A rather unfortunate fact: My favorite part about my mini-holiday to Dandong was the hotel I stayed at. Crowne Plaza Dandong was probably one of the best things I’ve ever treated myself to. This is not a slight on Dandong (the town was fun), but Beijing has been rather rough on me. I think I’ve only recently began to realize how much I needed to get away, and staying here has been one of the most pleasant outcomes for things I wasn’t expecting. In fact, I am enjoying my last few moments of Dandong at a dessert cafe in the lobby of my hotel. Here, they have rather decent (above China average) Wi-Fi and homemade ice cream. The staff is so friendly and helpful. I love our doormen, who call cabs for us twice a day, open the doors for us, and greet us upon our return with “Hui lai le, Yueh xiaojie?” I love the travel service guys who kept our bags and shoes nice and safe for us. I love the pool, accessible only through the locker room, which had amazing shampoo, conditioner and lotion (and flowers and hair dryers), and its Nemo float. I love the beds, which had pristine white down comforters and pillows. I love how clean I feel here.

And now I have to leave. I will return post-hard seat with a sore ass.