SShoulaicaiFirst, I give Tongling, the destination of this National Day travel adventure, a 90! It was uncrowded and beautiful, and aside from a few rainy days, everything else was smooth and comfortable.
Location: The hotel is located within the Tongling Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area, a 30-minute drive from downtown Tongling (Wanda Plaza) and a 40-minute drive from Liqiao Water Town. I didn't visit Yongquan, but it's certainly inconvenient to stay here without a car.
Environment: Phoenix Mountain is a 4A-rated scenic area, but it seems undeveloped. At least from the scenic area, the mountain view from the window wasn't as expansive as I'd imagined; it was still covered in dirt. However, the only noteworthy attraction within the scenic area, Phoenix Mountain Coffee, is definitely worth a visit.
Facilities: I booked a family room with friends. The master bedroom had a king-sized bed and a bathtub (with disposable bath bags) and a 58-inch TV. The bed was incredibly comfortable, and perhaps I was just tired from driving, so I slept exceptionally well.
Service: Parking is free when driving in and out of the scenic area. The hotel, scenic area, and the mountain cafe seem to be under the same management, so the service was quite good. However, for a room over 700 yuan during the National Day holiday, we arrived at the restaurant around 8:20. The included breakfast, consisting of rice porridge with a pot of rice, scattered cutlery, some empty side dishes, and frozen buns, was a bit less than ideal. Luckily, the aunt later told us they also had wonton noodles (I can only give them a bonus for being warm and freshly made).
The final interlude was that it took about 20 minutes to walk from the main entrance to the Phoenix Mountain Cafe. On the way back, it was raining, so we stopped a scenic area bus halfway. It was an undeveloped area beyond the cafe and the acacia trees. They charged me 10 yuan per person for a two-minute ride to the entrance. I wasn't very happy with it, but otherwise, it was pretty good.
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