I booked the "river view" room on the 13th floor and obviously, I stuck gold after cranking my head from my room window, looking down to the raging water roaring through the river in the center of the city street. When I said "raging" water, I meant cascading flows that echo through the entire city block. I had seen such terrain in Switzerland before but this is more impressive.
So "location" is the biggest merit and I would recommend never sparing the money in exchange for the river=side room. Plus, the hotel is looking against the famous "Love Song" Plaza of KarnDin City. For those who wonder what the big deal is about the "KangDin Love Song". For starters, it is a part of the Chinese growing-up song that is deeply entrenched in education, for even a person raised in Taiwan, let alone ethnical Chinese in the Mailand. It is more like a pilgrimage than touring that brought many to the city.
The smaller plaza right in front of the hotel lobby begins to gather impromptu dances at about 8 pm (Beijing time, local time ~ 6 p.m.). I admire the local Tibetans of all ages whose spontaneity sways with the music. The hotel doorman told me that yes, there were Han tourists also in the troupe, but you could usually tell them apart because they were the awkward-looking ones.
I have no complaints about the service, and I appreciate the enthusiasm the front desk people show when I try to gather information.
One more thing before I leave: if you are tired of the summer heat, Kangdin is the city you want to come! In late June, the daily high is 12 C!
The travel to the city has made extremely convenient by the recent completed Highway 42--an incredible feat of tunnel engineering in the world.
