Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
JÌNGYUÁN HOTEL$$
( Jìngyuán Yǎzhù Bīnguǎn; 6525 9259; jyyz2008@yahoo.com.cn; 35 Xitangzi Hutong, r with shared bathroom
¥486, r ¥988-1398; ; Dengshikou)
Once the home of the Qing-dynasty painter Pu Jin -
a cousin of China's last emperor Puyi - this peaceful, good-value courtyard hotel is tucked
away beside St Joseph's Church and sits next door to the courtyard HQ of Běijīng's
YWCA, which owns the hotel. Rooms are fairly ordinary - like those of a standard
midrange Chinese hotel - but are situated around two pleasant courtyards, and come with
excellent discounts. The ones with shared bathrooms were going for around ¥298 after
discounts when we were here, while those with private bathrooms could be had for ¥680.
English-language skills are limited, as foreign guests are relatively rare, but staff members
are friendly and unobtrusive. The lobby has a small cafe- restaurant and free wi-fi, which
extends into the first courtyard.
|COURTYARD HOTEL
CÔTÉ COUR$$$
|COURTYARD HOTEL
( Běijīng Yǎnyuè Jiǔdiàn;
;
Dengshikou)
With a calm, serene atmosphere and a lovely magnolia courtyard, this
14-room
hútòng
hotel makes a charming place to rest your head. Like all courtyard hotels,
rooms and bathrooms are petite, but the decor in some of them is exquisite and there's
plenty of space to relax in the courtyard or on the rooftop.
EMPEROR$$
|BOUTIQUE HOTEL
( Huángjiā Yìzhàn Jiǔdiàn; 6526 5566;
www.theemperor.com.cn
;
33 Qihelou Jie, off Beichizi Dajie; r from
¥1000; ; Dengshikou)
Attempting to capitalise on a majestic position just east of
the Forbidden City, the Emperor's lofty ambitions were undermined by height restrictions,
so upper-floor rooms merely graze the rooftops of the imperial palace. Nonetheless you
can't question the excellent
fēngshuǐ
this locale brings. The unnumbered rooms are named
after emperors and come with funky, albeit slightly weird, fitted furniture with lots of
smooth curves and strange cubby- holes. It's quirky but cool, and the views from the
PARK PLAZA$$
|HOTEL
( Běijīng Lìtíng Jiǔdiàn;
;
Dengshikou)
A good-value riposte to the overblown top-flight hotels in the area (see the
gaudy Legendale across the road for what
not
to do), the Park Plaza is a treasured find. If
you can't or don't want to stretch to a five-star hotel, this friendly place has a strong loca-
