Loved it!
We stayed at the White Swan during our Ritz Tour. It was the first hotel we stayed at and I was stunned at how plush and beautiful the accomodations were. The white bath towels were the largest I have ever seen in my entire life. They were longer than I am tall, and these were thick quality towels, mind you, not thin or cheap at all.
The food was great, you get to walk through an open couryard (with waterfall) to the eating area. The windows were all fogged up due to the high humidity despite the fact that it was only 8am (it was also very warm). Breakfast options were excellent, very western in style (egg, bacon, toast, sausages, cereal, fruit, orange juice, waffles, etc.)
This was our second tour of China, the 1st being in 2000, so I have seen my share of hotels. This is the second nicest hotel I have ever set foot on next to the Sheraton in Guangzhou.
We did not see any babies being adopted or carried around. There is a very convenient post office to send post cards and they will change any currency for you including travelers checks. *Note - we were also in Taishan where none of the hotels or banks (including Bank of China) would exchange our AMEX travelers checks.
There are some small stores at the ground level where you can buy silk, antiques, post cards, small gifts, etc. There are two beautiful outdoor pools. The outside facade is surpringly plain for such an exquisite hotel. It does not do the inside justice. In fact, the outside looks rather worn down.
One con: I would like to have been located closer to the city center rather than stuck on Shamian Island. Yes, the hotel is located on a small island which means if you want to do local shopping you have to take a cab or walk a ways to the shops.
Steven