Nestled in the maze of back alleys near Beijing’s iconic Drum and Bell towers, the Orchid Gulou is a small boutique hotel that caters to adventurous travelers looking for the coziness of a boutique hotel in the middle of the capital. The hotel is a converted siheyuan (courtyard) that, although thoroughly modernized, retains much of the lived-in character of an ancient Chinese home. One of the location’s standout features is a top-level deck that allows you to peek through the tops of old-growth trees for views of the Drum tower and the surrounding hutongs. Room amenities include heated floors, complimentary fruit baskets, and air purifiers.
The Orchid
The Orchid
The Orchid
The Orchid
The Orchid
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The Orchid
This courtyard house converted to ten-room boutique hotel provides an enticing blend of seclusion -- it stands at the end of a sliver of an alley off a narrow street -- and proximity to the bustling Gulou area a short walk away. Rooms come with wireless and a daily fruit basket. Two of them, the ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ rooms, include a private garden and private terrace respectively, while ‘The Lookout’ has views of both Drum Tower and Bell Tower. The Orchid has a restaurant, where guests can enjoy complimentary breakfast, as well as a first-floor bar where they can relax and sip a tasty tea-infused beer made by nearby microbrewery Great Leap. Step outside and you find more options, including Modernista Cafe in one direction, Yunnan restaurant Southern Barbarian in the other, and homey Mr Shi’s Dumplings right across the street. Beyond that are hundreds of restaurants, shops and bars.
