Jinguang Express Hotel Qufu Tourist Centre Sankong

In this particular part of Qufu, near the south-eastern gate of the city wall, there is a Home Inn and about four clones. The Lemon Holiday Inn is one of those spin-offs. Having stayed in the Home Inn which is the benchmark for clean, efficient hotels in China as well as this copy cat next door, I am able to give a basic comparison. We paid 168rmb for a king suite which had its own computer and free breakfast. This was better value than the Home Inn which was more expensive and did not supply breakfast. If you are familiar with the "Home Inn" chain, the room layout of the Lemon Holiday Inn is exactly the same without the bright colours. It is small and compact without being claustrophobic. The staff were initially a little hesitant around foreigners but they proved to be extremely friendly and helpful, even advising us about "less famous" tourist attractions. Many hotels in Shandong expect you to tell them if you would like your room serviced each day. Make sure you don't forget. If you are saving the pennies, this hotel offers everything you need with a C Straits Coffee Shop directly across the road and a short taxi/golf cart/public bus/horse-drawn carriage/tuk tuk trip to the Confucius Temple. There are cold drinks and a few basics for sale in the foyer. The breakfast was simple but filling - boiled eggs, fried rice and pork dumplings. If I really want to nit-pick, there are a few areas where Lemon Holiday Inn doesn't quite match its competitor. The toiletries and linen aren't quite as good and they don't supply free bottles of water each day. Inexplicably, the peep-hole in the door had been stuffed with tissue paper - obviously it had been broken and this was easier than doing repairs! The TV reception was patchy but there were several English channels and Home Inn only had one. Our room at Lemon Holiday Inn also had a proper window whereas the window at Home Inn was high and partially blocked. Overall, we had a great stay here really appreciated the local knowledge provided by the staff.