A Spontaneous Trip to Qingdao During the October Golden Week
During the short holiday, my husband and I decided to have a great time and truly enjoy our own couple's world. We came to this beautiful coastal city. After a quick look at the itinerary, our first stop was going to be Qingdao Forest Wildlife Park. We drove to the pre-booked Blue Ocean Junhua Hotel, which is very close to the park. Reading the reviews, we were really looking forward to the stay. As soon as we stepped in, a young lady came up to take our temperature and check our health code. The hotel took pandemic prevention very seriously. She then led us to the front desk to check in. The lobby was even more beautiful and grand than in the photos.
The front desk lady was very efficient; within two minutes, she had our room ready and even asked about our preferred floor. Then a young man helped carry our luggage and escorted us to the room. On the way, he introduced the hotel's facilities and mentioned the buffet. My husband and I said in unison, 'Let's have the buffet for lunch!' Once in the room, the gentleman explained all the amenities. As soon as we put down our bags, our stomachs started growling—maybe because he had just described the wide variety of dishes and it triggered a conditioned response! Haha, anyway, we couldn't wait to go down and eat. We went to the Blue Diamond Buffet Restaurant. Luckily, it had just opened, so there was no queue. As soon as we entered, we were dazzled; it felt like the food stretched out endlessly before us. Every station was so tempting that we didn't know where to start.
I'm a big seafood fan, so I started with a spicy hot pot, ready to cook some seafood. The variety was so huge that even taking just one piece of each filled my plate. My husband went for his favorites—salmon, steak, and roast duck. You can really indulge in seafood here, and the servers were very attentive, constantly clearing our table and checking how we liked the food. To our surprise, with just over 100 yuan, the salmon was unlimited—we felt this meal was an absolute steal. For us, traveling means finding good food at a good price is the real deal. After eating and drinking our fill, we got ready for the next stop: Qingdao Forest Wildlife Park. Before we even left the restaurant, I called a cab. The transportation in this area turned out to be so convenient—within a minute of booking, a driver accepted. We hurried to the hotel entrance and the car was already there. Half an hour later, we arrived at the park, and the moment we entered, we were amazed.
Qingdao Forest Wildlife Park is located in the Xiaozhu Mountain Scenic Area. It's a large-scale comprehensive theme park that combines wildlife exhibitions with scientific research, dining, and entertainment. It is also designated as a national AAAA-level scenic spot. The park is divided into a beast area and a walking area. In the beast area, tigers, lions, wolves, bears, leopards, and other fierce animals roam free. A kilometer-long elevated sightseeing bridge winds through the valley. Walking on the 5-meter-high bridge, you can look down on the beasts roaming the forests and grasslands, and easily observe them hunting, fighting, and resting. In the walking area, there are African animal free-ranging zones, Asian animal zones, a parrot paradise, a giraffe pavilion, a giant panda house, an orangutan house, a hippo house, a waterfowl lake, a small animal park, and other attractions where you can see all kinds of animals. You can also hand-feed alpacas, giraffes, and other animals—carrots and other vegetables are sold in the park. The walking area is quite large, and you can explore on foot or take an electric cart.
The park was so huge that both my husband and I were completely drained of energy. We took a taxi back to the hotel! As soon as we opened the door, the night light was on and gave us a start—we thought we'd entered the wrong room. Then we noticed the changes: there was milk, fruit, and a welcome card; the bed had been turned down to the perfect sleep mode, and the phone was placed in the most convenient spot. A warm feeling rushed over us; we could feel the hotel's thoughtful service. We had planned to stay only one night before moving to a hotel near Golden Beach, but after such considerate service, we decided not to leave. We fell in love with this place.
We slept so soundly here. When we opened our eyes, it was nearly 9 a.m., so we hurried down for breakfast. The breakfast spread was also very rich, and we felt we had definitely chosen the right place—such great value. From the hotel, it took about half an hour to reach Golden Beach. The beach was crowded, the sun was shining, and the sea breeze was so refreshing. Haha! That's how we happily spent our two-day trip. I sincerely recommend this hotel. Excellent service, great environment! Next time, we'll definitely stay here again!
