The China Hotel has two good antidotes to a long, hot summer's day
If you are a trader of some sort – which most business visitors to Guangzhou are – you are inevitably spending long days traipsing through showrooms or visiting factories. By about 5:00 pm, your throat is usually starting to yearn for some cool liquid to be poured down it, preferably of the alcoholic variety. But it is not enough to be sitting somewhere less than wonderfully comfortable when this moment arrives, especially at this time of year, when Guangzhou can be hotter than a furnace, and one in three local establishments that promote themselves as an "international" entertainment venue don't understand the importance of putting beer in the fridge a few hours before the doors open.
It is at such times that the China Hotel is worth every cent of its comparatively high-priced drinks menu for the sheer escapist pleasure of its two main bars.
The newest, just off the lobby and obviously named after the piano in its midst, is a quick and quiet place to grab a first drink of the evening, especially if you are coming in with a business acquaintance who doesnít have much time to spend in idle chit-chat. The chairs are comfortable, the service efficient and the ambience relaxing.
Just up the escalator on the first floor (or second, as they call it on the mainland), is the place to while away the rest of the evening. The Champagne and Cigar Bar, a creation of the previous general manager, Rauf Malik (a legend on the cityís F&B scene), has a funky dÈcor and a vivacious trio from the Philippines that stand out from the usual fare in Guangzhouís nightlife listings.
The nice thing about the barís layout is that you can sit in the cigar section and smoke up a cloud without bothering the rest of the barís patrons, while at the same time staying within earshot of the band. The Ashanti Company, which imports the stogies, knows its stuff and you can get the best Cubans available in China here.
All in all, it is probably the best place to loosen your tie after a hard day in the field – and even better if you only have to take an elevator to be in your bed.
China Hotel 中国大酒店
Liuhua Lu 流花路
(86-20) 8666 6888
www.marriotthotels.com/CANMC
