“Best part of our trip to Beijing”
LRathbun Portland, Maine Date of review: Nov 29, 2010
We spent 6 nights here while visiting my son during his semester in Beijing. Our choice to stay here was the best decision of our trip. I can't imagine a better location for seeing all the major sights or getting a sense of what it's like to live in Beijing. I also can't imagine a more charming place to stay.
This courtyard bed and breakfast is beautifully decorated, comfortable, absolutely quiet, and has the benefit of having May and Hongbing Cong as the hosts. They were friendly, helpful with directions and suggestions about local favorite restaurants, and served up a wonderful breakfast every morning(scrambled eggs, croissants, fruit, yogurt, tea). They had just completed building a fireplace in their living room when we arrived so we spent our first hour there gathered around the hearth, sipping the wine they offered and getting suggestions about what to do and the best times to do it.
The subway system in Beijing is immaculate and efficient and only a five min walk away. We left the quiet comfort of this courtyard each morning and stepped into the bustling hutong on our way to the subway. I very soon felt like part of the fabric of the neighborhood, shopping for bananas at the local shop, going to the post office, eating at the local favorite restaurant just a 10 min walk away. This setting gives you an intimacy with the city that you can't get staying at a big hotel. We had spent our first night in Beijing at a perfectly serviceable high rise hotel next to my son's dorm. If we had spent the week there it would have been a very different and less rewarding experience.
We liked this place so much that we had my son and his girlfriend join us in another room for our last night, and then treated them to another night after we left. They were able to walk over to the cinema at the southern end of Wangfujing and watch the new Harry Potter movie. They loved being within walking distance of the heart of the city. And they loved their room, which was just as beautiful as ours. (Our room was the Painting room which I recommend for its southern exposure and wonderful colors).
This is a hidden gem that somehow I was lucky enough to find. If I ever come back to Beijing, I want to stay here.
Reviewer ratings for this hotel:
Value Rooms Location Cleanliness Service Sleep Quality
Date of stay: November 2010
Visit was for: Leisure
Traveled with: Spouse/Partner
Member since: November 25, 2010
