Sleep on a Five-Star Cruise for Just 299 Yuan, Have Afternoon Tea in a Castle, and Eat Hotpot with River Views: A One-Day-One-Night Trip

Lao Bei set off again with her mom! Although we couldn't travel abroad this year, my mom and I, who absolutely love to explore everywhere, couldn't resist the urge to go out. Taking this opportunity, we decided to travel across our motherland's beautiful landscapes. After a weekend trip to Sanya by plane and a road trip in Sichuan, my mom and I changed our mode of transportation this time—we took a cruise to explore around Chongqing! Because my mom has always wanted to ride a cruise.

The cruise Lao Bei took this time was an overnight trip aboard the M.V. series, which has been operating on the Yangtze River since 1993. It's an international brand, a five-star luxury cruise. So there's no need to worry about quality and service—it's comfortable to "sleep."

The most unique part of this cruise is that the entire journey doesn't backtrack: we set off by boat and returned by land. This is a new "cruise + land" dual-mode tourism concept launched in Chongqing. It's also the first water-land dual-mode tourism route product in Chongqing themed around "environmental protection"!

Simply put, after the cruise reaches its destination, we disembark to explore the scenic spots, then take a bus back to Chongqing. In the past, cruises would stop somewhere, allow a few hours or half a day of sightseeing, then return to the boat to sleep and retrace the route. With this model, you can enjoy the comfort of a five-star luxury cruise, view the night scenery, and explore the outskirts of Chongqing—how clever! My mom was very satisfied.

About the itinerary and price:

Day 1: Eat at Peijie Hotpot in Raffles City, board the M.V. cruise, attend the captain's welcome party.

Day 2: Disembark, take a bus to Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town, have afternoon tea in a castle (optional: visit Wulong).

Boarding location: Chaotianmen Dock 5.

Boarding time: 18:00–20:00.

Departure time: 21:30.

Departure frequency: Daily.

Per person cost: 299 yuan/person (limited to purchases before August 31, 2020; may be reserved and used before October 31, 2020; daily departures).

Package includes: Private balcony river-view cabin, cruise dinner (Western + Chinese buffet), captain's welcome party, chartered bus to Fuling Red Star Town, morning coffee, morning tai chi, afternoon tea in the castle.

Booking method: Available at all major travel agencies in Chongqing.

Food—Eat Old Hotpot with River Views

Since the boat departs at 21:00 each night, you can first explore Chongqing's landmark—Raffles City—and have a "trendy" hotpot dinner.

When I booked the M.V. cruise product, the staff told me the cruise departure time was 21:30 and they had partnered with Peijie Hotpot to offer a "fan benefit": a 20% discount on dishes.

To be honest, I had never eaten at Peijie Old Hotpot because there's always a long queue. This time, not only could I eat there, but I also got a discount—what a deal!

And Peijie Old Hotpot is located on the 2nd floor of Raffles City, at the confluence of the two rivers, offering a 270° river-view dining experience. Eating hotpot while watching the night scenery—absolutely fantastic.

Peijie Old Hotpot's reputation speaks for itself. Besides eating, you can also buy some hotpot base as a gift for out-of-town friends.

By showing your M.V. cruise booking confirmation, you can enjoy a 20% discount.

Restaurant name: Peijie Old Hotpot

Address: 108, 2nd Floor, Chaotianmen Raffles City

Transportation: Take Line 1/6 to Xiaoshizi Station, Exit 8, then walk 610 meters.

Parking: 5 yuan/hour (Raffles City)

Price: 20% off for M.V. cruise passengers (valid until October 31, 2020).

Sleep—Five-Star Luxury Cruise

We actually arrived at the dock in the afternoon, boarded the ship first to store our luggage, then went ashore to eat hotpot. I have to say, the view from the ship was amazing. On the deck, you can take a close-up photo with Raffles City. I think there's no better place than the cruise to get a close-up photo with it.

The cruise has six floors. The 1st floor is for staff; the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th floors are guest rooms, entertainment, and dining areas. The 6th floor is the outdoor deck area.

