Hi

We are travelling to Shenzhen ( China ), Mainly our trip is for
shoppind at Luohu Commercial Center. We are going nuts trying to find
a good hotel not to far from the commercial center. We are looking for
price range of 40 to 80 euros per night. We have found a hotel called
century plaza Hotel at Jianshe Road, Shenzhen , We would like to know
if it is very far from the commercial place and how much would a ride
by taxi to the place.

On the other hand is there any other interesting cities for tourist or
shopping not to far feon shenzhen.


Thank you in advance

Howdy keropi-ga,

Let's deal with the hotel problem first.  The SinoHotel web site
provides a few more options.  Below are just the ones that are
mentioned being close to or right in the Luohu Commercial Center,
and within your price range of $30 - $60 (40 - 80 Euros).
http://www.sinohotel.com/hotel/city.html?cid=41

"Shenzhen is located in the very south of Guangdong Province.
Overlooking Hong Kong to the south and bordering Kowloon, this
area is commonly referred to as Hong Kong's 'backyard'."

Shenzhen Sanjiu Hotel ... $33 - $108 (44 - 143 Euros)
http://www.sinohotel.com/hotel/hotel.html?hid=484

"The Shenzhen Sanjiu Hotel is situated on the eastern side of
the busy Luohu commercial center of Shenzhen."

Shenzhen Lao Di Fang Hotel ... $27 - $82 (36 - 109 Euros)
http://www.sinohotel.com/hotel/hotel.html?hid=482

"The Shenzhen Lao Di Fang Hotel is situated in the Luohu
Commecial Centre, within five minutes walking to the Shenzhen
International Trade Centre."

China Hotels.net provides another choice.
http://www.chinahotels.net/shenzhen/empire-hotel.html

Empire Hotel ... $33 - $100 (44 - 133 Euros)

"Empire Hotel is located in the Lohu [Luohu] district, and is
adjacent to Dongmen Commecial Street and Donghu Scenery Spot."

Your choice of the Century Plaza Hotel seems to be a good one.
It appears to be around 5 kilometers from the Luohu Commercial
Center, so you could actually walk there.  This News Guangdong
"Shenzhen News" article speaks to the taxi fares.
http://www.newsgd.com/citiesandtowns/shenzhen/news/200409030047.htm

"The existing flag fall is 12.5 yuan, covering three kilometers
with 2.4 yuan for an additional kilometer."

12.5 yuan is around $1.50, so a 5 kilometer taxi ride would cost
around 18 yuan which would be around $2.25 or around 3 Euros.
Several sites warn to make sure the meter is started running
just before you get in the taxi, as overcharges are not uncommon.

Some really good tips on sites, shopping and hotels can be found
on the Asia Hotels web site.
http://www.asiahotels.com/traveltales/tt-China-Shenzhen.asp

"My visits to Shenzhen have been limited to very intense shopping
excursions at the Lowu Centre - a 10-minute walk from the [Century
Plaza] hotel."

Some places to visit from the Asia Hotels web site.
http://www.asiahotels.com/traveltales/tt-China-Shenzhen_4.asp

"Would recommend the 'China in One Day' theme park in Shenzhen
which is joined to the Cultural Village theme park for the same
entry price."

A few more places to visit.
http://www.asiahotels.com/traveltales/tt-China-Shenzhen_12.asp

"While in Shenzhen, I visited the Windows of the World Park, the
Chinese Folk Village Park, and the China Minature Park."

For shopping, here is another comment.
http://www.asiahotels.com/traveltales/tt-China-Shenzhen_2.asp

"Must go: DongMen Shopping District ..."

There is the North Huaqiang Shopping Street as well.  From the
ChinaPlanner.com web site.
http://www.linktrip.com/shopping/shp_szn.htm

"It gathers 47 plazas, over 3,400 stores and over 20 large
specialized markets ..."

Some notes on some of the above from a person who went in 2002.
http://www-db.stanford.edu/~manku/hongkong/trip2002.html

"Chinese Folk Culture Villages (CFCV): The entrance fees was 85
RMB in cash. Credit cards not accepted. CFCV showcases twenty-four
ethnic villages and fifty-six nationalities' social customs.
...
Windows of the World (WoW): The entrance fees was 120 RMB in cash.
Credit cards not accepted. WoW is a pretty big theme park with
miniature-sized replicas of several buildings from all over the
world."

Notes by Julia Lai on Dongmen.
http://jmsc.hku.hk/jmsc6001/pages/people/Dongmen.htm

"In fact, it has got to be one of the Hong Kongers' favourite
places to spend a day in Shenzhen, if not the Lo Wu Commercial
Centre."

You might want to read in detail some of the web page above.

A few tips that I learned from my trip to Fuzhou.  Always have
your hotel card that shows their address in Chinese.  Always do
the same with your destinations.  Watch out for pickpockets and
for counterfeit money.  Drink lots of water, and only bottled
water.  Be careful about it, but eat the local food.  Good stuff!
Most of all, have fun!

If you need any clarification, feel free to ask.


Search strategy:

Google search on: Luohu Commercial Center
://www.google.com/search?q=Luohu+Commercial+Center

Google search on: Shenzhen taxi OR cab
://www.google.com/search?q=Shenzhen+taxi+OR+cab

Went to Hong Kong, Fuzhou and Guangzhou just over a year ago, so
I have a general feel for the land.

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

Thanks for the 5 star rating and nice tip, keropi-ga.

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

There are many places you can stay for the price you are looking to
pay. Shangrila, Century Plaza, Sunshine Hotel...

Shopping in Luohu Commerical Centre is pretty good. There are shops
now selling real product, not just copies. A US optical company is
also opening a shop there. You can also shop in other parts of the
city. If you use the subway you can get off at each stop after the
Luohu station and find your self at other major shopping centers.

You do not need a taxi from Century or the Shangrila to get to Luo
Commercial Center since they are walking distance. A taxi from
Sunshine hotel should not cost more than 12-15 RMB.