2 one-way First Class tickets from Hong Kong to San Francisco
- 40,000 British Airways Avios points for 4 one-way Coach tickets from Beijing – Tokyo
- 18,000 British Airways Avios points for 4 one-way Coach tickets from Tokyo – Osaka
- 40,000 British Airways Avios points for 4 one-way Coach tickets from Osaka – Hong Kong
- 20,000 British Airways Avios points for 2 one-way Coach tickets from Hong Kong – Kolkata
- 88,000 Club Carlson points for 1 nights (2 rooms) at Park Plaza Wangfujing
- 32,000 Marriott Rewards points for 2 nights (2 rooms) for points portion of cash + points booking at Renaissance Wangfujing
- 300,000 Hilton HHonors points for 3 nights (2 rooms) at Hilton Tokyo
- 60,000 IHG Rewards points for 1 night (2 rooms) at ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto
- 12,000 SPG points for 3 nights (2 rooms) for points portion of cash + points booking at Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka
- 30,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for 2 nights (2 rooms) for points portion of cash + points booking at Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui Hong Kong