Purple Courtyard

Nothing really bad to report, obviously for this price you're not in a luxury hotel slap bang in the city centre! Wonderful location in a hutong, surrounded by a mass of eateries and a couple of mini-markets. Five-minute walk to buses and Shichahai metro, 10-minute walk to Nanluoguxiang metro. On a straight road to the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen, etc. Bustling area but a five-minute walk from a complex of lakes. Friendly English-speaking staff who are always available to help. TV in Chinese, free wi-fi, private facilities, A/C and use of fridge freezer, important in the Beijing heat & humidity!

We booked this hotel for Aug/Sept 2013 as a base to explore Beijing and to be a treat for my Chinese mother-in-law (who has never been to Beijing). The choice was made from photos on the Web which showed a very nice traditionally-styled premises located in a traditional Hutong. The photos are still on the Web. We booked a Kings Room. On arrival, late in the evening, to our utter dismay (I struggle to find words to truly convey the depth of emotion from shock and despair) we found it was nothing like the gaily coloured picturesque apartments we saw in the photos. In fact it was an untidy squalid dump. The rooms were dark and dingy, not to mention that our rooms were already occupied. Dread to imagine what else would be sharing the rooms and bedding. The `room shower' was a single communal shower basin on an open landing with a sheet on a length of string for modesty. The owners could not understand our anger and reluctance to stay! Luckily the rooms weren't paid up in advance. Following a very heated argument we left to find another place to stay. My advice: Avoid this hotel like the plague and do not be misled by the very nice photos listed on the hotel booking websites. There are better hotels just around the corner in the neighbouring hutongs such as the Hanting Express. Meanwhile, on a happy note, the hutongs themselves are absolutely fascinating, lively and vibrant. Go and explore. You never know what you'll find!

We spent 3 nights in the triple here in October, based off the reviews here on TA. There's sadly very little commendable. The location is reasonably centralized in Beijing, not far from the subway (line 6). The condition of our room was poor. One of the 2 lamps shot sparks when turned on. The AC unit made horrible grinding noises every few minutes. The 'windows' were literally just a wooden frame witha sheet of soft plastic over them (no glass). The pillows were filled with rice, and to cal them lumpy would be generous. The beds were hard even by Asian standards. Three people were handed 2 fist sized rolls of toilet paper. The light in the shower stall was shorting out all the time. On the 2 occasions when we could not get it to work, we asked the office staff for help, and their solution was to jiggle the bulb in the socket. There was no hot water in the shower one of 3 mornings.