Beer cruise

The Seaworld Plaza seems to get better every time we visit, especially now that its star attraction has opened for business: the Minghua, a huge former cruise liner that sits in a pool of concrete next to the beach and is lit up at night.

The “floating” hotel has two levels out on deck for drinking and soaking up the scenery. Its German microbrewery, offering Gold, Dark and Wheat beers, is a touch of class – with the requisite price tag of nearly 50 yuan each, of course.

Early in the evening, a violinist plays on the lower deck. Yes, she avoids the Titanic theme music, and her chords waft across the plaza, providing the entire area with a sophisticated ambiance. You might forget you are in China, in fact.

After 9pm, it is the turn of an energetic and talented Filipino band, Fifth Element, to take centre stage. We can’t remember seeing one as good in southern China. They even knew how to play a few verses of CCR’s Proud Mary. The only drag is that, because they are playing where they are playing, it’s hard to keep up the tempo. Switching from Bon Jovi to soppy Chinese ballads would be a challenge for the best.
Just beneath the Minghua are some good international restaurants, including Thai, Italian, Indian, Sichuan, Cantonese and barbeque. The streets around it are filling up fast, and expanding all the time, with new eateries. It’s hard to keep up.