While we toyed with the idea of flying to Singapore at midnight, we went to terminal 2, where SQ and NZ fly from.
Terminals 1 and 2 are huge, and sit in parallel, perhaps 2 km apart. between them is a hotel. There is no clear signage, but we eventually found the walkway to the hotel, so off we go.
A long walk later, we come to the lifts to the hotel. Staff at the lift say the hotel is full, but that shopfront over there will find you another. Sarah has a bad feeling, but we don't have a lot of choices.
They show us a nearby hotel that offers breakfast and wifi, for 988 yan for the night. Its's called Lavande, and we haven't heard of it. We decide to go with it anyway.
We pays the money and are directed to a van to take us to the hotel. Maybe it won't be so bad after all.
Into the van with a few others, and soon we are on the road. I remember thinking as we drove away from the airport, that we should have been sitting comfortably in our seat onboard as the aircraft pushed back, right about that time. Ah well.
We pull up, and are directed into the foyer.
Sarah makes a comment to me. THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
We try to talk to the receptionist but she doesn't speak English.
You may recall that I chose not to get a sim or go roaming at the beginning of this trip, right?
Right about now I'm reconsidering the value of that saving.
Luckily, the receptionist has a translator on her phone, so we begin an awkward back and forth trying to communicate our issues.
Sarah is quite clear.
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
We need to go back to the airport. We need to go back to where everything went sideways, and get it fixed.
She was telling us that the room was non-refundable, and that we would have to pay for our own taxi back to the airport.
Eventually, we made her understand that this wasn't just us not liking the hotel we paid for. She told me that a room in this hotel costs 288 yuan. I told her that we paid 988 yuan for another hotel. Sarah remembered the name of the hotel we paid for, and showed it to the receptionist.
She said the Lavande in a different town. Oh goody.
We took a time out, and wanted food. Sarah gets grumpy when she's hungry.
You know that line in The Incredible Hulk where Banner says "You won't like ne when I'm angry"?
Well, that's Sarah when she's hungry.
Next door was a restaurant, so we go in and try to order a quick meal. The cooks have finished, so that's not going to happen. Oh dear!!
Back to the 'hotel'.
The receptionist tells me, via the phone, to please wait. The shuttle will be here soon.
OK, so at last she understood, and we would be going back to that shopfront in the hotel basement who took our money.
In a few minutes, a driver arrived, and ushered us and our luggage into his van.
Can you imagine, its about 9pm, in what looks like a rural area near Shanghai airport. We're in a van, with a driver who doesn't speak English, and we have no idea where he's taking us. That last intersection had a sign to the airport, and we didn't turn.
I'd call this a 4.3 on the sphyncter scale.
After five minutes of angsting, we turn into the carpark of ... The Lavande!!
We were not expecting that.
Huge relief.
OK so we eventually arrive at the right hotel, and check in.
We never got to go up and see what the room was like in the 288 yuan hotel, but the 988 yuan hotel is not very flash. Beyond tired.
This place at least has a restaurant, and its still open. Sarah gets some food. Crisis averted.
Terminals 1 and 2 are huge, and sit in parallel, perhaps 2 km apart. between them is a hotel. There is no clear signage, but we eventually found the walkway to the hotel, so off we go.
A long walk later, we come to the lifts to the hotel. Staff at the lift say the hotel is full, but that shopfront over there will find you another. Sarah has a bad feeling, but we don't have a lot of choices.
They show us a nearby hotel that offers breakfast and wifi, for 988 yan for the night. Its's called Lavande, and we haven't heard of it. We decide to go with it anyway.
We pays the money and are directed to a van to take us to the hotel. Maybe it won't be so bad after all.
Into the van with a few others, and soon we are on the road. I remember thinking as we drove away from the airport, that we should have been sitting comfortably in our seat onboard as the aircraft pushed back, right about that time. Ah well.
We pull up, and are directed into the foyer.
Sarah makes a comment to me. THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
We try to talk to the receptionist but she doesn't speak English.
You may recall that I chose not to get a sim or go roaming at the beginning of this trip, right?
Right about now I'm reconsidering the value of that saving.
Luckily, the receptionist has a translator on her phone, so we begin an awkward back and forth trying to communicate our issues.
Sarah is quite clear.
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL WE PAID FOR
We need to go back to the airport. We need to go back to where everything went sideways, and get it fixed.
She was telling us that the room was non-refundable, and that we would have to pay for our own taxi back to the airport.
Eventually, we made her understand that this wasn't just us not liking the hotel we paid for. She told me that a room in this hotel costs 288 yuan. I told her that we paid 988 yuan for another hotel. Sarah remembered the name of the hotel we paid for, and showed it to the receptionist.
She said the Lavande in a different town. Oh goody.
We took a time out, and wanted food. Sarah gets grumpy when she's hungry.
You know that line in The Incredible Hulk where Banner says "You won't like ne when I'm angry"?
Well, that's Sarah when she's hungry.
Next door was a restaurant, so we go in and try to order a quick meal. The cooks have finished, so that's not going to happen. Oh dear!!
Back to the 'hotel'.
The receptionist tells me, via the phone, to please wait. The shuttle will be here soon.
OK, so at last she understood, and we would be going back to that shopfront in the hotel basement who took our money.
In a few minutes, a driver arrived, and ushered us and our luggage into his van.
Can you imagine, its about 9pm, in what looks like a rural area near Shanghai airport. We're in a van, with a driver who doesn't speak English, and we have no idea where he's taking us. That last intersection had a sign to the airport, and we didn't turn.
I'd call this a 4.3 on the sphyncter scale.
After five minutes of angsting, we turn into the carpark of ... The Lavande!!
We were not expecting that.
Huge relief.
OK so we eventually arrive at the right hotel, and check in.
We never got to go up and see what the room was like in the 288 yuan hotel, but the 988 yuan hotel is not very flash. Beyond tired.
 |
| Complementary slippers, water, tissues and condoms |
This place at least has a restaurant, and its still open. Sarah gets some food. Crisis averted.
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