I booked a triple room at Baoshan via "Ineedhotel". The agency arranged the booking with the Hotel and then confirmed the booking via email with me.

We arrived at the hotel at 5 p.m. on 24th July. The rain was pouring down and it was peak hour. It was not a good time to be searching for alternative hotels, a fact of which Baoshan is obviously very aware.

They denied all knowledge of a booking from the agency. They went through the charade of a search under every possible variation of the name in which the booking was made. Sorry, no booking and sorry too, they said, there were no triple rooms available at that time. Maybe I would like to take a "Suite" which was all they had available capable of conversion to a triple room. And so up went our cost from about 300 RMB to 445 RMB.

The "suite" had that hallmark of the hotel, lolly pink doors in cheap paint, the paint well and truly peeling on the lolly pink door of the bathroom. Lest I be misunderstood, ALL doors are painted lolly pink - whole hallways of lolly pink doors!

I contacted "Ineedhotel" later and berated them about their failure with this booking. But they, poor things, replied that Baoshan had, in turn, told them that I hadn't turned up, I was a "no show" - thus robbing "Ineedhotel" of their commission.

So Baoshan, taking advantage of the rotten weather and the time of the day, didded me with their denial of my booking and their claim to be able to make available only a "suite" - thus extracting an extra 150 RMB from my wallet. And they then turned bare-faced liars once again and robbed "Ineedhotel" of their fee.

Don't stay there.

And, as for being in a central business district of Kunming, I can tell you that it's a pretty down-market part of town.

Upon our return, I returned to the tried and true Camellia, a hotel in a nice part of town which had a wonderful triple room available - 3 beds plus a sofa and occasional table - for 260 RMB.

It's a pity reviews such as this reach a restricted audience. Baoshan's performance on this occasion deserves to be available to every potential "guest" in coloured lights at the entrance.

Maybe they are honest in fine weather. But in evening peak hour in heavy rain, they've got you. And such smiles they smile as they lie through their teeth.