Chime Long Hotel & Resort

Not advertised in English as a resort, but considering its surroundings, Chime Long's the closest thing to it.

Meaning "long dragon" in Chinese, this hotel definitely lives up to its name. Chime Long is an extensive jungle-themed property located on Yingbin Road in Panyu, a suburban district south of Guangzhou. It consists of a main hotel, a zoo & safari about 5 minutes from the hotel by free shuttle bus, and a Cirque du Chime Long arena and a theme park that are only a 5-minute walk from the hotel lobby.

The hotel contains two separate two-story atriums housing two white tigers and a beautiful assortment of flamingos, a gym, tennis and squash courts, a large outdoor pool, a sauna, snooker, and a string of amenities on the sub-level, including: an extensive game room, mahjong rooms, and a snack counter. One restaurant offers overpriced, sub-par dimsum before noon, and regular dining through out lunch and dinner, and the other offers a buffet-style dinner with a good selection of grilled meats and fish, made-to-order noodles, tasty desserts in stingy portions, and occasional strolling minstrels. The hotel also has a bar/lounge on the main level that currently features a Filipino singing duo. The game room includes 4 bowling lanes, 3 megatouch games, and an arcade room filled with racing, bobble, and shooting games.

Each room at CL hotel has a balcony, although the smoggy air outside leaves you wondering if you wouldn't be healthier staying inside. Alas, the rooms here are not smoke-free, so you never know if the previous guest in your room chain-smoked till s/he checked out (pun intended). So bring a spare pillow or pillowcase at your own discretion. Still, the touch that makes it a truly 5-star experience is the exemplary service...that's something you'd have to experience for yourself!

CL Zoo was formerly reknown for its Night Zoo, a feature that was inexplicably discontinued as of December 2006. However, for glimpses of giraffes in reconstructed Africa-plains and lions and tigers and bears (oh my!), the safari is a worthwhile stop. For an unbeatable $15 US, the zoo's artful landscaping and animals "exotic" to Westerners is admirable. Also, the zoo features an animals nursery exhibit, including (in December of 2006, at least) a baby hippopotamus, six tiger cubs (including two incubated newborns), and three (two incubated and one not) baby chimpanzees. If you visit the zoo early enough, you can pay to have your picture taken with some of these babies! Otherwise, you can have your picture taken all around the zoo with grown white tigers or camels. And I'd recommend skipping the tiger show if you've already seen one elsewhere - there's nothing novel about it.

For a real treat, pay a visit to Cirque du Chime Long instead. We were impressed by the show called "Forest Code." With the spectacular lighting and water effects, and acts like "Fairy Fly," "Colombian Wheel of Death," and "Kazak Horsemanship," the circus manages to weave a giant tapestry, combining an assortment of unrelated acts into a loose storyline. And if the story seems a bit convoluted, you can always just sit back & enjoy the slew of animals and the amazing acrobatics. Upon a rough comparison, Cirque du Chime Long tickets (approximately $15 US) are infinitely more reasonable than the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey, which charges customers anywhere from $12 to $75.

Interesting sidenote: all of CL's hotel cabs have tiger-striped seat covers.