My Super Staycation

It is a no-brainer that travel plans have been somewhat ‘impacted’ by the current goings on. Instead of a romantic getaway to a beach in Vietnam, we decided to have a relaxed staycation 20 kilometers from our apartment. This is what a weekend in the city looked like for us!

Here’s the phrase you have heard 1000 times already: my holiday plans were cancelled. My boyfriend had a long weekend for the Chinese Dragon Boat festival, and being a recent grad, I could spare the time! We originally had planned to visit Vietnam, thinking the most difficult thing was going to be getting a visa. It was part grad-trip, part romantic getaway, part I-need-a-beach-right-now.

Unless you’ve been out of it for the entirety of 2020, I don’t need to explain why that didn’t happen. Well, we weren’t about to waste the precious four day weekend sitting at home, watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Instead, we decided to make something out of a bad situation!

A little backstory: we live at the outskirts of Beijing. I mean, the outskirts. If you want to visit a decent restaurant or bar, you’re looking at a 2 hour cab ride, minimum. Staying in the city center actually felt much more like a trip than you would expect. So we packed up our suitcases, said goodbye to the cat, and headed on our way.

At the hotel is where we hit our next roadblock. Apparently, the city center was shut down due to an outbreak in the innermost ring. Fabulous. So the one time that we would actually be in walking distance of fun we could not access it. Since we would be spending most of our time inside, the boyfriend did the natural thing, and upgraded to a suite. He got the points on his membership, and I got to live like Serena van der Woodsen for a weekend. Win-win, if I do say so myself.

When we arrived in our room, we were greeted with a little welcoming gift. The hotel had set up a plate of fruit and chocolate for our stay. In addition, they had the traditional food of the Dragon Boat Festival, 粽子 (zong-zi), heated by a tealight. As embarrassing as it may sound, I have lived in China for four years, studied Chinese language and culture for nine, but I had never had one before! I knew about them, of course, triangle-shaped glutinous rice thingys with a fruit, nut, or meat filling, wrapped in bamboo leaves and eaten during this holiday. However, they don’t teach you about how yummy they are in Chinese class! Needless to say, the care the management showed by going out of their way to make our stay a bit special put a smile on our faces.

Day 1

The first day was just relaxation. I took a bath, read a book, and snuggled in the California King. We ordered room service, watched historical documentaries on the massive TV, and just chilled. In addition, there was a Starbucks in front of the hotel, and a wine shop behind it. I could have holed up in there forever!

Day 2

The next day is where we decided to go out a bit. The hotel was providing complimentary breakfast, so despite the four hours of shut-eye we had, we rolled in. It was free, for goodness sake. It was fab: french toast, macchiatos, and liters of orange juice. Afterwards, we decided to set out on a little exploration, and began getting ready.

It was interesting to see the city as I never had before. Living in the middle of nowhere, entering the city consisted of taxiing to the restaurant, eat, drink, be merry, taxi home. It is a very methodical process. However, this time we were walking around with no agenda. We passed many, many, small shops and restaurants, little carts, and decor galore. I stopped to take pictures of almost everything, from neighborhoods to random doors. It felt as if we were exploring a new city. It was our little adventure.

Next, we came across an old structure in the Wangfujing neighborhood. It was St. Joseph’s Church, and it had been there for 400 some-odd years. It was gorgeous! It really stuck out from its surroundings. Imagine you are walking through a modern shopping center, and as you come to the end of the block, suddenly there’s an ancient stone church, standing there in all of its glory. It was definitely peculiar to see European architecture in Beijing of all places, but it was the furthest thing from an eyesore. We took a few pictures, milled about, and watched two couples take wedding photos on the steps. It was a peaceful evening, and we returned to the hotel to continue it.

Day 3

Day 3 started the way Day 3 was meant to start: free breakfast! This time, we opted for fresh fruit, yogurt, and spring rolls. Of course the macchiatos made their appearance.

We decided we wanted to explore a little bit more of Wangfujing street. We went the opposite direction this time. It was quite different; on one end you have tiny neighborhoods, little mom n’ pop shops, and a cozy feel. The other half is a huge boulevard with brand name stores, people milling about, and funky architecture. We encountered what might have been the most colorful street I have ever seen in my life. The buildings were done to mimic the old style, so there were huge columns of red, blue, green, and gold. It was kind of interesting, because these buildings were convenience stores and clothing shops. A nice mix of old and new, I suppose!

Walking down the boulevard I spotted something that did stick out like a sore thumb. Amidst all of the glitzy-glam fashion stores and expensive restaurants was an old, run-down Salvation-Army looking storefront. On it, “Beijing Foreign Languages Bookstore”. If you’ve ever read The Great Gatsby, you know about the green light in the distance. And if you know about the green light, you know I made a BEELINE straight for it.

Side note: I am obsessed with acquiring and reading books. Finding English bookstores in China is near impossible, so cue amazement.

I spent a majority of our time out in there. It was the kitschiest thing you could imagine. I ended up picking up a copy of 1984 and a fantasy novel, but there was so many interesting things. There was a whole section dedicated to Agatha Christie, a collection of aromatherapy books, and a leather-bound copy of the U.S. Constitution. I guess this is not too surprising, unless you remember that we were in Beijing!

After my lovely discovery, we continued strolling down the lane. We picked up a few bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, and continued on our merry way back to the hotel. We decided to sit in the terrace garden of the hotel. It was shaded, secluded, and overall lovely. It can be difficult to find terraces here, it is just not feasible in a big city. So we soaked it in. We read our respective books, and had a glass of wine. I, being the clumsy woman I am, doused myself in Prosecco. Still relaxed, still pleasant!

There we decided to check out the hotel steakhouse. I have never consumed so much food in my life.

I knew I was in trouble from the start. The piece of bread brought out was easily the size of my head. following that was a creamy lobster bisque, and then the main course. I had a huge steak with a crab cake on the side, while the boyfriend opted for a lobster tail. We also had sides of creamed corn and spinach. As if that wasn’t enough, creme brulée was up for dessert. I swear, I am still eating leftovers to this day!

The fun began when I decided to try something new. Now, I am a sucker for any drink that has the word “cherry” in it. This was no exception. I ordered a restaurant cocktail, and when it came, I nearly fell over in my seat. There was no cherry taste. Just lies. All I could taste was “I’ll regret this tomorrow morning.”

That is because it had a little something called “La Grande Chartreuse“. For those of you who don’t know, a.k.a. moi, this is a mixer that is ~70% alcohol. Who makes a MIXER heavier than the actual liquor? The French. This stuff is so strong, I was informed, that they only sell it in teensy tiny bottles. Pfft. I just kept pouring my glass of water into the drink, hoping to somehow finish it.

Regardless of that little experience, a beautiful evening turned into a beautiful night. We cracked open the Sauv Blanc, took a bath, and watched a few movies. We talked, laughed, and debated the philosophies of life. I wanted a romantic getaway, and I had it!

Day 4

Day 4 did not begin like the others. We decided to skip breakfast due to being tired (hungover), and slept in. It was well-deserved. We showered, packed up, and relaxed some more. Having a later check-out, we kind of milled around and took our time. We weren’t exactly keen on saying goodbye just yet.

But we eventually did, checked out, and called a taxi. Soon we were in our apartment, picking up pasta that our cat decided to have a party with. Not exactly a picture-perfect ending to a lovely staycation, but it was perfect enough for us!

Have you had to make adjustments to your travel plans lately? Had a great staycay? Let me know in the comments!