Far East International Hotel Beijing

The hotel/hostel is a very nice and cosy place in the quiet back streets of Beijing, known as a 'hutong', where friendly locals live and go about their daily business. There are two parts to this hotel/hostel. The hotel on one side of the street, which I cannot vouch for as I haven't stayed there, and the very cosy hostel accommodation immediately opposite. The hostel accommodation has a very cosy courtyard with a few tables and serves food and drinks at a reasonable price. Please note that there is a deposit on beer bottles so if you bring them back you get 0.25 yuan. The courtyard is a lovely place to relax and catch up with other travellers. The rooms are nice and clean, but the bathrooms could have been a little bit cleaner. The staff are helpful and will happily organise trips to the Great Wall, ranging from a short visit to a few hours trek on the wall (to be recommended to get away from the bulk of the tourists and to see the parts that have not been restored).

The location of the hostel was the most appealing as it gives you insight to life in the hutongs, which unfortunately are being demolished at a staggering rate to make way for a growing modern city. You can walk down through the back streets (a couple of km) to Tiannamen Sq. and the Forbidden City.

BFEH, a great place to stay!