Hotel Bintang 5 di Shandong, China

My kids and I spent a week in Qingdao and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It turned out to be a lovely getaway. The room was clean, well-stocked with everything we needed, and offered a stunning ocean view—plus, we were treated to fireworks every evening right from our window, which was a magical touch. Breakfast was available every morning with a good range of options; we appreciated the variety. Room service was a hit with the kids—they couldn’t get enough of the spaghetti bolognaise and popcorn chicken! I personally enjoyed the club sandwich and the beef noodles. We devoted an entire day to the water park, where the kids had an absolute blast. Although some parts of it could use renovation, it didn’t dampen our fun. One of our favorite activities was cruising around the resort on four-wheel e-bikes—it felt like a private adventure since much of the area was quiet and fairly abandoned, but that added a special charm. The beach is also just across the road, so you can go play in the sand at any time, there are also some men who offer horse and jet ski rides right on the beach. The beach also isn’t too crowded. The only drawback was the resort’s location. It’s quite far from most of Qingdao’s main attractions, so every excursion required at least an hour-long Didi ride. Still, the experience was well worth it, and we genuinely enjoyed our stay. We’d absolutely return again.

We had such a wonderful stay! The location is absolutely perfect—having the May 4th Square Metro station right outside the front door made getting around so easy. It’s also great value for the price. Everyone on the staff was so kind, but a special shoutout goes to the housekeeping team. They were so attentive and even left us a sweet little note in our room, which was such a lovely touch! We’re already looking forward to staying here again on our next trip to Qingdao.

Great hotel with an excellent location and delicious breakfast. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, especially Alina at the front desk, who provided outstanding service. Highly recommended!

The first room we were allocated had no electricity, but the staff were quick to rectify this oversight. We were upgraded to a better room, and had free breakfast and dinner at the hotel. Our bathroom had a somewhat unpleasant odour, most likely because it had poor ventilation. However, I was very pleased with the quality of the hotel overall, and the soft bed ensured a good night’s sleep. I was particularly impressed with the excellent customer service. The attentiveness of the hotel employees more than made up for the initial setbacks. The Crowne Plaza is a good choice for those looking for easy access to the city nightlife and a nice view of the bay.

Room is relatively big. Got the city view twin bed room. The bed is bigger than a single bed, probably twin sized bed. The room is in the old wing but at least it doesnt feel old and surprisingly quite a pleasant stay. Valley wing is the newer side. This hotel seems to be a popular conference hotel. In my 4-5 days staying there, there was always a conference held in the hotel. The hotel has larger taxis which can take 5-6pax. The taxi goes by meter so was reasonable. The hotel is very conveniently located, next to MixC shopping mall. There are many restaurants in the shopping mall where we had dinner. There were also many bakeries and a supermarket in the mall. There is also the usual mc donalds, starbucks and luckin coffee. There was also a new songmont shop that recently opened in the mall. For breakfast, there is a lane behind the hotel where we tried the dumplings and noodles for breakfast/brunch. Good price, around 100yuan for 5 pax. Cheap and good.

Overall the hotel staff and service are 4 star. What makes the hotel 5 Star are the rooms and facilities. It is clean, safe, and well maintained. To be fair, I did arrive in early April during the off-season but I was not impressed with the service provided. Staff was consistently difficult to find, or would be crowded all in the lobby. Check-In and Check out was easy and the staff are very nice. International guests be aware, few to no staff speak English or communicate in any other language. The breakfast was not good. Cold and hard food, empty plates, drinks and foods not being refilled, and then having the lights turned off after breakfast was finished being served. Few selections, mainly cheap foods and breads. There are no staff outside, during my time there. No bell hops, no one to guide you to the front desk (Because it is not easy to find at first), no one to help with your luggage. A single staff member stands at the front of the lobby after you enter to greet you. Positives - The room was spacious and very clean. It had most things I needed and the quality of the room and bathroom was excellent. The balcony looked over the courtyard and the ocean which people can see you if you go out but was a nice addition. The island the hotel is on has everything close by and most taxis/Didi’s will pick you up within five minute The area has been developing for many years and is getting better each year. The Qingdao Beer Festival ground are close by (about 30 minutes drive) during the summer, but most activities are in the city about one hour drive away for the rest of the year. For this hotel, the room and facilities are the focus as they are well taken care of and maintained. I am not sure if I would return.