The rooms were comfortable, with fluffy pillows, quilts instead of blankets, a modern marble bathroom, and good security including an in-room safe and card swipe instead of a key for access to your room.

The only drawback was a bit of a musty, closed-up smell, as the windows are quite difficult to open and the nonsmoking room ethos hasn't quite settled in totally here as yet.

Our reservation was handled efficiently, and a credit card was not required to confirm, as they will hold the room until 9pm and later if you advise them of a later arrival.

There are cafés and restaurants nearby to grab a bite to eat.

Taxis to the bus station were cheap, costing about $2, and are easily flagged down along the road. Make sure you have where you wish to go written down, as the drivers we received spoke almost no English.

Unfortunately, as our flight was left earlier, we missed out on sampling the breakfast.

Their website contains a great amount of information on transport, sites, exchange rates, maps, and a host of other useful information. Just have your volume button ready to be turned down ready for the kitschy music, although the site is almost worth listening to it. See www.dongwu-hotel.com.