The M.V. cruise ticket is all-inclusive. Once on board, you have access to all public facilities at no extra charge.

Of course, if you want to play mahjong in a river-view private room, get a full-body SPA, receive Chinese medical treatment, or have a special cocktail at the bar, that comes at an additional cost.

A cocktail makes the night even more enchanting.

Every floor is fully carpeted, with patterns of fish swimming joyfully in a blue ocean—vivid and cute.

On the 4th floor, there's a rest area with some books, including foreign-language ones. I later learned these books weren't provided by the ship but were donated by travelers from various countries after their trips. Many are originals not available in China. So the M.V. is also an international community and a venue for cultural exchange between Chinese and foreigners.

Safety measures on the cruise are reassuring: life jackets and fire-fighting tools are available on every floor.

The window displays mainly feature traditional Chinese culture, giving a strong sense of history and culture.

The M.V. cruise has six decks and 189 rooms, including 149 standard rooms, 35 executive suites, 3 luxury suites, and 2 Shangri-La suites.

I really like the large mirrors in the corridors—they let me freshen up anytime and stay looking good every day.

The water delivery service in the corridor is also considerate.

Anyone with cruise experience knows that ship cabins are not very large. But every space is used wisely for a reasonable layout. As long as it's clean, hygienic, and comfortable, that's enough.

The rooms have private balconies and are equipped with photocatalytic oxidation air purification devices—a first for Yangtze River inland cruises.

Having a balcony on a cruise is so important! Enjoying the summer river breeze and the night views of the two rivers is very relaxing. And if a couple wants to decorate the room, the ship can provide that service too—a little touch to make the room romantic.

What I cared about most on the ship was whether there was a gym, because I exercise every evening. So I specially brought a pair of lightweight sneakers. After all the eating on board, I could work out to burn some calories. The gym is small but free.

There's also a beauty and hair care area on the ship.

Massage chairs in the corridor.

The cruise has two restaurants on different floors. The smaller one is for guests staying in executive suites and above, but other passengers can upgrade their dining.

The Western meal includes salad, soup, meat, and dessert served sequentially. Of course, it's also paired with Chinese buffet dishes like curry chicken.

And everything is included in the all-inclusive price, with no extra charge.

The dining areas are large enough to serve hundreds of people at once.

The cruise specially hires master chef Walter Stey to design the dinner—a Western buffet.

At 21:30, the ship departed amidst the gorgeous night scenery of the two rivers.

Life on the ship had just begun. A lively captain's welcome ceremony made everyone excited for the journey.

After the show, I had some cocktails at the bar, jogged for half an hour in the gym, and then returned to my room to sleep.

At 6:00 AM, there was early morning coffee and tai chi on the deck. Early-rising passengers could also stretch their limbs on the deck while enjoying the river breeze!

Play—Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town

The next morning, we arrived at Fuling. A free shuttle bus from the dock took us to Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town, the "Foreigner's Street" in the memories of Chongqing's post-80s generation. After it moved, it's now on the west bank of Lixiang River in Linshi Town, Fuling—an enlarged version of "Foreigner's Street"!

I've been here many times, always for the food. This time was no exception—afternoon tea in a castle.

This is the most popular attraction in Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town. The entire homestay is white, built in the shape of a castle, and many netizens call it "Santorini's Chongqing branch."

I had long wanted to visit this castle, but the rooms are very scarce—only nine in total. So on weekends, it's hard to get a room. Coming for afternoon tea was a good alternative.

The castle is surrounded by coconut trees, and many beautiful young ladies like to take photos at the entrance.

Each room in the homestay is marked with a famous world fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, Alice, etc. The top floor room is called The Little Prince. If you have time, you can choose to stay overnight (room rate self-paid, starting from 188 yuan per night).

Besides this castle, another reason I love going to Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town is the food in the scenic area. 1-yuan bread/steamed buns, 10-yuan buffet, 4-yuan noodles/rice noodles, 5-yuan Ferris wheel ride—it's the most modest scenic area in all of Chongqing, without a doubt.

