One of the most frequently asked questions when attending the Canton Fair is “Which hotel to stay?” Appointed four to five-star hotels of the China Import and Export Fair will be most ideal as there’s like a certified guarantee that guests will be well taken care of. However, when you mix tight budget, tight schedule, and high expectations together, the chance of getting a great place accommodation becomes slimmer.
While deciding for the best hotel to stay during the Canton Fair period, the most we could do was to trust Agoda.com, Booking.com, and TripAdvisor.com for reviews, location, photos, and main amenities. Based on the rate, room availability, and location, we selected Guangzhou Haiyue Hotel (Guangzhou Hai Yue Jiu Dian) and were not disappointed. 🙂
Read our Canton Fair experience and tips here.
Review of Haiyue Hotel 广州海月酒店 (Xinhe Street, Guangzhou, China)
Ambiance: ★★★★☆
Haiyue Hotel in Xinhe Street in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou was opened in 2010. This hotel features a 24-hour front desk and luggage storage on the first floor, 60 guest rooms and suites on the second floor, and a spa and massage center on the third floor. The design of the hotel’s entrance and reception area is very simple and straightforward.
With no frills or unapologetic hues, the simplicity of the design extends to the room which managed not to look too cheap or budget-y. We stayed in the Deluxe Room with King Bed (No Window). The bed was comfortable with clean white sheets. What I love most was the comforter that felt like a warm cloud hovering over the body as I sleep. 🙂
Everything else seemed to be in place: mini refrigerator, toiletries, television, safe, hotel room slippers, bathroom slippers, lamp, telephone, drinking glasses, bottles of water, packets of tea, water heater, air conditioner, bath towels, hand towels, and pillows.
The bathroom had a great shower with heater. The space for me was more than adequate.
Overall, the ambiance was calm and low key. The only thing I thought was missing was a cabinet or storage for our clothes. Since there’s none, we had to keep our stuff inside our luggage or hang them up by the door using the four hangers provided.
It’s also worth mentioning that free WiFi was available throughout the hotel, but of course in China, access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google, and YouTube (practically all the apps I normally use) is banned, so we used Baidu and WeChat instead.
Spa center (third floor):
Service: ★★★★★
We arrived at past midnight from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and still the hotel receptionists welcomed us with a smile. Check in and check out were done easily. The employees here keep their service standards efficient and significant. They’re really nice and approachable, the type that I feel I could just sit down with for a chat. I appreciated all their help whenever I ask for directions and recommendations on where to go or where to eat.
From our first day, I had been talking to them in Mandarin and it was only in our last day when I asked if they can also speak in English. They said yes, so I guess Haiyue Hotel is friendly and also recommended to foreigners who don’t speak Chinese. 🙂
As a three-star business hotel striving for first-class service, Guangzhou Haiyue Hotel offers free shuttle service to the Canton Fair for guests’ convenience. We noted the specified departure times in the morning and waiting times from the Canton Fair in the evening to be sent back to the hotel.
Food: ★★★☆☆
We booked the hotel room via Agoda.com and did not expect to have free breakfast coupons to be included as part of the deal. Every morning, the staff gave us the complimentary breakfast coupons to 汤上工夫, the designated dining restaurant located a few steps away adjacent to the hotel.
The restaurant looked like a regular fast food chain with bright and modern appeal. Four meal sets for selection were printed on the food coupon so we had the chance to try all of them in five days. 感觉味道一般般，没什么特色。Tastes were fair, nothing extraordinary.
Set A: Ginger Steamed Vermicelli and Black Bean Porridge
Set B: Mantou and Soy Bean Drink
Set C: Eggs Steamed Vermicelli and Porridge
Set D: Mustard and Meat Noodles
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
The price point of PhP 15,948.06 for five days of stay (PhP 3,189.61/day) is reasonable, considering that Guangzhou Haiyue Hotel is located very near the Canton Fair area (three train stations away: Line 8 赤岗—琶洲). This hotel is a good option for travelers visiting Guangzhou for both business and pleasure alike. It’s a smart choice for Canton Fair buyers and exhibitors and those who seek comfortable accommodation with value for money.
服务态度很好我很喜欢，环境也还好如果大点的话就更好了。
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
[…] is like 10 minutes away via taxicab) and the hotel offers free shuttle service back and forth. Here’s a review of this hotel for everyone’s […]
wau. all over i like this place.its very cleen and nice. i like also the food area.it seems to be really tasty food. thnx for ur review
Yeah, it really helps for hotel guests to have a convenient place to have breakfast early in the morning. Especially when you’re in an unfamiliar place, the least you want to worry about is where to eat and kick start the day. You’re welcome, Brook!
