Sophia

“ Very satisfied”

Comfortable room, small but sufficient, friendly staff with English skill, good breakfast, nice amenities, close to the water, close to good restaurants, quiet. Everything you want in a hotel. Will definitely stay here again.

“Friendly modern hotel - good for an overnight stay”

The room was clean, modern and well fitted. I was only there overnight and so did not experience any other facilities. Staff were very helpful. I would recommend this hotel to a foreign business traveller visiting Qingdao.

“Somewhat quirky, affordable, retro hotel”

The temperatures in Qingdao in July can reach 100 deg. F. with a humidity level through the roof. Super clean and green city with very friendly residents. The hotel is located away from the downtown area, near the beach area. Upon entering the spacious lobby, the past and fading glory of this… more

The temperatures in Qingdao in July can reach 100 deg. F. with a humidity level through the roof. Super clean and green city with very friendly residents. The hotel is located away from the downtown area, near the beach area. Upon entering the spacious lobby, the past and fading glory of this once elegant property screams out. As you walk in, you will find two people standing just inside, on either side of the doors, waiting to greet you and help with anything you need, The front desk was attentive and helpful and there was always at least one person on duty who could speak English competently.. As with most places I encountered in China in the heart of the summer, the air conditioning is a little "gentle" for my liking, but none-the-less effective. Two elevators are almost always available with 30 seconds. During my stay, I encountered people smoking in the elevator. Although I cannot blame this on the hotel as much on those individuals, I was told that it is an unacceptable practice within their culture also. Not cool to have the elevator doors open to release a cloud of smoke! There are a couple of uninviting lounges in the lobby but even the tea is very pricey! There are also several private dining rooms available, as well as a privately run "spa" which offers a variety of massages but not manicures or pedicures. There appears to be a whole section of the hotel that is closed of for renovation.I suspect there might be additional amenities like a pool perhaps, but I didn't have time to explore them. The rooms were bright, spacious and clean with great light and good outlook/view depending on room assignment. Not all rooms have working phones, but mine had a huge, flat screen TV (which I never turned on), blow dryer and a little fridge in the cupboard below a small bar that included a plug in kettle, mugs, glasses and two small complimentary bottles of water per day. Sitting beside the sink, you will find a hot pink make-up bag containing dental and grooming products. These are complimentary, but if you take the bag, you will be charged the equivalent of a couple of dollars. There is a variety of dollar store paraphernalia scattered through the room, with a corresponding price list. Some of the items are directed to a more eroto-eclectic clientele. I found the English translated descriptions quite amusing, All the rooms I saw had somewhat unusual bathroom arrangements with an "open concept" sink/vanity flanked on either side by a corner shower and a toilet cubicle, both with virtually clear glass doors. This made it awkward to enjoy the use of either one when anyone else was in the room. The doors did not quite go all the way to the ceiling which ensured that sounds and aromas were not contained within the cubicle, but instead were allowed to circulate throughout the room for other occupants to experience. Definitely embarrassing if someone other than a close friend/partner is in the room. I might, at this point, mentioned that the culinary speciality of Qingdao is a variety of unusual shellfish and seafoods, some of which can be a little "playful" on the unsuspecting digestive track of those unaccustomed to them?! The A/C for me is critical. In my experience, every hotel in China has an energy saving system that turns off the A/C and in some cases, all the electrical power, when you are not in the room. This means that the room needs about 10 minutes to start cooling down after you return. Not my favourite system but it is what it is, and the Sophia is not exception, however, you do need to manually turn it on every time you walk in. I spent 2 rather uncomfortable days until I figured this out! The 2nd floor appears to be a dedicated restaurant that seemed to be open almost any time I went down there. It is a huge buffet style arrangement with several different stations. I would suggest exploring all before choosing items. Almost every item has a label in Chinese and a valiant attempt at English also. A note to the coffee lovers: upon entering, make a sharp left towards the windows and find a wonderful cappuccino machine. Depending on the reservation, the breakfast buffet is included, but lunch and dinner are charged to your room at the equivalent of around $15-18 per person. Not cheap for China! Taxis are readily available outside the hotel, there is a bus on the main artery right in front of the hotel and a shuttle bus to the airport is also available. There are a couple of little grocery stores, a hairdresser, and a few restaurants about a block away, and if you venture just a 10 minute walk from the hotel, you will find a bank and several other restaurants in a strip mall. Be very careful crossing the streets. Stop light are merely a suggestion! A very popular beach promenade spans a good mile and a half near the strip mall area too. As for the price, I saw a lot of different options so poke around the internet before you head over there. We had a package deal for the two weeks for 12 rooms and all included breakfast. It came to around $65/night and I would say, well worth it, even with all the little quirks.

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“Comfortable enough ”

Was a unplanned last minute stay at sophia because of the horrible experience i had at mercure laoshan hotel. Was nothing to shout about really..whatever should be there is there. Everything works well. Bed was comfortable enough.. 24 hours room service available.. Noticed that the room had a … more

Was a unplanned last minute stay at sophia because of the horrible experience i had at mercure laoshan hotel. Was nothing to shout about really..whatever should be there is there. Everything works well. Bed was comfortable enough.. 24 hours room service available.. Noticed that the room had a paper stapler and some stationery..which was a nice touch...although most of us will be working on laptops these days. After my experience at mercure laoshan hotel..this hotel is a much much better stay.

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“Good for Chinese”

People is nice and want to help and please but almost nobody speaks a minimum english... Asking for a room service can be a 3 or 4 intents and ends up with somebody coming to your room to see in the menu what you want... Location is great, by the beach and other attractions... Rooms renovated but n… more

People is nice and want to help and please but almost nobody speaks a minimum english... Asking for a room service can be a 3 or 4 intents and ends up with somebody coming to your room to see in the menu what you want... Location is great, by the beach and other attractions... Rooms renovated but not the mattress... SPA really nice but no one speaks english... AC in the limit when hot in summer... Food is good, breakfast is good... Only real problem for non Mandarin speakers is the communication... For business travelers... too many tourists... but is a hotel by the beach... You can't have all...

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