Will start trip in Beijing and trying to decide between HuLu ,Red Wall Garden Hotel and Hotel Cote Cour. Leaning towards Cote Cour but a bit worried about neighborhood. What do you think? - family of 4 with 2 daughters 19 and 22

Nothing wrong with Coté Cour's neighbourhood, but hotel is overpriced and poor value for money, especially if you choose to book ahead on-line.

Did you look at The Orchid? http://theorchidbeijing.com/ We were supposed to stay there last year after looking at many different options but then had to cancel our entire trip (well at least postpone it to another time).

We stayed at the Orchid in October 2012 and really loved the hotel and Joel the owner and his helpful staff. We enjoyed all the activity in the Baochao Hutong. We stayed in the Yang room (I think). It was the room with the private rooftop terrace which we used early in the morning and in the evening after a long day of sightseeing. The terrace has a great view of the Bell Tower which is dramatically lit up at night. Also memorable about this view are the domesticated flocks of pigeons that fly around in the morning and evening. The hotel staff and Joel helped us with restaurant suggestions and a driver to take us to Mutianyu and the Ming Tombs.

I stayed at the Red Wall Garden hotel a month ago and LOVED it! The staff was so nice and helpful. the rooms and beds were clean and very comfortable. I really liked the showers. But the best part was the courtyard. We had such a good dinner there we ate there 2 of the nights. I loved the Beijing Beef and my mom loved the chicken. Enjoy your trip