My son and I had a wonderful experience at the Beijing Courtyard Hutong B&B. The place is beautiful and spotless, and is located in a historic area where you feel that you are living in Beijing and not isolated in a touristy hotel. Angela and Amy could not do enough for us, and (literally) went out of their way for us, including helping us with our luggage to the main street and refusing any tip for the efforts. If you want an artificial and impersonal experience, then stay in any of Beijing's numerous hotels. But if you want to experience life in a real Beijing neighborhood and be treated like royalty, then this is THE place to stay.

We stayed for four nights and just love the place. Amy & Angela kept the place nice and clean. They prepared fresh chinese breakast every morning. Although it is a little walk from the subway, but taxi are cheap. The best part is you are only five minutes walk from Houhai lake,a lovely place to stroll at dawn & dusk. There are plenty of pedicabs for hire, and they'll take you around the neighborhood. If you want too see the real china, where the average people live, come and stay in hutong. This is not a five star hotel, but it feels like home to us. We definately will be back.

We stayed for four nights at the Mao'er Hutong. It is a really cute place, extremely clean and in a terrific neighborhood that is just bustling with local activity. It was a pure pleasure to go wandering through the nearby streets.

Be prepared for the beds. The bed is beautiful carved wood, but the mattress is a traditional Chinese mattress, about 3 inches of not very supportive foam, and nothing else. The bed is very very hard, which some people might find difficult to deal with for sleeping.

The major failing during our stay had to be the service provided by the hosts. We did not receive any of the warmth or friendly help that was described in the other reviews. I felt like we were left to fend for ourselves--there was very little guidance in where to find a taxi (the B&B is inconveniently distant from any public transportation), what nearby restaurants might be good, or anything that one would expect out of a B&B stay.

Two events during our stay are particularly illustrative.

When we checked in, we asked if it would be possible to have laundry done. The answer was yes, just leave it by the door, no problem, RMB 100 for a load. We came back at the end of a day of sightseeing to find that the laundry had not budged from its location (and in fact that our room had not been cleaned). I asked again the next morning, and was told that it would be difficult to do the laundry because they have no dryer and the clothing would take three days to dry. I then asked about the availability of a local laundry, and was told that there was a local laundry about 200 meters down the street. I asked for further help, but got nowhere--200 meters down the street, can't miss it. Luckily, I was rescued by a driver that we had hired to take us to the great wall that day. I explained the situation to him, he walked me down the street to the laundry, spoke to the owners for me explaining the need for a quick turnaround on the laundry, and made everything a very smooth transaction. That was fantastic service from our driver, but I guess I was just left feeling high and dry by our B&B hosts. It would have taken 5 minutes for her to help me out instead of letting me fend for myself when it was quite obvious that I was struggling with the language.

The second event was more troubling. Our flight out of Beijing was scheduled to depart in mid-afternoon, and we had arranged and prepaid for Angela to take us to the airport. The night before our departure, Angela stops by and asks what time we would like to leave. Our original though had been about noon--that would give us an hour to get to the airport, and the an hour to check in and get to our plane--fairly typical for getting to a domestic flight in China. Angela told us that noon was way too late, and that it would be better for us to leave at 10:00 instead--four hours before our flight! This seemed unreasonable to us, I explained that we were taking a domestic flight and not an international flight, and that we would really prefer to leave at noon. She insisted, I insisted, and we eventually split the difference (almost) and agreed that we would leave at 10:45. The next morning we went out for some sightseeing and came back to discover the doors to our room open, the hotel staff cleaning the room. The people who were to check in later that day had apparently been told they could have the room earlier than the normal check in time, and our staying there until 11am was apparently causing problems. Being hustled out of our rooms to spend extra time waiting at the airport again did not feel like particularly friendly service.

This is an exceptionally nice place in the heart of Beijing. This neatly restored traditional Courtyard House in the genuine Hutong quarters (now preserved!), is a highly recommendable place to stay. The few rooms are well equipped, quiet and clean, the atmosphere is cosy. And the service? It is brilliant! Managing house and guests, Angela and Amy, do a perfect job serving their guests for the most warm-hearted homefeeling. The breakfast is genuine Chinese cuisine at its best. You're even asked to tell them your all time favorite choice, you'll get it the next morning, thus meeting guests' individual needs in type of dish and quantity. The rooms are most comfortable, neat and kept clean. There's internet and TV. Close by are the most beautiful spots of Beijing such as Houhai Lake and Beihai Park. Its in walking distance even to the Northern Gate of the Fordbidden City and Jingshan Park etc. There is a broad variety of all kinds of restaurants, cafes, bistros bars in the Courtyard's neighborhood with a young people's touch. Mao'er Hutong is the place to be. - No question, I will come back to stay at this beautiful and comfortable place when in Beijing again.

My wife and I have just returned from a stay at this Hutong B&B and it was brilliant, We stayed in Room A which was huge and a real taste of Beijing life. Angela and Amy were really good and helpful and boy can they cook - Breakfasts in the morning were brilliant ! We were there in the middle of winter and were warm as toast in the rooms - plenty heaters and aircons for summer as well.

The Hutong is a little far from the subway but there is so much around the area and taxi's are plentiful so its not a problem. Its about a 3min walk from the main road and they were installing street lights down the Hutong road while we were there.

Fantastic place and we will definitely go back if in Beijing again, The rooms are non-smoking. Also try the restaurant on the corner of the main road and Maoer Hutong - brilliant food at a good price.

My husband and I loved staying at this B&B. Everything was very clean and cozy. The hosts, Angela and Amy, did a wonderful job of making us feel at home. Breakfast was great. The other guests staying there were friendly and helpful too. It felt a lot like staying at your own home. The location was great; a 10 minute walk to Shichahai area, Beihai Park, and the Bell Tower. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.

My boyfriend and I stayed here during our 10 day vacation in Beijing. We loved the location of the B&B, near the lakes. Also, there are very quaint little streets with lots of cafes and shops. Though, it is not too close to a subway stop, Angela, helped us with bus schedules which was more convenient and scenic anyway! The bed was super comfy and the house was always peaceful and clean. A great sanctuary after a day exploring the city.

My trip to Beijing came at the end of 6 weeks in China. I had been teaching in Jinan and traveling with student and faculty guides. I must admit that being "just another tourist" in Beijing was startling. The one (very) bright spot was the Beijing Mao'er Hutong Courtyard B&B.

Angela, the hostess, was a delight. She was very interested in helping all the guests have a good visit. The Chinese breakfasts that she and her cousin prepared were tasty and I even got to watch them make dumplings one night!

The place was great. I rented the "suite" (Deluxe Room A) because it was the only room available for my travel dates. I felt a bit guilty taking up the spacious and beautifully appointed two rooms just for me. I think two couples could easily share the space. Also, the location was good. It was only a short drive to the Forbidden City, and there's a nice little park just down the street. I also shared the cost of hiring Angela to be my driver to The Great Wall with other guests at the B&B.

While I was there, all the rooms were booked and it was still very quiet. In fact, it was nice to be able to talk with the others guests over breakfast. They provided good information to me when I first arrived, and I tried to do the same for new guests as I was leaving.

This is a great place. If you go, tell Angela Carol from Austin, Texas said hello! Also, be sure to ask her about the kite shop that's only a few blocks away. My grandchildren loved the kites!

Safe travels

-Carol

I found the Bed and Breakfast very clean and nice. The hosts were extremely sweet. The breakfasts were huge. The rates were very reasonable. I highly recommend this Bed and Breakfast and I would definitely stay there again.