Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel

Rooms were clean. Spacious bathroom and shower. Wifi in rooms. Tucked away in traditional little alley close to street stalls and lakes and markets. Air conditioned. Breakfast simple but hygienic and well cooked. Decent hotel for price. Very happy with our stay.

Very small hotel, but it has everything you need. My room was clean and the AC works perfectly. The breakfast was simple but enough to fill you up. 10 minutes walk to Houhai and 15 minutes the metro. The only thing I didn't like about the hotel is their laundry service. My husband's boxer came back WET and they charged about 10 yuan each. They took it to the laundry place next door.

Myself and my fiance are both locals, and wanted to have a romantic weekend away from home, so booked one of the upstairs suites. I'd specified we wanted a double bed, but when I arrived we got two singles and were told all the double suites were full up. We ended up having to push the beds together which was OK for one night but would have driven us nuts for longer, as we kept slipping down the middle. The rooms downstairs (we checked several alternatives as we were keen for a double bed) were windowless and stuffy, so give this place a miss if you can't get an upstairs suite. These are large and airy, but be warned - unless you close your curtains everything you do is visible from the rooms across the courtyard! The breakfast is also pretty paltry for the price. Having said that, great location (if you have a bicycle and light luggage), and the decor is both authentic and modern. We were sorry to miss the shadow puppets!

The walk down a quiet back road late at night first makes you wonder what you are getting yourself into, but on entering the hotel you are greated with a beautiful oasis and extremely helpful staff. The next morning you'll realise you are in a very vibrant and quirky part of Beijing with great local amenities and extremely convenient for all the sights. The hotel is close to metro 6 - a new line which is not on all the maps - which is extremely easy to get to from the airport using the new express train.

I only spent one night at this hotel, but I thought it had a great location. I was completely jet-lagged but really enjoyed my walk around nearby Houhai Lake. The room was comfortable and clean, although my brain wasn't working and I couldn't figure out how to use the door's key card to open the door when I first arrived. Good air conditioning. Good selection at breakfast. One minor issue was that the staff wasn't terribly helpful when I needed to take a taxi the next morning. They kind of vaguely waved me toward a major street where I was told there would be taxis. Another issue I had was that I couldn't find the name of the hotel or the hotel's address printed in Chinese characters. Maybe that's something Expedia should be providing.

This hotel has a lot of character and it's fantastic. It looks exactly like the pictures and the staff were very nice and friendly. The only problem is the location - it's about a 10-15 minute walk from Beihai Bei station (exit A) and it isn't close to any restaurants at all. So to see sites like Forbidden City, Qianmen, etc, you'll need about 30 mins traveling time. We love this hotel but another minus was that as this was built where hutongs are, the rooms are very close to each other and when guests slam doors or close it gently, it's loud enough to wake you up from your sleep. One night, we heard this American guy talk to his wife a few doors down and it was loud enough that I could hear what he was saying. Light sleepers, do look for another hotel if you need restful sleep.

The Good sides of the hotel - It has three weekly Piying (Shadow Puppet) shows at 8PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The shows are about 15 minutes long and usually about traditional Chinese stories. The hotel also offers free breakfast of mixed Chinese and Western offerings. The air conditioning is great, it is a good break from the summer heat we found when we went in July. The free internet is fast and can be found through out the hotel with some rooms offering your own access point in the room. The Best part of the hotel - their staff. We found them to be extremely helpful. On our first day, Kathy, who was already off her shift and ready to go home, came back to help us with the Internet Access in our room. She was also one of the puppeteers so we saw her several times during our stay. Jocelyn, the manager, was also very helpful and offered us tips on where to go, see, and eat. Overall we found all of the staff to be friendly, helpful, and great addition to the hotel. The only draw back is that the hotel is at least 15 minutes walking distance from the nearest metro stop. While most of the walk is under the shade (with one street called Willow Shade street), it can be difficult during the summer.

If you want to be in a hutong for your bejing stay, this place is great. The hutong is quaint and local as any in the city. the hotel does stand out a bit - really modern in the middle of an old neighborhoud. not a great place if you want to stay somewhere that blends in. That said, the hotel was lovely inside, breakfast was standard/good, and it is about 10 minutes walk from the subway. We liked it. It could have been cheaper, but for a weekend not bad.

Hotel is situated in tradional China with homes and community. It was great to see the locals and gave us insight into their cultural life. Hotel was clean, breakfast was plentiful and staff were gracious and accommodating on every occasion. Recommend this hotel to others