With China relaxing its borders after the pandemic, we flew to Guangzhou - our first destination over the weekend.
Our last visit to Guangzhou was in 2015. It is about time that we visit the beautiful and flourishing city.
Day 1: Arrival and Get Acquainted with the City
We arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (广州白云国际机场) on Saturday morning. We took the subway to the nearest station where our accommodation is located. We stayed at the Oakwood Premier Guangzhou (广州方圆奥克伍德豪景酒店公寓)which is like a business hotel. The hotel is strategically located in the Tianhe District - a new city centre and business district of Guangzhou. The Tianhe district is thriving with many new developments, including skyscrapers and luxurious shopping malls.
We took the subway and alighted at 体育西路站. We walked to our all-time favourite restaurant Waipojia (外婆家). A restaurant-chain across China, the branch nearest to the hotel accommodation is located at 马场路 36号 天河领展广场 6楼. The walk was more than an hour under the scorching hot - not a wise move.
After a hearty meal, we walked back to Oakwood Premier Guangzhou for check-in. Staying at Oakwood Premier Guangzhou was beyond our expectation. It is a serviced apartment and the hotel was strategically located between the old and the new Tianhe district. The concierge service is excellent and *thumbs up*
After a good rest, we explored around the neighbourhood. There are never-ending restaurants along the street. We decided to try the River Snail Noodles ( 蝼蛳粉) at 柒小螺 a food chain, made of rice noodles that are boiled and placed in a soup or broth consists of local river snails and pork bones. The smell may not be widely accepted by many, particularly tourists. You may find comments from other channels that they are stinky but to be honest, it is a little exaggeration. In my opinion, the smell is earthly. To me, the noodle dish tastes like malatang (麻辣烫). Another described as the Laksa (叻沙) in Singapore.
We found a mall - Grandview Mall (正佳广场), which is very popular among the locals and there are many restaurants.
Day 2: Modern Guangzhou and Luxury Shopping Belt
We explored the luxury shopping belt along Tianhe Road. At One Link Mall, we had TAI ER sauerkraut fish (太二 酸菜鱼) for lunch. we ordered 老坛子酸菜鱼 鲈鱼 (sea bass) and sides. In the restaurant, you can have free servings for their herbal tea (洛神花茶), made of dried roselle buds and dried tangerine peels. It is said to have the effects of beautifying, slimming and lowering blood pressure, especially suitable for women. Tai Er boasts its chewy sweet steamed white rice that is cooked using mineral water. They displays bottles of mineral water on the wall next to the rice cooker to demonstrate this. The hilarious part is that I took a bottle of mineral water, thinking that it was complimentary. The serving staff later walked to our table, informing us that the bottled water is for cooking rice, not for my consumption. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to dig hole and hide.
We visited the Taikoo Hui (太古汇), a luxury mall with global brands like Hermes, Christian Dior, etc.
In the evening, we had Chaofa Beef hotpot (潮发 潮汕牛肉店) at Grandview Mall. Chaofa is a chaozhou-styled hotpot and has more than 10 years of history. It boasts its freshly slaughtered beef within four hours before consumption to ensure its freshness. We ended our last evening with dessert at Häagen-Dazs with the mall.
On our last evening, we found a cluster of shopping malls - Tianhe Shopping Mall (天河城商业区), Tianhuan Parc Central (天环 ParcCentral), and Teemall (天河城百货) - luxury malls, located behind Grandview Mall. These malls are new additions and just like Taikoo Hui, it carries luxurious brands that you will be spoilt for choices. We are glad that we discovered this mall which was beautiful and exudes a luxurious ambience.
We found an interesting bookshop - 1200bookshop located across the hotel. The bookshop is located at the second floor of a shophouse. As you climb the narrow stairs, you are welcomed with books and messages piled up along the stairway. The bookshop exudes a very rustic ambience. The furniture and bookshelves are second hand. Benches or pews that are found in churches, mismatched furniture and bookshelves. The bookshop opens 24 hours.
Day 3: See you again!
Time flies and we reluctantly checked out from the cozy and wonderful hotel. The hotel concierge helped us to book a private car to the airport.
Guangzhou is a beautiful city and it is great to enjoy a quick weekend getaway. Hope you enjoyed our post. We hope to share more trips ahead.
Oakwood Premier Guangzhou
China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Tianhe District, 体育东路28号 邮政编码: 510620
1200bookshop
27 Tiyu E Rd, 天河中心 Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, 510620
Tianhe City Shopping Centre
48JF+W24, Tiyu W Rd, 天河中心 Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, 510620
Tianhuan Parc Central
China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou, Tianhe District, 天河路 邮政编码: 510620
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