Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
The corner harbour-view rooms (18th floor and above) are the pick of the 345 designer digs at this trendy business hotel built atop the Tai Koo MTR…
Must-see hotels in China
Hongkou & North Shanghai
Famous guests at the 'oldest hotel in China' include the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell. Built in 1846, the neo-classical…
New Territories
This Lutheran Church–affiliated hostel, part of the Tao Fong Shan complex, is set on a peaceful hillside above Sha Tin. The rooms are clean and quiet. The…
Guiyang
Set among the wide, empty streets of the city's new political and financial centre (Jinyang, 15km north), the Renaissance is an absolute bargain for those…
Shandong
The excellent former Hongmen International Youth Hostel – housed within the charming courtyards of an old guild hall once attached to Guandi Temple – was…
Henan
Super close to the night market and right in front of a bus station, Anximen Hostel has a great location. It has lovely new facilities, including a roof…
Beijing
A royal retreat with its own private entrance to the Summer Palace, ultraluxe Aman promises imperial splendour in spades. It just about delivers – the…
Hong Kong
If you can bag a room at the lower end of the price range (book direct, online), the elegant Jervois is an excellent deal. Its 49 one- and two-bed suites…
Shangri-la
Unusual upmarket hostel located in a huge converted Tibetan house in a village just outside town, close to the grasslands and mountains. Tibetan-run, it…
Beijing
The flagship hotel of a homegrown hospitality brand, NUO serves up a Chinese take on luxury living, which equates to teas from its own plantations in the…
Ningxia
A hostel with compact and comfortable four- and six-person dorms and double en-suite rooms. Girls dorms are on the 2nd floor. Decor is upbeat and modern,…
Macau
Occupying several floors behind a pink-and-green facade are seven rooms with stained-glass windows: a large family one with two double beds; four standard…
French Concession
Although slightly out of the action, this hostel is near Luban Rd metro station, so transport is sorted. Rooms are clean and simple with pine furniture…
Shanghai Old City
With its quirky lobby – chairs like birdcages; tree branches trapped in cascades of glass jars; sheets of metal riveted to the wall; modish, sinuously…
Beijing
The owners here have transformed a dilapidated hutong pile into a stylish, light-filled hostel that blends boutique design with Chinese courtyard decor…
The Bund & People's Square
Set in a beautiful colonial villa dating from the 1930s, the Bund Garden retains its distinct classic British feel with red-brick Gothic features,…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
Decor at this 91-room boutique hotel riffs on the Chinese fairy tale of the Moon Goddess and the Jade Rabbit – stylised rabbit wall art, oversized…
Henan
If waking up to the sounds of crowing roosters and beating all the crowds to the Shaolin Temple sounds like your cup of chá, don't miss the opportunity to…
Chengdu
Set in a tranquil courtyard building, this boutique hotel near Wenshu Monastery blends traditional decor with modern comforts and a taste of Buddhist…
Gansu
On the cusp of opening at the time of writing, these lovely all-rustic, all-wood 60-sq-metre chalets (a dozen in all), operated by the folk at the Nirvana…
Zhejiang
The only accommodations in Siping are the 15 homes open to guests through this program (the small number keeps the village uncrowded). While Siping has…
Shanghai
Travel back to old Shanghai at this beautiful heritage hotel (c 1934), which was the former residence of a Shanghainese banker. Its unique architecture…
The Bund & People's Square
For those who prefer something more contemporary than the old-world hotels nearby, the Méridien is a stylish affair with a Nouvelle Vague soundtrack and…
Beijing
In its own private compound, this trendy lakeside sanctuary has 80 designer guest rooms tricked out with music players, capsule coffee machines and open…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
This funky, sociable hostel attracts backpackers from all over the world to its brightly painted female and mixed dorms with curtained-off bunks and…
Kowloon
A curvaceous resort-style hotel commanding a generous wedge of Hung Hom harbour-front, the Kerry is somewhat out on a limb, though that means it has ample…
Dali
Smack in the shadow of Cang Shan and now spread over a complex of buildings, the Jade Emu is massive and has everything a traveller could need. The dorms…
Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Formerly the Grand Hotel du Pekin (c 1917), this debonair old institution celebrates the golden age of travel in its showpiece marble staircase,…
Xi'an
This hip hostel is the younger sister of Han Tang House and Han Tang Inn and a short walk down the road from both. It has cleaner, brighter and more…
Luxun Native Place Youth Hostel
Zhejiang
Filling the meandering corridors of a centuries-old courtyard house, this hostel is right in line with the city's other historic sites. The renovations…
161 Lama Temple Courtyard Hotel
Beijing
Part of the local 161 chain, this hutong hotel has around a dozen compact rooms made to feel larger thanks to photo-murals of Beijing tourist attractions…
Ming Palace International Youth
Guilin
This popular and centrally located backpackers offers clean and comfortable dorms, along with beautifully decorated, spacious and bright private rooms,…
Qinghai
A stuffed antelope with a wooden tongue greets visitors to this large and decent hotel with faded yet spacious Chinese-style rooms. Rooms all come with…
Kowloon
A walk-through museum exhibit of old-time Hong Kong greets arrivals at this playful hotel close to Temple Street Night Market and Jordan MTR station…
Shanghai
Those wanting to make an evening getaway out of their Sheshan visit can stay at this Chinese resort-style hotel, located between Happy Valley and Sheshan…
Chongqing City
This Qing dynasty courtyard hotel with a lovely downstairs teahouse (open to nonguests) could be the nicest boutique setting in Chongqing, but it comes…
Ü
Easily the most comfortable place to stay is this chic resort run by Lhasa's Shambhala Serai group. It has its own riverside hot springs, 5km before…
Guangxi
This cosy place in Ping'an is run by a pleasant Zhuang woman called Yanmei and her brother. Spacious tiled rooms sport sharp colour coordination, a…
Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island
All 54 bright and modernised rooms at the Dorsett come with warm service and thoughtful amenities, which include smartphones for guests. Kids will enjoy…
Hong Kong
Free smartphone, free on-the-go phone charger and wi-fi, free selfie stick, free portable fan – there's lots to like about this reasonably priced boutique…
