Spring Garden Hotel

Small, quiet, boutique hotel in a good location for access to sight seeing in Central Beijing, but away from the tourist traps. The staff were most helpful and friendly, a very, very big thank you to the lady who on Saturday evening managed to get a reservation very late and last minute for my girlfriend and myself to enjoy delicious Beijing Roast Duck at a top restaurant from our guide book, they stayed open for our arrival!. All staff were helpful with directions and trip planing and allowing us to store bags after checkout for our late flight while we did some last minute sight seeing. My only complaint, we didn't stay long enough to see all Beijing had to offer (due to time constraints).

The staff is very friendly and the hotel is comfortable, quiet and very nicely decorated in historical style.

The Spring Garden Hotel is in a traditional hutong, a disappearing part of Beijing history. It is off of a small alleyway, a 5-7 minute walk from a subway station, so quite convenient. Each of the rooms face one of 2 small courtyards, each with its own loveliness. The room we stayed in was small, but there was room for everything. No English channels on TV, but that was not what we came for. The furnishings were in lovely dark, ornately carved wood, & the decorations/ wallpaper seemed to be in traditional patterns. We had requested a king bed, although it seemed more like an American Queen, it was fine-it may be that's what a Chinese king bed is. Staff is warm and lovely, arranged for taxis & shows, breakfast and desk staff English good.

Be aware the bed has rails on 3 sides, so if there are 2 of you, one has to climb over the other to get out. The bed is hard, but was comfortable for us. The shower in the bathroom is small and you have to be very careful with the doors, which don't close completely, to make sure water doesn't go all over the bathroom floor.

We were enchanted by the age and loveliness of the hotel. It is quite small, very old, and beautiful preserved. The staff were warm and gracious. We were unable to take advantage of all the extras that were offered, but I'm sure they were all fun and interesting.

I'd like to see some kind of insulation around the doors and windows. We felt wasteful trying to heat such a drafty room. Still, we were never cold even when the temps were below 0 and the wind was howling.

The hotel has a very authentically Chinese ambience with very friendly and helpful staff. It is quite central, with a subway station and bus stops nearby. Very good value for money.

The location, being within an old style Hutong, might be tough to find when you first arrive, but not impossible to find.