Beijing Ningxia Hotel

“Comfortable suite, ok location”

100 yards off the main road, we found it ok, walked 1km from Beinxingqiao subway which is where the Capital Airport Express stops. Vibrant local area with lots of cafes and restaurants. Hotel looks grand and swish, I think it's been refurbished recently. We were allowed to check in at 9am for whic… more

100 yards off the main road, we found it ok, walked 1km from Beinxingqiao subway which is where the Capital Airport Express stops. Vibrant local area with lots of cafes and restaurants. Hotel looks grand and swish, I think it's been refurbished recently. We were allowed to check in at 9am for which we were incredibly grateful after a long flight, thank you! Only a few words of English spoken at reception but online translation helped on both sides. Mainly used by business people when we were there, breakfast was ok if you get down there early, no concessions to Western palates but 8.30 onwards felt a bit sparse, things were running out. The bed was rock solid and creaky. All in all, it felt a bit impersonal in the hotel itself but clean and efficient, and a great location. Our suite had a view over the hutong with local life going on on the street outside. 15 mins walk from Nanluoguxiang, and 10 mins from Andingmen subway.

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“Excellent Location”

This is probably not a hotel a Westerner might choose, in fact, I think we were the only ones there when we stayed in May of 2017. However, it is an excellent spot to explore Beijing. The rooms are large and well appointed, with tea kettle included. The rooms are on the level of a newer Holiday In… more

This is probably not a hotel a Westerner might choose, in fact, I think we were the only ones there when we stayed in May of 2017. However, it is an excellent spot to explore Beijing. The rooms are large and well appointed, with tea kettle included. The rooms are on the level of a newer Holiday Inn or Hilton Express, higher end but not quite 'luxury'. Our room had a small window that opened. The hotel is almost perfectly situated, about one block off a big road (Andingmen) into a hutong where convenience stores are right outside the hotel parking lot. You can easily walk to Andingmen Metro station which is line 2 (loop). I recommend waking straight down Andigmen (Inner) and popping in and out of the hutong's to find a wide variety of shops, from plain convenience stores, to nice tea rooms, to posh boutiques. every block is a new surprise. There are only two downsides. First, the staff speaks almost no English, but were eager to assist using a mobile phone translation device that worked pretty well. Secondly it was unseasonably warm during our visit and the air conditioning when working was rather good, but it didn't seem to want to run at all hours. However, air conditioning in the entire Eastern Hemisphere is generally not very strong by American standards, so this was nothing too unusual. The rooms are very quiet, despite being located in a hutong where street life goes on all night. My neighbor in the hotel was prone to slamming his door upon arrival and exit, but there is not much the hotel can do about that. This hotel is recommended for comfort and to experience the real Beijing up close.

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“Not '4 stars', but Quiet, Convenient and in a Charming neighbourhood”

If you are arriving during off-peak hours from Beijing Airport and dont have an unreasonable amount of baggage, take the Airport Express to the last stop at Dongzhimen. Some parts of the Beijing metro do not have escalators and you will need to lug your bags up or down flights of stairs. Then, foll… more

If you are arriving during off-peak hours from Beijing Airport and dont have an unreasonable amount of baggage, take the Airport Express to the last stop at Dongzhimen. Some parts of the Beijing metro do not have escalators and you will need to lug your bags up or down flights of stairs. Then, follow the signs to Line 2 of the Beijing Metro. Line 2 is a loop service, so get on the anti-clockwise train which is just 3 stops to Andingmen. Take the northwest exit, and walk south across an expressway of sorts. Have fun dodging cars, busses and bicycles. They will use their horns at you, but don't worry, nobody is out to get anyone killed. As you walk south along the RIGHT side of the shopping street, keep an eye out for 'Fensiting Hutong'. There will be a security guard of sorts at the entrance of every hutong, but they will not bother you and chances are, they cannot speak English. The area is safe to walk around, even at night. Fensiting hutong is a narrow street, and the hotel is a few metres in. There is no doorman to greet or open the door for you, so it will be self-service. Walk across the expansive lobby and to the front desk on the right. The receptionists can barely converse in English, so it's best if you have a screenshot of your reservation number and details. They can retrieve your reservation, but in case of any dispute on the pricing at which you made your booking, it's best to have something to back you up. 'Double / twin / breakfast, etc' are foreign words to them; even if they do their best, translation is really and issue. Elevators require you to tap your keycard in order to get to your floor. Interestingly, the mat on the elevator floor are changed daily to reflect the day of the week. I reserved a standard room, which supposedly are on floors 4-5. But I was allocated a room on the 7th floor, facing south. The receptionists seem to know this and I believe deliberately gave me a room with a good view, which are the south or east facing rooms. Those facing north and west point towards apartment buildings. My room overlooked the hutongs below and on clear days, it was possible to view the pagoda in Beihai Park, not to mention great evening and morning views. The room is spacious although slightly dated, with the usual amenities. My room did not have a safe, so I had to bring my valuable out everyday while visiting Beijing. The bath tub and parts of the wall in the bathroom had mould stains, but who uses the bath anyway. The water pressure was strong and a hot standing shower put a relaxing end to an exhausting day of sightseeing. I am particular about toilet bowl cleanliness, which was surprisingly clean. No urine stains running down the sides, which would have Anthony Melchiorri yelping in disgust. Most importantly, the bed linen smelled fresh and no bed bugs. Wifi signal was strong. During my 4 nights stay, I had breakfast only once. There was a promotion, CNY38 during September 2016. It was a decent spread, considering the price. Don't expect international buffet standards. A chef was on hand to pull and slice dough to prepare beef noodles. The usual offerings include fried rice, chinese-style vegetables, chicken, and a limited selection of cereal. Take note that many of the hotel's amenities are not available. There is no swimming pool, fitness centre, etc. as advertised on the website. Think of the hotel only for a comfortable place to sleep. Since there is no KTV or massage service available, nobody will come knocking on your door at night asking if you need a special. Most hotels in China have this, so look elsewhere if you are after such experiences. Muslim travellers will be delighted to know that this is one of the few hotels in Beijing which serve Halal meals and this includes the breakfast. While walking into Fensiting hutong, there are also two Muslim restaurants which serve amazing halal Chinese cuisine. I would not rate this hotel as '4 stars' as it claims to be. However, you can be assured of a clean and pleasant rest after a crazy day in Beijing.

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