Red Lantern House

The Red Lantern Hostel in Beijing, China was a delightful experience. For starters, in a city and country with few English speakers staying at a hostel where most of the staff speaks more-or-less fluent English was a welcome commodity. On top of that, the hostel organized all of our Must-See/Do trips including a personal trip to The Great Wall and Peking Opera show. They are most affordable and provide breakfast (with the best tea I've ever had).

My only complaint and warning is if you are traveling in the winter, be prepared for no heat. No heat at the hostel nor in many restaurants.

Regardless, I recommend The Red Lantern Hostel in Beijing, China with a 99% satisfaction rate! Happy travels :)

I stayed here for 3 nights in March 2008. There are a few different buildings that make up this hostel, but they are all a very short walk from one another. It is located in an honest-to-goodness hutong. The only other westerners you are likely to see are the other guests at this hostel.

I reserved a private room for 1 with an attached bathroom. It cost me about $30 per night. It was very clean and bright. The only oddity is that the windows to the hallway were located in the bathroom.

The staff were extremely helpful, and all spoke moderate levels of English. The common room held lots of travel materials that you could use for free. The restaurant is overpriced, but it was literally 10 steps from my room. And if you want to eat cheap, the hutongs provide hundreds of options. Also, they sell 20oz beers for 4RMB!
The location is very convenient for public transportation. Also, if you want to take the local bus to the Great Wall, the pickup site is within walking distance.