This all looks so intriguing and fun! I have never been to China but I would love to explore one day. The food is even tantalizing. Thank you so much for sharing.
There are more food reviews that I will share next time in this blog. These breakfast items were just served for the complimentary meal. 🙂
I’ve never been to China (or any foreign country for that matter) but this hotel looks nice! The rooms look very clean and the lobby area is gorgeous. I hope you had a wonderful stay. Thank you for the review!
I recommend staying in this hotel if ever you plan to go to the Canton Fair maybe this coming October. 🙂 You’re welcome, Aprill!
My cousin just moved away from Guanghzhou! I wish I would have visited him, I’ve never been to China. This hotel sounds perfect for me too, since they speak English and the free breakfast is always a bonus! Hope you had fun!
Yes, we did have fun as we had a bit of both business and pleasure in the trip. Oh China is a very interesting country. Every part of it shows a different side. 🙂 Visit it at least once!
For his job, my husband travels to Tin jin several times a year. I am going to pass this post onto him. The hotel looks really comfortable.
Ahh Tian Jin. I haven’t been there but we’re now planning to explore more of China soon. The service and facilities of this hotel are excellent as is the location.
This sound sleek a great hotel! I love to see how hotels look around the worlds it can be crazy the differences. I would have to find one that was English speaking to be able to stay at.
The staff hotel here can speak in English but I’m not sure how fluent they are at it. 🙂 But surely, you will appreciate their professional and attentive service. The hotel rooms are also well-priced. You’ll get quality and value in your stay.
I have always wanted to travel to China and Italy. Your review is very comprehensive and answers just about every question I would have about the hotel. The spa there looks amazing and your photos really capture the essence of the hotel! Thanks!
China and Italy are both too distinct in terms of culture and location on the world map. 🙂 I also want to travel to more places outside our country and love to read reviews of hotel to serve as guide. Yes, the spa area looked very nice. We didn’t get to try the service at the third floor though.
I love reading your posts because I get to learn about things that are halfway across the world from Chicago. The hotel looks like it was a fun place to stay…I would have spent the majority of my time at the spa. It is interesting to me that there wasn’t a window…I have never stayed in a hotel room without a window.
Thanks for always checking out my posts, Amanda. 🙂 We could have availed of the spa and massage service after tiring days of walking and touring, however we just preferred to sleep to recover depleted energy with zero cost wahaha. I have no problem with staying in a room without a window. It’s great to not be bothered by sunlight when you’re sleeping comfortably.
This looks like a very clean and nice hotel to stay at. I like that the decor was simple, yet still managed to appear well done and like they put thought into it. The free breakfast coupons are always helpful when traveling and I try to book at places that offer things like that. If I’m ever visiting, I will certainly be staying here.
Yup, what I like here is the simplicity and orderliness of the place. It’s located in close proximity to city attractions, the rail, and some shopping malls. Breakfast was not too bad so overall we had a good experience here. 🙂
That looks like an awesome hotel. It’s clean and modern. Definitely THE place to stay when visiting the area.
Yup. Restaurants, drugstores, the metro, and convenient stores such as Watsons, Family Mart, and 7/11 are just steps away from the hotel. You literally have to go down to the main lobby and count to 10 to get to these spots. 🙂
Thank you for the review Roch, i always find your hotel recommendation to be so useful-i’ve booked the same hotel in KL as the one you’ve stayed at before! Although i like to splurge on a luxurious hotel room once in a while, most of the time i prefer an affordable, no frills one-as long as it’s super clean then i’d be fine. This hotel looks quite nice, i’m only a bit concerned that the shower’s located directly next to the sink, eveything would be wet if i’m the one who’s taking a shower *LOL*
Awww..thanks, Mindy! This is another recommended hotel overseas. 🙂 I also prefer budget hotels when in another country since we spend most time outside anyway and the only time we go back to the hotel is late at night for sleeping and then in the morning to shower. The rooms are nicely appointed in Haiyue Hotel and the price is decent.
That hotel is gorgeous. I love how they have a nice mix of modern and old school going on in the building. The wallpaper in the room has a nice 50s feel, but the rest of the place is sleek. It think it’s really cool!
I think so, too. 🙂 This is not a bad hotel or a bad choice for Guangzhou. I simply prefer a hotel that doesn’t move at such a high pace all the time. If you don’t mind big, corporate hotels, this is a fine choice.
I didn’t even know that you went to China. Guangzhou is one of the places in China I want to visit having seen already other areas like shanghai, hangzhou and shandong. I’ll take note of this hotel the next time I go to China.
