Top ChoiceLodging in Drum Tower & Dongcheng North
OrchidA garden sanctuary in the hutong, the Orchid is Beijing's best-run boutique hotel, going the extra mile with memory-foam mattresses, mobile phones, marvellous breakfasts and a local area map for alleyway adventures. The cheapest rooms occupy wood-beamed Qing-era buildings that wrap around a cobbled courtyard, while premium digs have petite private gardens and roof terraces.
Top ChoiceLodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
PuXuan HotelOpened in 2019, the PuXuan (sister hotel to Shanghai's acclaimed Puli) is Beijing's most stylish sanctuary, made for grown-ups who demand the finer things in life. Rooms are a masterclass of taste and design – choose a west-facing Grand Deluxe for artfully framed views of Jingshan Park, a sea of hutong and a tantalising corner of the Forbidden City.
Top ChoiceLodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Mandarin Oriental WangfujingTen years in the making (the first MO burnt down in 2009), the Mandarin Oriental was worth the wait. Palatial rooms (at least 55 sq metres) have luxurious, fine-tuned details, from the ubertrendy 'bowl' bathtubs to the Dyson-branded hair dryers. 'Mandarin Rooms' frame a sensational panorama of the Forbidden City through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Top ChoiceLodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
Rosewood BeijingBeijing's most glamorous hotel, the Rosewood seduces with serene public spaces, innovative restaurants and guest rooms of designer furniture, arty curios, and floor-to-ceiling vistas of the iconic CCTV building. The isolated ring road location is a negative, but subway connections are good.
Top ChoiceLodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
Opposite HouseThe haunt of celebs and media types, Sanlitun's trendiest hotel has 99 minimalist rooms, a stainless-steel pool, art installations in the vertigo-inducing lobby, and fabulous dining and drinking options. The location is right in the heart of things at Taikoo Li Sanlitun.
Lodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Peninsula BeijingBeijing‘s first ultraluxe hotel was looking a little jaded up to 2016, but then its rooms were knocked through and spruced up to create a fabulous, all-suite hotel with humongous bathrooms, separate living rooms and walk-in closets. Add two restaurants, a pool, a rooftop bar, flawless service and close proximity to the Forbidden City, and you've got the formula for a fine holiday splurge.
Lodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Waldorf Astoria BeijingA latticework box of copper and bronze, the Waldorf is a gorgeous piece of architecture. It's not too shabby on the inside either, with walls of fine Suzhou silk, contemporary-art pieces, and designer, tech-forward guest rooms. Service can be cold, and the restaurants have never quite hit the heights, but on looks and location it can't be beat.
Top ChoiceLodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Côté CourOne of Beijing's most charming courtyard hotels, Côté Cour makes for an exquisite getaway with its boutique-style guest rooms, magnolia-filled courtyard and beguiling period setting on a hutong formerly home to imperial court musicians. Wangfujing is a 20-minute walk away.
Lodging in Summer Palace & Haidian
Aman at Summer PalaceA royal retreat with its own private entrance to the Summer Palace, ultraluxe Aman promises imperial splendour in spades. It just about delivers – the courtyard suites are gorgeously refined – but the trio of restaurants, to which you are a captive audience, are underwhelming and service lacks the sparkle of Beijing's newer luxury piles.
Lodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
NUO Hotel BeijingThe 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 palatial guest rooms, Chinese poetry inscribed on the marble bathroom walls and bling art pieces from Chinese superstar artist Zeng Fanzhi in the lobby. Far from the action, but close to 798 Art District.
Top ChoiceLodging in Drum Tower & Dongcheng North
Orchid Private ResidencesThese self-contained studios and maisonettes orbiting the Orchid boutique hotel place guests in intimate proximity with the real Beijing. All residences come with kitchenettes, key-card door locks, TVs with English-language movies and authentically gruff hutong neighbours as standard. Complimentary breakfast and daily housekeeping included. Check-in is at the main Orchid hotel.
Lodging in Beihai Park & Xicheng North
Pagoda LightThe owners here have transformed a dilapidated hutong pile into a stylish, light-filled hostel that blends boutique design with Chinese courtyard decor. The four- to six-person bunk-bed dorms are a better choice than the cramped 'tatami' rooms. Private rooms are on the small side, but clean and modern. The White Dagoba Temple is next door.
Lodging in Beihai Park & Xicheng North
Vue HotelIn its own private compound, this trendy lakeside sanctuary has 80 designer guest rooms tricked out with music players, capsule coffee machines and open-plan bathrooms – the more expensive digs include hot tubs and balconies. Taxi access is tricky; it's a 1km walk through the hutong to the subway.
Lodging in Forbidden City & Dongcheng Central
Beijing Hotel NUOFormerly the Grand Hotel du Pekin (c 1917), this debonair old institution celebrates the golden age of travel in its showpiece marble staircase, glittering chandeliers and polished 1920s dance floor in the Writer's Bar. Local operator NUO took over from Raffles in 2016, enhancing the food offerings but leaving the period features intact. Avoid the characterless newer wing at the rear.
Lodging in Drum Tower & Dongcheng North
161 Lama Temple Courtyard HotelPart 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. Staff are courteous and speak English, and the location, between Ghost Street and the Lama Temple, is ideal for alleyway explorers.
Lodging in Dashilar & Xicheng South
Leo HostelBig, sociable hostel with a communal bar, western food (including what must be Beijing's only 'beans on toast') and plenty of cosy seating. Staff are friendly and mostly fluent in English. Bathrooms are too few and not terribly clean. Great central location on a touristy, pedestrianised strip.
Lodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
Four Seasons BeijingExuding a modern, smart-casual vibe, Four Seasons offers some of the most comfortable rooms in Beijing, and an Italian restaurant in Mio and a Cantonese one in Cai Yi Xuan that are up there with the city's finest top-end dining. The downside is the bland neighbourhood (overlooking the US embassy), with nothing of note nearby.
Lodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
Hotel EclatA fantastical neverland of a hotel, Eclat has designer-themed rooms (Swiss chalet, Miami suite, etc), original art pieces from Dali and Warhol, and 20 'lagoon suites', each with their own private pool. The hotel itself is inside the giant glass pyramid of Parkview Green and so the 'terraces' are effectively indoors – fun for winter.
Top ChoiceLodging in Beihai Park & Xicheng North
Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique HotelFormerly the mansion of a Qing dynasty official, this hutong hotel has put a lot of effort into its ornamental Chinese styling, with wooden furniture, silk screens and four-poster beds. Most rooms open on to a central courtyard, which hosts regular cultural activities including calligraphy and dumpling-making.
Lodging in Sanlitun & Chaoyang
Park HyattHighly polished business hotel that exudes exclusivity. Guest rooms, revamped in 2018, have a neutral, Nordic aesthetic, designer amenities and gigantic bathtubs. Breakfast at the 66th-floor China Grill will make you feel like a high roller.