Planning - Guangzhou with toddlers

Hahahaha... Konon nya tak nak travel sangat.

So we have ditched our Plan 1 i.e. to visit Bogor Indonesia.

A couple of days after tabling our 2018 plan (earlier post), I came across the advertisement of Chimelong Park, Guangzhou. Perhaps, google bots have discovered our interest and pushed the advertisement on us. I've made a quick reading on Guangzhou, other places to go and the food to try. Apparently, Guangzhou is actually a good place to go for family with kids. Here are some highlights which made us did the flight and hotel bookings.

1. For Kids: Chimelong Park. (website)

Apparently, there is not much coverage or write up for the park. But I've read through the comments on TripAdvisor and search for videos on youtube. The safari park looks very interesting. There is an open field for the animals to roam and we could see them from the cable car or riding the train.

The entrance fee is pretty steep, but that is the price you pay for any theme park. Instead of seeing a couple of Panda at the Zoo KL, we rather see the whole Panda family in China. How nice. I've also read about the Dinasour Park in the area.

I've read about the hotel and the breakfast setting i.e. the breakfast lounge is next to the white tiger cage. But the price is quite expansive and it is further out of town. Since food is not halal (I've emailed the hotel), we can't have breakfast there. And it could be difficult to find dinner and lunch near the hotel. So we skipped with the plan of having a night stay there.

2. Shopping

It is known that Guangzhou is shopping heaven. I've seen advertisements on Guangzhou shopping trips for business. Hence, the place is very ideal for shopping. Plus, there is a 5-level toy mall where you can buy any kind of China-made toys. There are imitation toys as well.

3. Food

Halal food outlets are plenty. There is one very near to the toy mall and others near the main area of the city center.

But what attracts us the most is the Lanpu Lu Friday Market. It's a Muslim street food pop-up market on Friday afternoon - around the Friday prayer time. Plus, Lanpu Lu street is just behind Guangzhou Central Mosque.

Due to this event, we have booked the nearest hotel in the area. We plan to walk to the place on Friday and enjoy the food. So we have booked the China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel, Guangzhou. Not too expensive, suitable for its central location.

4. Hotel (website)

Yes, we have booked the Marriott Hotel. Apart from its location near the Mosque and the Friday lunch market. Here are other reasons why we opted for the hotel:

• The hotel is right on top of a subway station, so it is easy to travel around. 
• There is a huge Yuexiu Park across the road from the hotel, the park can be very useful. When traveling with kids, having a huge green park is really an advantage. On days when the kids just need to run around, you can bring them to the park while we enjoy the weather. Plus, there is also an orchid garden nearby. Just next to the mosque.
• It is located less than 5km to the nearest shopping district, in this case, we are concentrating on the leather market.  As mom wanted to buy leather handbags, it is not too expensive if we need to hire a taxi to the hotel in case the kids are too tired after waiting for the shopping session ends. Plus, mom can actually enjoy shopping alone if she has to travel to the place by herself.
• There is a Starbucks and 7eleven in the same building as the hotel, so midnight snacking will be settled. Plus, there is a halal restaurant just across the road. So eating around the hotel is acceptable - in case the kids ill, we can sufficiently fed.

So see you Guangzhou in 2 months... Yes, we are going in early March, hope to catch the start of the spring season.