Arriving by taxi (ahead of the rest of my party) down a long, very narrow lane way, I was a bit apprehensive on what I would find on arrival. What a wonderful surprise. Staff were so welcoming (many spoke English) and the boutique hotel is a beautifully restored walled house, with well appointed rooms and bathrooms. We wanted to see and experience "old Beijing" and this small hotel in the hutong area provided a glimpse back into the past. It was the perfect place to stay.

I stayed in several hotels, of varying types and sizes during my 5 weeks in China and this one was my favourite. As a boutique hotel, its surroundings, warmth in atmosphere, excellence in service and personal touches far surpassed some of the facilities other large hotels offered.

Location is very central and public transport was easy to find and use. Many of the laneways in the Hutong area are closed to motor vehicles after 10pm however, Beijing was very safe and we made the most of taking a couple of walks late at night to walk off the wonderful food.

Breakfasts at the hotel were great and not too heavy and the chef prepared an unforgettable dinner for our small group one evening in the dining room.

Special thanks to Jerry who made everything easy, providing directions in Chinese for taxi drivers, hand drawn maps when required, restaurant recommendations and generally interesting conversation in the courtyard. We also met some great people and enjoyed their conversation over drinks in the courtyard.

Will definitely be going back.

This is the place if you want to really feel like you're in China, but still enjoy Western comforts. Our family of 5, including 3 teenagers, loved every bit of our 5-day stay. The staff is fabulous -- we were greeted by name and with "Welcome home happy family!" each time we returned. One day our son stayed in the hotel with an upset stomach and various staff members checked on him 5 or 6 times and offered to bring him whatever he needed. "Jerry Seinfeld" (name appropriated by our favorite staffer) never failed to provide excellent restaurant recommendations, procure show tickets, etc. I have many, many other examples of great, very personal service. I agree with other reviewers that it's difficult to find, but its location is a big part of the charm. To avoid the horrible Beijing traffic, we took the subway (3 block walk) and walked a lot. Although you do walk down a narrow, winding alley that has public bathrooms (many of the buildings lack private plumbing) and some pretty rundown looking rooms, we never felt unsafe. However, the hutong (neighborhood) is being completely rebuilt so it may look very different by now. Surprisingly, we never heard any of the construction noise when we were in the hotel. Regular rooms and bathrooms are nice, but a bit small (hotel can't or won't allow for more than two per room). Deluxe suite was fabulous. Plenty of English language TV stations (with some censorship by the Chinese government). Nice, fairly basic breakfast. Fellow guests were very interesting and atmosphere lends itself to interaction (although still feels more like a hotel than a B&B). We went to China expecting a "trip" and all of us agreed that we had an unforgettable "vacation."

Fantastic hotel right in the middle of Beijing. Being located in one of the hutongs, we got to see a completely different side of Beijing. The hotel is beautifully decorated and feels very peaceful. Staff are really friendly and extremely helpful in suggesting things to do, restaurants etc.

This B&B is a great place to stay if you are seeking a more authentic experience. My suggestion is that you email the hotel before you arrive - they will email the address and directions in Chinese for your taxi. The taxi drivers are also happy to call if they are seeking more detailed directions. So have both the address and tel. number written down for the driver. There will be no problems.

Michelle and Jerry were very helpful. They buy and collect train tickets at no extra charge, write down directions in Chinese (even for the next part of your journey!}, and they are happy to recommend all types of restaurants. They recommended a local Chinese restaurant about a three minute walk. It is fantastic!