We booked Crystal Orange Hotel (#1 in tripadvisor for Hangzhou) for 2 nights through C-trip, and did not noticed the fine print that the reservations will be automatically cancelled by 5pm.

As it turns out, our train arrived in Hangzhou at 4:30pm. The distance between the train station to Crystal Orange is about 15 mins.....but we waited more than half an hour for a taxi. Upon arrival at Crystal Orange Hotel, we were told our reservations were cancelled, and the hotel was full for the day. The reception suggested Holiday Wuyang Hotel (ranked #79 in tripadvisor) which is directly opposite Crystal Orange Hotel. We decided to stay here for 1 night, before checking in Crystal Orange Hotel the next day. As it turns out, we ended up paying marginally more (CNY30) for Holiday Wuyang...and definitely less value for money.

The location of the two hotels are similar, off the hustle and bustle of Hangzhou central, but walking distance to the west lake.

Unlike Crystal... more