Cixi International Hotel - Cixi (China)

This week I find myself in the town of Cixi, only an hour and a half drive away from Ningbo. Its been a terribly long day but I could not go to bed without posting something for the 9 readers of Indo Dreamin! So usually when I travel I stay in some pretty run down joints in very small towns, but surprisingly today I was checked into a pretty impressive hotel. The Cixi International Hotel boasts 4 stars.

Cixi is a pretty small town from what I can tell, located in a larger province or city called Zhejiang. I am not really good with the local geography so I will leave my explanation to that. I have mentioned before how amazing the Chinese industries are in the way that they most cities specialize in certain products and other factories produce raw materials in the same area to support those products. Well Cixi is what seems to be the home appliance capital of China. So if you are looking for washing machines, refrigerators, heaters, fans, vacuum cleaners, blenders, or tosters, this is where you want to be.

The hotel lobby is pretty suave. They have a large water fountain in the middle and a lobby behind that with a guy playing a Chinese violin. The design is kind of minimalist with a western touch, as opposed to the natural eastern influence. It was quite different from the rectangular layouts most of the hotels I have seen in Cina have. The Cixi International Hotel has a more circular lobby. I should also not they were doing some heavy expansion.

I checked in quite smoothly and requested a room on the non smoking floor. That’s right, it has been 5 months since I quit smoking. I smoke a bit more green than I used to but that’s a whole different story. It has nothing to do with tobacco cravings. I am pretty much done with that for now.

The room has a sweet desk with loads of stationary on it and even a free internet connection. The Ethernet cable is tucked in the little wooden box. It is gilled with loads of pamphlets about the hotel and what is has to offer. In the corner I even saw a coffee shop style magazine rack. I have not had the time to go through any of that stuff though. Its already 11.30pm and I am looking forward to just crashing. Oh, I just saw a fax machine. Who uses those anymore? But its good to have one around.

The TV is normal. The lighting well places. There are numerous lamps and the room can be lit in a variety of ways. That is really important in a hotel you will be spending a lot of time in. You can always give the room a fresh new look when you want and set the mood for what mode you are in, work or play. The bed, looks fantastic.

And on that note, I am off. I cant wait to fall asleep. I got a crazy day ahead of me tomorrow and I have no idea what kind of dive I will be sleeping in next. I already made full use of the luxurious bath room facilities here with a full grooming session. I have been kind of a scruffy devil the last few weeks not shaving my beard or keeping my hair cut. Goodnight, and goodnight...