Mao Er Hutong B&B

Cosy courtyard in attractive Hutong

In August 2008 my partner and I stayed two nights in a air conditioned double ensuite room. Because of a prior booking the both of us moved into the "basic single room" on the third night.

Entering the B&B through the red front doors, we were welcomed by Angela, who speaks English and runs the B&B. The rooms are in renovated traditional buildings set around a central courtyard, and are nicely furnished. The double room we stayed in the first two nights was small, but had air conditioning, a clean private bathroom with a shower, a small safe for documents and money and even a TV. The single room we stayed in, was smaller and had a fan in stead of air conditioning, but was also cheaper. The single bed was big enough for the both of us to sleep comfortably and we could use the residents' bathroom, which was very clean. In general, Angela and the other girls working there kept the whole place very clean.

The tasty Chinese breakfast was served at our preferred time in the breakfast room, with cold and hot water (for tea) also available to guests.

Mao'er Hutong B&B is located in a typical residential hutong, just off Di'anmenwai Dajie, and close to restaurants and bars. Staying in this hutong will give you a feel for local Beijing neighborhood life. You can see men in the street playing Mahjong and women chatting on the steps leading to their front doors. Occasionally a bicycle hutong tour passes through.

Angela can also arrange day tours. We took a tour to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, where we were dropped off to walk on the Wall for 10 kilometers to Simatai. The walk was amazing; we were there in the middle of high season but we saw only a few tourists and most of the time we had the Wall and the spectacular scenery all to ourselves. After about four and a half hours of walking we arrived in Simatai, where our driver was waiting to take us back to the B&B. There, Angela had prepared delicious dumplings for us.

Unique Quality: * Traditional courtyard building
* Good location, giving insight into local Beijing hutong life, close to nightlife
* There is one bicycle available to guests for free
* Good tours, reasonably priced
* Great staff, always ready to help

• Opinion of Price: less expensive than average
• Related to: Arts and Culture, Romantic Travel and Honeymoons, Budget Travel

Mao Er Hutong B&B Photo: B&B Courtyard

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