Somerset Software Park Xiamen

We stayed in one of the themed suites - it was a Paul Frank Monkey suite. We stayed for 6 nights, a family of 4 (4 year old and 1.5 year old). It was a 2 bedroom and 2 bathroom suite with a small tent play area, a swing & slide in the living room. The room was spacious, comfortable beds, shower and bath, your main toiletries along with cups, plates, bowls and the things you may need. The only things missing was a proper sponge for dishes. For the TL:DR - it is a great stay for families in Xiamen. Would recommend and stay here again. Service - staff were mostly friendly and helpful. We order through 'ele ma' and delivery from RT Mart, Walmart and restaurants was easy - they dropped it off downstairs and can get it. The staff don't speak much English, so if you don't have speak Chinese, there will be some barriers and miscommunication. The biggest error comes from the gym and workout service. Apparently, the gym (fitness centre on the 7th floor) is operated by a 3rd party group and won't give out basics (hand towels or body towels). Breakfast - serviceable at the very best. Mostly Chinese, but even then, it's not good Chinese food. But even the basic were not done right. The choice of fruit was limited and not refreshing. However, the cook at the back did do eggs alright. If you are wondering if you get breakfast, I would suggest getting something from the mall across the street and eat that the next morning. Starbucks across the street opens 7:30 (8am weekends) and you can get items there. Finally, a one-off thing but stuck with me, there was the "Ascott" Christmas party one night in the same room and place they do breakfast and, in the morning, the floor was sticky and disgusting. It's perfectly fine to have your Christmas party there are have fun, but at least give your employees time to clean it up properly for guests staying there. Location - The whole area around is currently under-development as they make a new subway line. You don't hear any of the noise but will see it outside the hotel. It does mean in 1-2 years time, the place will be busier. The mall (One Mall) across the street is a real blessing. It is a fully-loaded posh mall with tons of eating options. Most restaurants are Chinese but at least a dozen milk-tea and cafes, 6 or more bakeries. The Ole supermarket is loaded with imported goods but be prepared to pay a premium for them. However, with this location, you are far away from the university, Gulangyu Island, and beaches. So you will have to use a taxi or DiDi (side note - DiDi [Chinese Uber] worked very well in Xiamen, just in case you were wondering). Overall, the room was the room we stayed here and the reason we will come back. We took pictures Christmas day and many people thought we at home celebrating, it was that cozy and comfortable.