** Best trick my friend learned is that since iPhones and batteries die so fast in the cold, she stuck a hand-warmer directly on the phone **
We thought the Shangri-La was in a great location, I was grateful that it was very WARM in the room. Breakfast is the usual fabulous. Nice to have the "quiet" breakfast on 15th floor Exec Suite since we got a one-bedroom suite. Look at the view from our hotel:
I don't think you even need to stay at the Shangri La hotel to go to the Ice Bar or have hot pot dinner at the Ice Restaurant. It is colder inside the Shangri La ice bar and restaurant compared to outside, so we opted for a different hot pot location.
I really liked the HOT POT we did, we were WARM, here are photos and the address in Chinese:
粘福火锅 道里区建国街17号
Typical meal from Harbin was this dish with stir-fried meat, veggies, eggs, potatoes, peanuts rolled into these flour flat breads (similar to mexican tortilla wraps), we all loved it, here's the business card:
Our first lunch was simple but good, they ordered tons of veggie dishes, I don't have a biz card but the outside looks like this, and our guide gave me this address in Chinese:
小渔村笨鸡馆 道里区建国街7号
This restaurant is a hole in the wall but they do have local Harbin dumplings that are served on plates (not in soups) and dipped in vinegar / soy sauce, I was happy to try what was local to Harbin.
One thing we would have done differently, at the SNOW GARDEN festival, there is a little village and there is a cafe with antiques in it, we wish we had stayed longer and had a cup of tea at least to enjoy this unique ambience:
We really enjoyed walking on CENTRAL Avenue both by day and night, we didn't do this, but you can eat at a Russian restaurant on this pedestrian shopping street.
One very useful trick at the Tiger Park is that for the tourist bus try to get on a side seat by a window but before you sit down, check to see if the window slides open so you can have a small part of it open for your camera to take photos, otherwise you are going to have reflection AND the metal bars in the way.
GOING WITH KIDS: Good to know at the main Ice Expo there is a Pizza Hut and a KFC if you need a warm place to stop. In the main Ice Expo there is a glass cafe that has a robot that delivers your drinks. Kids would love it:
The ice activities (sledding, sliding down ice slides, bikes on ice, ice skating) are really fun for kids. I thought the area on the frozen river (where Central Avenue hits the water) was terrific as a children's playground.
