A single night in Shanhaiguan is enough. Few hotels take foreigners, and most are fairly modest. The town's coastal position makes May to August its busiest months, with visitors from Beijing escaping the city heat. There are one or two resort hotels which are rather far-flung, inconvenient, overpriced, and of two minds about taking foreigners. The Jiguan Zhaodaisuo, Dong Si Tiao Hutong 17 (make a right turn about 4 blocks north of the south gate; tel. 0335/505-1938; fax 0335/505-1490), is an acceptable choice, plus it provides a rare chance to stay in something approaching traditional Chinese housing, an old courtyard residence in the Shanhaiguan back streets that's been refurbished. Opened as a hotel in 2002, its rooms (¥120/$16/£8 standard room; no credit cards), which open on to courtyards are bright, cheerful, and simply furnished.
