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exquisite designer courtyard hotel. Each of the six rooms is decorated uniquely with mod-
ern and artistic touches blended with overall themes of traditional China. Some of the
wood furniture - four-poster beds, decorative Chinese screens - is simply beautiful.
Rooms are set around small romantic, bamboo-lined courtyards. The only downside is
that, as with most courtyard hotels, space is at a premium, so rooms are far smaller than
you'd expect from similarly priced top-end hotels.
|HÚTÒNG HOSTEL
BĚIJĪNG DOWNTOWN BACKPACKERS$
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( Dōngtáng Kèzhàn; 8400 2429; www.backpackingchina.com ; 85 Nanluogu Xiang, s/tw from ¥160/190, 3-/4-/
8-bed dm per bed ¥85/85/75, d ¥160-210, ste ¥300; ; Beixinqiao) A cheaper option than the
excellent Peking International Youth Hostel, but still with the same wonderful hútòng loc-
ation, Downtown Backpackers is Nanluogu Xiang's original youth hostel and it hasn't for-
gotten its roots. Rooms are basic, therefore cheap, but are kept clean and tidy, and staff
members are fully plugged in to the needs of Western travellers. Rents bikes and runs re-
commended hiking trips to the Great Wall (¥280), plus a range of other city trips. Rates
include breakfast.
ORCHID$$
|COURTYARD HOTEL
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( Lánhuā Bīnguǎn; 8404 4818; www.theorchidbeijing.com ; 65 Baochao Hutong, d ¥700-1200; ;
Gulou Dajie) Opened by a Canadian guy and a Tibetan girl, this place may lack the history of
other courtyard hotels, but it's been renovated into a beautiful space, with a peaceful
courtyard and some rooftop seating with distant views of the Drum and Bell Towers.
Rooms are doubles only and are small, but are tastefully decorated and come with Apple
TV home entertainment systems. Hard to spot, the Orchid is down an unnamed, shoulder-
width alleyway opposite Mr Shi's Dumplings.
BĚIJĪNG P-LOFT YOUTH HOSTEL $
|HÚTÒNG HOSTEL
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( Pàojú Gōngchǎng Qīngnián Lǚshè; 6402 7218; ploft@yahoo.cn; 29 Paoju Toutiao, dm/r from ¥56/195;
; Yonghegong-Lama Temple) First an 18th-century artillery factory, then a prison; now a
hidden gem of a youth hostel with a distinctly urban feel to it. Embedded in a hútòng war-
ren behind the Lama Temple, P-Loft seems to be on the fringe of things, but it's only a
short meander to the subway system. Dorms are fine, as are the private rooms with en
suite, and a degree of anonymity is guaranteed by the hard-to-find location. Facilities in-
clude bar, bike hire and a roomy sports area for playing ping pong and pool.
LAMA TEMPLE YOUTH HOSTEL $
|HÚTÒNG HOSTEL
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