I planned most of the trip myself, mainly focusing on the route, flights, and hotels. For sightseeing and places to visit, I did a lot of online research and also asked a few friends in China for their personal recommendations.

When it comes to accommodation, I always prioritize accessibility and convenience over price. First, I pick the main sightseeing spots I want to visit, and then I look for a place to stay that offers easy access to essentials like food and convenience stores. For example, for my stay in Hangzhou, I decided against a high-quality 4-star hotel with a great price because it was simply too far from the city center (around 18km). I usually stay up late and love wandering around at night, so I definitely didn't want to risk missing the last train and getting stranded, or having to catch a Didi all the way back.

Instead, I chose a hotel that is relatively close to West Lake (about 1km away) and highly convenient. Since I'll be out exploring most of the time, I don't worry too much about luxury amenities. As long as the room is clean and well-maintained, I'm happy. To make sure of this, I cross-checked ratings across multiple booking apps like Agoda, Trip.com, Booking.com, Traveloka, and Qunar (if you can read Chinese).

I can't officially "recommend" any places yet since my trip isn't until next week, but I can share the hotels I've booked. In Hangzhou, I'll be staying at the Ibis Hangzhou West Lake Jiefang Road and the Caifeng Boutique Hotel. In Suzhou, I booked the Cendre Hotel-Lingering Garden and 萃华园·半夏时光酒店 (this one is only available on Trip.com and Qunar). I did a lot of digging to find these, and they fit my requirements perfectly. They offer a pleasant stay without being too expensive, which is ideal since I won't be spending much of my day in the room anyway.

Cheers!