5-Star Hotels in Jilin, China

Although the room was a bit old, the cleanliness and service were still excellent. The butler checked in with us daily, provided weather updates and information about hotel activities. They were especially attentive to safety during rainy weather and readily provided anything we needed. When our child accidentally got a bump while playing outside, they immediately sent up iodine after a phone call. The breakfast spread was plentiful and suitable for both seniors and children. It started as early as 6:30 AM, which was perfect for visiting Tianchi Lake, as many other hotels only start serving breakfast after 7 AM. Going to Tianchi early in the morning greatly increases your chances of seeing the lake, and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse. On the 17th, Tianchi closed and stopped admissions after 10 AM. The Wanda Realm Suite practically included access to all Wanda resort activities. If you visited the water park, the hotel provided a laundry room with dryers, as well as disinfectant and laundry detergent. Just be aware that there can be long queues during peak times, so plan your schedule accordingly. Regarding Wanda perks: The cable car offered incredibly beautiful views (complimentary on first stay, unlimited rides on the same day), but it only operates on clear days. Other perks included the Wacool boat ride, a choice between the slide or luge, hot springs, and the water park. The boat rides and slides are also weather-dependent (clear days only), while grass-sliding is an additional charge. I recommend prioritizing the slide/luge queue first (children must be 12+ years old and over 155cm to ride alone; otherwise, an adult must accompany them) as the wait times can be very long. You can then do grass-sliding later (it has longer operating hours and no queues). The boat ride also has long queues. We didn't get to it in the afternoon/evening, but we managed to enjoy all the most exciting activities.

The air is fresh, and the hotel environment is comfortable. The convenient mountain trail makes it feel like the entrance to the Old Mountain Gate is just a few steps from the hotel. A hotel car picked us up after we came down the mountain. Oh, and on the bus from the high-speed rail station back to the hotel, it was just our family – that kind of service was amazing! The real volcanic hot springs were a hit with both kids, especially the fish pond. The butler service was almost perfect; they went out of their way to help me with problems and various requests. We also tried all the experiences the hotel offered. If you don't want to experience the hustle and bustle of the town, are going up to see Tianchi Lake with kids and want to avoid hassle, and your budget allows, I'd say go for it without hesitation.

During my stay at the hotel, the service was excellent, especially the concierge, Xiao Hui. He was incredibly helpful, answering all our questions and taking care of every detail – a huge thank you to him! Also, the young lady at the front desk on the night shift on the 19th was very enthusiastic. However, I have to complain about the Chinese restaurant. My dad took my child there and ordered black truffle fried rice and stir-fried beef. I don't know if it was because they ordered too little, but the food never came. When they asked a female server about it, her attitude was extremely dismissive, just saying, ”Just wait!” I'm not sure if she wasn't properly trained or if she was just being selective with customers. Later, they asked a manager, who also couldn't give a definitive answer. In the end, they just ordered takeout to the room. Besides this one issue, everything else was great.

Right at check-in, we were given two warm bottles of Changbai Mountain mineral water. The room was standard, and the heating was very strong – we had to sleep with the window open. The hot springs, however, are in a separate building, and you have to walk through the lobby on the ground floor to get to them. The lobby and the breakfast area on the second floor weren't warm enough, making it easy to catch a cold after coming back from the hot springs. The hot springs themselves are communal and only have a few small pools; it's not really worth going unless you just want a quick taste of Changbai Mountain's hot springs.