[1] 1-yuan bread/steamed buns

These can be called the most historic, famous, and beloved hit food No. 1 in Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town. After the pandemic, they introduced a giant steamed bun 50 cm long, 10 yuan each, weighing about 1.5 jin (750g), filled with brown sugar. This new handmade bun is 50 cm long. Four buns linked together are taller than a person. The steaming tray that could originally steam five large buns can only steam one of these. It weighs about 800g, nine times the size of an ordinary steamed bun. One bun can provide breakfast for a family of three for three days!

As soon as it opens for business every day, there's always a line. I've never seen that window without a queue. The 1-yuan bun weighs no less than 300g. It's been sold for 12 years, and the price has never gone up!

I've never seen anyone buy just one—they buy several and pack them in a big bag. Of course, the 1-yuan bun/bread is limited to five per person per purchase, because they're freshly made daily, so everyone gets a chance to try this great value. Besides the 1-yuan buns/bread, there are also various flavored stuffed breads, cream cakes, durian puffs, red bean cakes, egg tarts, meat floss cakes, donuts, etc. The most expensive I saw was only 12 yuan each, and the milk tea that day was 4 yuan per cup. Through the glass window, you can see the production process. I feel like 5 yuan could cover a family's breakfast for a week.

[As low as 1.8 yuan per jin of noodles] Since we're here anyway, we might as well stock up on some "dry goods" to take home. The legendary factory-direct price, with no middleman markup—isn't that what they mean here?!

In this big factory, you can watch the food production process with your own eyes, and at the same time, they sell directly in the same big factory. I sincerely recommend the 1.8 yuan per jin noodles—they can be boiled for a long time without becoming mushy.

I really enjoy buying food in this big factory. I bought several items to try at home, and every one was excellent. I also bought 12-yuan cans of pickled vegetables, which are perfect for sandwiches in the morning. For larger families, value packs are available. Along with noodles and pickles, there are also brick-shaped dried tofu at 2 yuan per piece.

They also produce various sauces—it feels like they've stocked my whole kitchen. I found the joy of supermarket shopping here.

They also cater to snack lovers: crispy sesame twists, cookies, small cakes, fried cakes, sacha cakes... egg rolls, crispy peanuts, peas, broad beans, return biscuits, peach crisps... straw cake, spiced peanuts, egg glutinous rice cakes, Jiangmi sticks, egg and sweet potato crisps... Aren't these the snacks we secretly ate as children?

[15 yuan per jin of freshly fried crispy pork] The 15 yuan per jin freshly fried crispy pork once again makes people queue willingly. Where else can you eat such cheap crispy pork these days?

I always feel that selling freshly fried crispy pork at 15 yuan per jin is a loss. Besides crispy pork, there are also freshly fried small fish at the same price.

This row of snacks, besides freshly fried crispy pork, also includes rice noodles, noodles, and hot and sour rice noodles—all at 4 yuan for 2 liang (100g). Cabbage and pork dumplings are also 4 yuan for 2 liang. I bought a bowl of rice noodles and it tasted pretty good.

After eating and shopping at Fuling Meixin Red Wine Town, we took a bus back to downtown Chongqing, ending this bountiful one-day-one-night cruise trip.

Play—Wulong Optional

Of course, the M.V. cruise I took also offers an optional city + cruise + Wulong package. This is very suitable for out-of-town tourists. Not only can you enjoy the five-star cruise experience described earlier, but you can also check out the most famous internet-famous spots in the city, such as Liziba Light Rail Station, the Great Hall of the People, and visit the filming location of Transformers—Wulong:

Liziba Light Rail Station:

After arriving at Fuling by cruise, you take a bus to Wulong's most representative scenic spot—the Tiankeng Difeng National Geopark.

Registration method: Available at all travel agencies and e-commerce platforms. (Note: For out-of-town self-guided tourists, you can also register on e-commerce platforms.)