Haha I had not had the time to post or share photos on social media because Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and my other go-to apps cannot be accessed in China. Guangzhou is very interesting, surprisingly, as I once thought that it features the “provincial” side of China. Anyway, yeah, this hotel is recommended. 🙂
This looks like a great place to stay, I really love that Spa reception area – that would be my favorite spot! 🙂
For your tired muscles and feet, having a massage or spa service is definitely a great idea. If you just like walking around, know that the neighborhood in the hotel is also good. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants in the area. Plus, Haiyue Hotel is about five minutes walking distance away from the metro station, a great way to travel around the city.
I have never been to China, but this hotel and its accommodations look pretty good to me. If I am out of country traveling, I don’t need a lot out of my hotel except a good place to sleep and shower!
Same here! The logical and practical way is to stay in a three-star hotel when in China if you are tight in budget. 🙂 I heard from some relatives and friends that two to one-star hotels aren’t good places to stay in.
The hotel is very nice! And all of that food looks so good! I had no idea that access to all of those social media sites was banned in China. Learn something every day!
Haha yes, I knew that before but for some reason, I have totally forgotten about it when we were there. 🙂
That hotel looks nice! The lobby is so modern and clean looking, but I’ve never stayed in a hotel without a window in the room. That would be different for me. The food looks good, too! Of course, to get to go to China, I could do without the window.
I think it wasn’t my first time to stay in a room without windows. Hmmm I just cannot remember when or where that was. Anyway, the room was pretty cool and the ambiance was nice. Check back next time for more food posts. 🙂
omg this hotel sounds pretty fabulous. If I ever find myself in China I will be sure to check it out 🙂
This hotel is good enough for you to relax after a long day walk. The staff seemed well trained and customer-oriented. 🙂 Everyone was nice so you don’t need to worry.
This looks like a great place to stay! Even though the room looked a little small, when you travel you’re not going to spend all day in the hotel room! I liked how everything looked clean and inviting. I would love to test out the spa 🙂 Maybe one day I’ll make it to China.
The room size is acceptable and liveable as compared to the one we stayed in Hong Kong. Haiyue Hotel stands as a business hotel so I guess it should pass a certain standard to make guests feel really comfortable and not cramped. Take note of this one when you do visit Guangzhou one day. 🙂
I think the westernized hotels in china are amazing! The “chinese” food is so much different in china than in the states
Haha these were some of the staple breakfast items that are served in almost every authentic Chinese restaurant we have been to. They have different kinds of the rice noodle roll/vermicelli which we refer to here as cheung fun. 🙂
Everything looks awesome except for the television. My husband would go into cardiac arrest if I booked a hotel room with a TV that small! LOL
Haha we did not watch any TV program anyway because there are no interesting shows when we switched on the TV at night and early in the morning. 🙂
I can’t WAIT to visit China! This hotel looks really comfy and chic!
Yes, Haiyue Hotel in Guangzhou is a nice business hotel to consider. It’s close by almost everything (easy access to the city via taxi, bus, or metro). 🙂
This place looks great…it’s so elegant yet simple and the decor is so pretty!
The rooms are nicely furnished and the accessories and toiletries were always refreshed daily. Haiyue Hotel may not be a large hotel but you still get personal service and good advice from the knowledgeable staff. 🙂
Wow, what an amazing looking hotel! It looks so lovely and gorgeous! That lobby, wow
The lobby was just plain-looking but what’s important is the function. We were warmly greeted from the time we checked in to the time we checked out. 🙂 I loved staying at this hotel and highly recommend it.
Looks like a really great hotel. And the food looks amazing. I would love to stay there one day.
Yeah, I guess one key takeaway from here is that you don’t always have to stay in westernized hotels that are high-priced. Haiyue Hotel is pleasant as well. 🙂
My mom never really permitted me to go to China for various reasons but it seems such a good place with a nice hotel they have there..
Aww..she might be just thinking of your safety when traveling to foreign places far from home. 🙂 I wasn’t very scared of going to China because I know their language and culture by heart.
This looks like a really beautiful hotel, I would love to visit China some year!
Yup, everything was put together nicely assuring that you’ll have a good night sleep. 🙂
I’ll keep this in mind if ever I go to that place! I want to visit the Great Wall of China someday! .. and yes… I miss Chinese food!
The Great Wall of China is in Beijing, rather far from Guangzhou. I also hope to visit that next time to appreciate more of China’s golden history. 🙂
You giving me the itchy feet to travel. Looks great, I feel like getting in that comfy bed.
