Hotel4Real!

If you are from Dalian or have been, you must have seen or at least heard of the Castle Hotel. Some see it as an eyesore, while others call it THE place to stay in town. I was accompanied by a local this time, so I thought it’d be a great opportunity to check out the one and only Luxury Collection hotels in Northern China.

Be forewarned, that the hotel is, as you can see, located on a hill, and taxis etc. are not allowed to enter the main gate at the bottom. We had the option to call for a golf cart (runs until 7pm) which we did a couple times, but the wait time was not short. We walked a few times and it took us 10-15 minutes each way. I didn’t mind the cardio so this didn’t bother me, but definitely work this extra time into planning your day out.

My stay at the Castle started off with a pretty “chaotic” check in experience – it was 6pm, I did mobile check-in as a (silver lol) elite member, yet the front desk agent struggled to find me a room that was ready. That caught me off guard a bit but the situation was eventually sorted out after ~15 minutes. I went up to my room and was very pleasantly surprised by what it had to offer. My room was very spacious and well-lit. I was not a fan of the posh “western” decor but meanwhile I have to say that the whole package was tasteful nonetheless. Bathroom amenities were above and beyond what I expected, with a full smart bidet/washlet available and a huge tub and sink vanity.

I expected to have a decent view but oh boy it was way better than “decent” – instead of the featureless ocean I was expecting to see, I had a view of the entire west end of downtown Dalian, the Bohai Bay and a giant bridge, which put on an amazing “light show” every single night – surely the best part of my stay.

My housekeeping lady was very pleasant as well, always smiling and proactively asked about my preferences and schedule so she can fit her service better into my routine – she even offered me water to go when I departed into the 30 degree heat – can’t ask for a better housekeeper!

The hotel also offered a wide array of dining options on-site, however I found the pricing a bit ridiculous considering the average food cost in China. We ended up eating around the city and found some awesome local restaurants for way cheaper.

Dalian was one of the first Chinese cities north of Beijing to open itself to the world, and as a result there are a fair amount of premium and luxury hotels in the bay area. Among the options though, I would still call this my favourite hotel in Dalian – it was really in its own league in the city, in that it was not only a decent luxury hotel, but also a luxury hotel with plenty of characters. Unless you hate physical exercises.

RealScore

Service: 7.0

Design and Room Size: 8.5

In-room Amenities: 9

Bathroom Size and Layout: 10

View from (my) Room: 10

Hotel Location: 6

Available Guest Facilities: 10

Food Quality: N/A

Food and Beverage Service: N/A

Executive Lounge Quality: N/A

Final RealScore: 8.40

Final RealRating: AA

Hotel is built/opened: 2014

Total number of rooms: 292

Length of stay: 3 nights

Membership level at check-in: Silver

Room type experienced: Standard Room