1. I booked this hotel two months in advance. The hotel told me the main building had mountain views. On the day of check-in, my butler told me a room on the 2nd floor of the main building was reserved for me. However, when I arrived that evening, the front desk said there was no such reservation. The front desk staff's attitude was poor, saying the manager wasn't available in the evening. Although they eventually upgraded us to a villa, the view from the villa was terrible. The next day, the butler said he was asleep and missed my call, claiming that in Switzerland, the low-lying terrain means you can't see much of the mountains. Very frustrating. The villa faced another villa, so the view wasn't good. It looked nice from the outside, but the lighting inside was dim, and being next to the road, there was noise from passing cars when the windows were open. Yet, when checking in, the front desk still claimed the villa area was the best, saying the main building had many tour groups and was noisy. However, the outside of the villa was quite picturesque for photos. 2. The breakfast at the villa was the same for two consecutive days. The pickled vegetables looked like leftovers and tasted terrible. When we asked the female chef in the villa area if she could make an omelet, she gave us a cold, stern look and said she couldn't. Later, we found out it was possible in the main building. It really depends on who you encounter here. Most staff were very enthusiastic, but a few bad apples really spoiled the experience. 3. The hotel offers some perks, like complimentary rafting, which wasn't great due to the crowds and poor experience. The butler even admitted that paying for it would be better. But they only told us the ticket price, not the full cost. We only found out upon arrival that there was an additional charge for the shuttle back from rafting. The butlers didn't mention any of this beforehand. 4. During summer, there are tons of families with kids and many cars. The experience is really bad; it's best to drive yourself. There are no good restaurants near the resort; you have to drive over ten kilometers to Wanda Plaza or even further to a town. 5. The facilities are supposedly newer than Wanda's, but in reality, the bathroom outlet was broken, the bathtub leaked in the middle of the night, and my child's tablet couldn't connect to the WiFi, so we had to use a hotspot. It was just a mess. In the villa area, what greets you in the morning might be the sun, or it might be a freshly woven spiderweb 🕸️ and a large spider. Hope the kids don't get scared. 6. Before coming, I asked about the temperature, and they told us to bring thick jackets. Turns out, we didn't need any thick clothes at all; short sleeves were perfectly fine. I honestly feel the service is quite subpar. Although the butler asked for a good review, I really can't give one. The service desperately needs training; it doesn't meet the standard for a good review.

The room was very comfortable, and the service attitude was excellent. The location is super convenient for getting around. I'd recommend staying at Shangri-La if you're bringing kids to Changchun, especially since the children's breakfast benefit is really handy, and they even gave us welcome snacks!

Changbai Mountain family trip with kids. They were very generous and upgraded us to a suite, but we didn't get the room until 4 PM. The staff were all quite enthusiastic, but the concierge service was disjointed – lots of staff but disorganized, and they almost missed delivering one of our bags if we hadn't reminded them. There are dogs you can arrange to meet, and they are all very cute. They also gave us Wanda benefits, and the mountain coaster was a lot of fun, though we had to wait an hour in line and there were no restrooms at the top. The hotel has two hot spring pools, both very comfortable. The downside was the breakfast, which was really subpar and didn't meet Park Hyatt standards. It was a mix of à la carte and buffet. Two of the stir-fried dishes were the same for both days, and all the noodle dishes were bland. By 9 AM, some items on the à la carte menu were already gone. In summary, it was rather basic and not very tasty. Room amenities were also a downgrade. The slippers were rough and thin-soled, uncomfortable to wear. When I asked, they said these were the only kind they had. During turn-down service, they left a half-empty bottle of water by the bed that we hadn't finished. Very economical of them.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Changbaishan Hot Spring Hotel from August 25th to 27th. ✅ **Transportation:** Took the high-speed train from Shenyang Station to Changbaishan Station, departing at 09:30 and arriving around 12:00. 🏨 **Accommodation | Crowne Plaza Changbaishan Hot Spring Hotel:** The hotel provides a shuttle bus service from the high-speed rail station. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes, with stops at Hilton → Blue Sky (Lan Jing) → Crowne Plaza. The hotel is situated halfway up the mountain, right next to the North Gate of Changbaishan Scenic Area. It's only a few minutes' walk to the scenic area entrance, making its location exceptionally advantageous. 🍚 **Lunch:** There are hardly any shops nearby, so we had lunch directly at the hotel. The prices were reasonable. 🍚 **Dinner:** Not far from the hotel, there's a forest farm with a 'farmhouse iron pot stew' restaurant. If you book a meal, the restaurant arranges transportation. We ordered free-range chicken stewed with hazelnuts. The owner also recommended 'Feilong' (Hazel Grouse) and 'Linwa' (Forest Frog). 'Feilong' is indeed the Hazel Grouse, and it's said that the 'flying dragon' in the saying 'flying dragon in the sky, donkey meat on the ground' refers to this bird. 🎡 **Activities:** **Pet Paradise:** An open-air enclosure with rabbits, sika deer, alpacas, white ferrets, and sable. You can get up close to pet, feed, and take photos with them. **Blue Sky (Lan Jing) Primitive Forest Loop Trail:** Just across the road, it's quiet with few people. Along the way, you can see fallen ancient trees and wild fungi on the trees. The air is fresh, and the atmosphere is very immersive. After completing the loop, we returned to the hotel to rest. **Julong Volcanic Hot Springs:** Both Crowne Plaza and Blue Sky have Julong Volcanic Hot Springs, but you can't use the springs at the other hotel. We changed into our swimsuits, robes, and slippers in our room, then went downstairs and turned left to find the hot spring pools. Staying at the Crowne Plaza offers unlimited access to the hot springs. If you're not staying, a hot spring ticket costs over two hundred yuan per person. So, just for the hot spring tickets, it would have cost our family of three six to seven hundred yuan. The Crowne Plaza has many outdoor pools, with water temperatures ranging from 39 to 42 degrees Celsius. The hot spring water has no particular smell but leaves your skin feeling smooth. Surrounded by the forest, with fresh air, soaking for fifteen to twenty minutes makes you sweat. Then, you can try another pool. There's also a small fish spa pool where you can soak your feet, and a group of small fish will come to nibble at your feet, which is both ticklish and fun. **Butler Service:** Our butler, Yueyue, provided five-star service! From arranging the shuttle bus before check-in to confirming breakfast and various entitlements upon arrival, and offering thoughtful itinerary reminders, her service truly made our stay at the Crowne Plaza excellent value for money.

