The local person I was meeting said the Metropark is the best hotel in town at the moment and I saw no evidence to the contrary. The staff tried very hard to please and were super friendly.

My room was quite small but functional. There was a persistent smell of something like lacquer that I could not get to go away. Opening the windows was a bad idea due to the mosquitoes outside.

I explored the western restaurant buffet but settled on vegetable fried rice and brocolli at the Chinese restaraunt. I was very happy with the food I ordered and the staff were very helpful in getting me the order the way I wanted.

Quite funny to me is the beach theme at the hotel. The western restaurant is decorated in beach theme and the staff other than the front desk staff were wearing Hawaiin shorts and t-shirts.

Wireless internet was free and had adequate speed.

Would I go to this hotel or Taiyuan if I didn't need to be in Taiyuan? No. But for a place to stay while needing to be there this fit the bill.

We stayed in the Grand Metropark Wanshi Hotel for four nights in early May, having been booked there by a Chinese Travel Agent whom we know and trust implicitly.

Taiyuan is the capital of Shanxi province, a part of China known for it limitless quantities of coal and perhaps for the Grand Metropark Wanshi Hotel. It is a new and striking tower, visible from far away and set alongside a squalling main road, noisy with cars and lorries and the universal intolerance of the Chinese driver. It is not, perhaps, the best of first impressions but all that aggression is somehow lost once an army of porters greets you from the cab, gathers up your bags and sweeps you through the revolving doors.

Having arrived at 1.00 in the morning - never travel by Hainan Airlines, it is only next day that you realise the scale of the reception hall, over three floors in height with a king-sized chandelier and a distance to the lifts that makes you regret letting the cab go. The Metropark is a hotel on the largest of large scales with guests to match. Look out for pictures of the Chinese leadership at the Metropark.

The rooms match the hallway in size and quality with large bedrooms and well-appointed bathrooms. The heating works, as does the cooling, the cupbaords are large as is the television, and unobtrusive housestaff keep everything tidy from your day's visit to the local coal mine.

The public areas are equally large although only the main retaurant on the ground floor ever seems to have the minimum number of customers for financial success. The breakfast here is lavish and, as the numbers are not, one wonders what happens to the food remaining. The 'aquarium' theme in the this dining room may not be to my taste but the ceiling is so high that you may never really notice the hanging greenery. Beware of the floor which includes glass panels looking down onto the 'sea' bed. Unfortunately, there is an overwhelming feeling that you are indeed about to step into some pool, a conviction that remained for the several days I was there.

There are other retaurants for lunch and dinner, complete with attentive staff if few customers. Be patient and direct with your English or speak Mandarin as extended English may cause signs of consternation. Staff in the Business Centre are excellent.

This is a great hotel in that it is the biggest thing around; it also tries and usually succeeds, and you can't say much better than that.