Famen Temple Hotel — Hotel in Baoji

We wanted to see the Famen Temple, but since it is 3 hours one way from Xi'an, our guide suggested we stay at the 5 star Famen Temple Hotel instead of driving back and forth in 1 day. The hotel seems to still be under construction, but the portion in which we stayed was gorgeous, serene, and very accessible to the Disney-world-like site that the Famen Temple has become.||||The room was spacious, with a comfortable double bed, minimalistic furnishings and lovely statuary. Unfortunately, it was missing water, missing shampoo and other toiletries. It seems that they were used by the people who had checked out before us and had not been replaced. If it matters, the entire property is non-smoking.||||The breakfast was out the back door and across the road leading to the temple. As expected, it was vegetarian. The food was not designed with Western tourists in mind, vegetarians or not. Cold sweet soup and doughy buns were all that were offered. Perhaps if the hotel had been fuller, the food would have been better.||||It is convenient to stay in this hotel if visiting the temple for religious reasons. The parking lot appears to hold thousands of cars. Check out was prolonged because the hotel staff did not know how to process credit cards. I assume as they are business longer, they will get all of the requirements (copies of passports and visas and credit cards) under control. The hotel, itself, is beautiful. Whether I would go there solely to visit the temple...

We wanted to see the Famen Temple, but since it is 3 hours one way from Xi'an, our guide suggested we stay at the 5 star Famen Temple Hotel instead of driving back and forth in 1 day. The hotel seems to still be under construction, but the portion in which we stayed was gorgeous, serene, and very accessible to the Disney-world-like site that the Famen Temple has become.||||The room was spacious, with a comfortable double bed, minimalistic furnishings and lovely statuary. Unfortunately, it was missing water, missing shampoo and other toiletries. It seems that they were used by the people who had checked out before us and had not been replaced. If it matters, the entire property is non-smoking.||||The breakfast was out the back door and across the road leading to the temple. As expected, it was vegetarian. The food was not designed with Western tourists in mind, vegetarians or not. Cold sweet soup and doughy buns were all that were offered. Perhaps if the hotel had been fuller, the food would have been better.||||It is convenient to stay in this hotel if visiting the temple for religious reasons. The parking lot appears to hold thousands of cars. Check out was prolonged because the hotel staff did not know how to process credit cards. I assume as they are business longer, they will get all of the requirements (copies of passports and visas and credit cards) under control. The hotel, itself, is beautiful. Whether I would go there solely to visit the temple...

Famensi has always been a famous Chinese Buddhist temple, but became world-famous when a decade ago, relics of the Buddha were found in a hidden treasure chamber found beneath the temple proper. The Famen Temple Hotel was built to accommodate the throngs of Buddhists and tourists who come to visit the temple and the many historical sites in the region.||||it is a superb hotel; ultra-modern with beautiful, large (almost cavernous) rooms decorated in a style that exudes tranquility and repose. (We rolled out our yoga mats; how many hotel rooms allow one to do that?) If a hotel can be described as "serene", this would be the hotel. Each room along the long hotel corridors is identified by number and a small seated Buddha figurine. Most rooms have a window seat overlooking a small garden or trees, perfect for resting, reading, or meditation. There is also a Buddhist restaurant (no meat, no alcohol) that serves traditional Buddhist meals; dinner was delicious; breakfast was more of a challenge for our non-Chinese/Japanese...