The location is central, but using the back entrance makes everything easily accessible, and it's not right on the food street, so it feels very quiet. Taking the back exit near the lollipops in the hotel lobby, and then the path in front of the big lawn, is even closer and more convenient. The overall service was excellent; every guest gets a hotel assistant. Our assistant, 7-Up, sent messages beforehand with reminders, weather forecasts, and patiently answered all our questions. We booked a deluxe twin room and got one with a mountain view. From the room, you could see the lawn, cable car, etc., offering great views. Food: Breakfast was a standard hotel buffet. The dinner buffet had grilled skewers, hot pots, and other decent options. Resort-wide benefits: They included access to the slide, cable car, water park, hot springs, and more. Everything was great, except for the long wait times for the slide. The hotel facilities are quite old, but they are clean, which is a plus. Overall, it was a good experience.

The hotel boasts an excellent location, directly across the river from the famous Floating Market and adjacent to People's Park. The lobby is grand, and you need to swipe your room card to access the guest floors. The breakfast restaurant on the 24th floor offers a wide variety of options, with fresh sushi and omelets made to order. They even have original and red date/longan flavored soy milk. Enjoying breakfast while admiring the cityscape of Yanji feels fantastic! 👍 The hotel owner is Korean, so there are many Korean tour groups – about six large groups during my stay. The room amenities are well thought out: the curtains automatically close when you leave and the power turns off, which helps maintain the room temperature. The toilet only flushes *after* you stand up. Why do I specifically mention this? Because on my road trips along the 331 highway in Northeast China last year and this year, some hotels had toilets that flushed when you sat down and again when you stood up, which felt unhygienic and wasteful. This hotel's equipment is properly adjusted from the start. The faucets are also extended; if you've done renovations, you'd know these extended spouts are specially chosen. The benefit is that when washing hands or clothes, the spout is centered in the sink, so you don't have to bend over awkwardly. The mattress is also comfortable; I didn't check the brand, but a mattress that feels this good would cost around 10,000 RMB for home use. The tatami mat is particularly noteworthy – perfectly fine for one person to sleep on. The entire room is simply and comfortably decorated. My two-day stay was pleasant and relaxing. When I checked out, the hotel manager even gave me a small gift. If the hotel wants to improve further, I think the quality of your bath products could be upgraded. The black packaging looks a bit low-end, and I preferred to use my own products because yours weren't appealing. Exiting the hotel, turn left and walk uphill for about 5 minutes, and you'll reach the North Gate of People's Park. The hotel's first-floor restaurant, Ban Dao Xue Niu (Peninsula Snow Beef), is worth trying, and you get a 10% discount with your room card.