Zhangye, China
A brief diatribe. The hotel, Zhangye Donghe International Hotel, was a problem from the start. It is claimed to be a five star hotel, but maybe this was the American kindergarden star system, where everyone gets stars. Firstly the reservations were incorrect, secondly they wanted a 1200 RMB deposit, quite high in my experience, and they did not accept any international credit cards. This was the first five minutes.