Puyan Hotel 5*: Right by Central Street and the Songhua

Puyan Hotel is a small hotel of 107 rooms tucked away on Zhongyang itself, Harbin’s Central Street, by the memorial tower to the fight against the flood. The description says it is about a hundred metres to the pedestrian part of the street, and you can walk out to the Songhua embankment without crossing busy highways. There is no noisy lobby with marble columns here: instead your eye meets light halls, wooden details and an inner atrium courtyard onto which many rooms face. The whole interior is done in a “new Chinese” style, and this feeling is kept from the lobby to the bathroom, where there is a big round bath. In the morning you can walk to the river, in the afternoon look at St. Sophia Cathedral, and in the evening return for tea in the library. It is a hotel for those who want to stay in the very heart of old Harbin, but in a more intimate and quiet setting than the big chain hotels.

A hundred metres to Central Street and the embankment next door

The hotel’s address is 232-1 Zhongyang Street, Daoli district, in the oldest part of the city. The nearest metro station, Youyi Palace, is about seven minutes on foot. Among the landmarks nearby are named the Songhua, the memorial tower to the fight against the flood, St. Sophia Cathedral, Harbin railway station, Hongzhuan market and Stalin Park. If you go out in the morning, you can first go down to the river, stroll along the embankment, and then return towards Central Street, where cafés and shops open. St. Sophia Cathedral is better seen closer to evening, when the soft light makes the brick warm and it becomes calmer at the entrance.

• Central Street — the main pedestrian thoroughfare with European architecture.
• St. Sophia Cathedral — the city’s most recognisable symbol.
• The Songhua embankment — sunsets and winter walks on the ice.
• Hongzhuan market — morning food and local products.

Traveller’s tip: In winter it is cold on Central Street: wear warm shoes and warm gloves, and it is better to walk during the day before dark. In summer, on the contrary, the street is liveliest in the evenings, and then it is worth going out after dinner.

Hot springs, a library and billiards

For a small hotel the set is unexpectedly rich: hot springs, a gym, a library, a billiard room and a card-game room, a bar, a restaurant and a café. For motorists there is private parking, and meeting at the airport and the station can be ordered through the desk. The service is built around the feeling of “staying another hour”: check-in is quick, and there are an express check-out service, luggage storage, a porter and help with translation.

• Hot springs and a gym
• A library, billiards, a card room
• A restaurant, a café and a bar
• Closed parking and car rental
• Coworking, a station transfer and luggage storage

Rooms and bathrooms

The rooms face mostly the atrium courtyard, and their areas range from 27 to 50 m²: there are options with a big double bed, with two single beds, and a family one of 45 m². In the rooms there is a big round bath, on which guests put special emphasis in reviews.

Small things that stand out

The description mentions memory-foam mattresses, toiletries from an Italian brand, smart curtains and smart toilets, as well as a free minibar. Coworking will come in handy for work.

Rooms

The hotel offers the following room categories:

• A room with a courtyard view and a queen-size bed. — 27–30 m², 1 queen bed, view: courtyard view. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, coffee/tea maker, bottled water.
• Room for guests with 2 beds — 45–50 m², 2 single beds, view: courtyard view. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, bathtub, private bathroom.
• Double room — 35–40 m², 1 queen bed. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, coffee/tea maker, bottled water.
• Hanyue · Premier Atrium Double Bed Room - Oxygen Bar & Negative Ion — 45–50 m², 1 queen bed, view: courtyard view. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, bathtub, private bathroom.
• Family Room — 45 m², 1 single bed and 1 king bed, view: courtyard view. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, coffee/tea maker, bottled water.
• Guest room — 50–60 m², 1 queen bed, view: view of the river, view of the park. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, bathtub, private bathroom.
• Guestroom (2 Beds) — 50–60 m², 2 single beds, view: view of the river, view of the park. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, bathtub, private bathroom.
• Family Friendly Tent — 40–45 m², 1 queen bed and 1 single bed. In the room: shower gel, hair conditioner, shower cap, sofa, desk, coffee/tea maker, bottled water.

Breakfast and dinner on Zhongyang

Breakfast at the hotel is laid out as a varied buffet: Chinese and European dishes, and guests call it one of the hotel’s strong points. The spacious halls let you settle by the window, so in the morning you can drink coffee in quiet and watch the street just waking up.

For dinner you have two paths. Inside there are a restaurant and a café, and according to the description there are private rooms for Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. And going out over the threshold, you can walk along Central Street: the closer to evening, the more open places with Russian cuisine dishes, pastries and ice cream, which locals eat even in frost.

Pros and cons of Puyan Hotel

What the hotel is valued for

• It is about a hundred metres to Central Street, and you can walk around the city centre.
• The Songhua embankment and the memorial tower are close, and sunsets can be seen from the rooms.
• The new-China-style interior creates a whole impression from the lobby to the bathroom.
• Hot springs, a library and billiards — an evening can be spent inside the hotel.
• The small scale of 107 rooms gives a feeling of intimate service.

What to know in advance

• Rooms with a courtyard view will not show the river — if the panorama matters, check the category.
• The district is touristy, and in season in the evening the streets are crowded and noisy.
• Central Street is pedestrian, so it is not always possible to drive up to the entrance itself.
• Taiping airport is outside the city, so it is easier to order a transfer.

What guests note

They praise the spacious rooms, the tasty breakfast, the attentive staff and the interior. Critical comments are less frequent and connected with the noise of the touristy street in the evening.

How to book Puyan Hotel

Choose the room category and in the “Where to book” block enter your dates; the booking is accepted in roubles.