Have you been to Tongli? If not, skip Suzhou main city and go to Tongli. It is serene, calm, quiet and peaceful.
40 minutes away from Suzhou city, costing 8.5 rmb in a bus the place is from ancient china you can say.

Qufu - Confucius temple
Taishan - One of the 5 beautiful mountains (avoid going in Winter its freezing)
Jinan - City of springs

Hotel : Take up a hotel in Jinan and goto Qufu to reduce cost. Qufu hotels will be expensive. Qufu is 2-3 hrs from Jinan in Bus.

Shaolin is a night train journey from Jinan and can be visited from Jinan. Kungfu schools are a must see for foreigners.