Fodor's Expert Review Lüsongyuan

The wooden entrance to this delightful courtyard hotel, on the site of an old Mandarin residence, is guarded by two menshi (stone lions), an indicator that this hotel offers a classic old-Beijing experience: good, affordable accommodations with few modern updates and little in the way of fancy design. The guest rooms are basic, the windows are large, there's plenty of dark wood and red pillars, and five courtyards offer delightful escapes in the forms of pavilions, rockeries, and greenery. It's all about location here: you're in the middle of an ancient neighborhood, within walking distance of Houhai, and just a block away from many restaurants on Nan Luogu Xiang.