Hey, why not? 🙂 I really like learning from the world. Guangzhou is a place to go to if you love to shop and do trading for business.
Haven’t been to Guangzhou yet, but I’ll definitely take note of Haiyue Hotel when I do. It’s nice that the hotel has every necessity down (except for a closet) and for a reasonable rate. 🙂 By the way, the breakfast items from 汤上工夫 may be simple and straight-forward, but the photos made me crave! 😀 Would love to have some vermicelli rolls now~ And that black bean porridge, I’ve never had one, but it seems delish. ^__^
Affordable is probably the first word to describe the food in China. You can’t go wrong with almost anything since it’s Chinese food. Whoops, I may be bias. 🙂 Anyway, it’s safe to ask for the best restaurant recommendations, dine at the right times, and if you can, scoop up special offers that locals know about when in Guangzhou.
Looks great, clean and very comfy ambiance with light decors. This is the place for tourists but I never been in Mainland China, just in Hongkong.
If you like shopping in Hong Kong, you most likely will also enjoy shopping in Guangzhou. There are both international brands and cheap stuff in different areas and markets. 🙂 HK to GZ is just a train ride away.
The hotel looks very nice and I would love to give those foods a try. Thanks for sharing!
Certainly you can’t expect a lot from these food, but they’re fine without making you feel disgusted. You’re welcome!
What a fantastic looking hotel! The decor looks so lovely and welcoming.
Shopping, eating out, and seeing all the of Guangzhou’s sights add up on a traveler’s budget, so saving where you can gets really important. Haiyue Hotel’s rate is quite affordable compared to others in the same area. So if you’re planning to visit Guangzhou and the Canton Fair, this is a nice place for you.
I love how modern this hotel looks, I could definitely stay there.
Yeah, ambiance and design are two of the main factors in choosing a hotel.
I have never been to China, but all of this looks amazing. I am curious about the shower. There is no tub? So the shower is just in the bathroom itself? I’ve only seen that here in the US in tiny home or travel homes on wheels.
Haha yes, that is typical in Asian houses and hotels anyway. Since we have limited space, we cannot really afford to have a bath tub installed inside the toilet. Standing while taking the shower is quite the norm. 🙂
The Guangzhou Haiyue Hotel looks like a great place to stay. I would love to go up to the Spa.
Spa is a great thing to consider. Hope the price is up for the value.
This sound sleek a great hotel! I love to see how hotels look around the worlds it can be crazy the differences. I would have to find one that was English speaking to be able to stay at! Thanks for sharing!
I also like staying in hotels in different places even in the same city or country. Staycations are also constantly rated as one of the most rewarding and inspiring life experiences. 🙂
I tried to book at agoda before but never knew if they are legit because I cancelled my trip. While reading your post,it’s a good thing that they can be trusted when it comes to bookings. By the way the hotel is nice!
Hotels in Guangzhou are mostly busy during the Canton Fair season. You can use deal and booking sites like Agoda and understand the terms and conditions. Yes, Agoda is a trusted site we always use. 🙂
Wow, that room is so low key compared to what you would expect here in the States. But that spa looks pretty sweet!
China has a lot of better-looking hotels of course but staying there entails cost that we cannot afford for this trip haha.
I’m glad you enjoyed your stay, even if the food wasn’t that great. I would love to spend some time in that spa!
The good thing is that you don’t have to go elsewhere to enjoy the spa since this hotel has its own. 🙂
I have always wanted to visit Asia at some point! I forgot that most social media networks are not allowed in China. I should check out We Chat. Anyway – everything looks cool. I would love to check it out!
WeChat works fine. There are some cool and cute stickers to spice up the conversation. 🙂
What a fantastic looking hotel! The lobby is so col. The food? I would love the Ginger Steamed Vermicelli and Black Bean Porridge.
Well, it was okay but eating the same thing every day is kinda boring. 🙂
Glad to know that you’ve enjoyed your stay there. I think the price is reasonable and it’s great that they know how to speak in English
Yup, we were so happy to have had a nice stay in this hotel. Thumbs up for the service!
That’s a very comprehensive hotel review! This is really helpful for people like me who are meticulous in hotel bookings. The shuttle service is a plus points!
We did not find the same comprehensive review during our time, so I really hope to extend help to people who are deciding where to book a hotel in China.
Overall, seems to be a nice place. My fave would have to be the spa. I could spend days there, I’m sure!
The spa is great for you to have time to relax in a very busy business trip in Guangzhou. 🙂
such a good place and reasonable place to stay
Yup, you can find online deals to book in this hotel.