Yadu Hotel

Was quite pleasantly surprised when we pulled up to the hotel. A Chinese friend living in Shaoxing had made the reservation, but hadn't given any details about the hotel quality. I was a little nervous since it was not a highly rated hotel on TA & no photos were published. The doorman came out immediately with a luggage cart & the front desk was fully staffed with professional staff. Their english was not that strong, but not a lot of foreigners come into town. Overall, they were quite freindly & accommodating. The hotel room was very nicely furnished in a contemporary style with nice finishes. It felt like a Hyatt-level hotel (some of the construction details aren't quite up US standards, but that's pretty common in China), we had a roomon the 19th floor with a clear (through the smog) view of the city. Service has been quite prompt (housekeeping came to pick up laundry within 2 minutes of being called & clean clothes were dropped off several hours later) & we haven't had any communication problems. Rate includes buffet breakfast. Definitely not the mega buffets featuring Chinese, Western & Japanese food that you find in the 5-star hotels in Shanghai & beijing. HOwever, a very large spread of Chinese food, including a cook making fresh eggs (easy-over). This hotel is not the best rated hotel in the city, but a very nice (& probably cheaper, we paid 400 RMB/night) alternative.