3 Star Hotels in Beijing, China

The Jade Garden Hotel exceeded the expectations of my fiancee and myself in almost every aspect. Best of all, it is close to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square... shopping in the downtown district... and a great morning and lunch buffet. The bed is the best I have ever.. I mean "ever" slept on... very comfortable... quality bedding... and the room was immaculate in all respects. There was only one downside to the room... an extremely small closet with hanger space for shirts or dresses... and only two drawers for stuff like socks and underwear... no big deal if your stay is short and you don't mind living out of your suitcase. We were here for 12 evenings, so it was very challenging to us. Big plus for the room... a large flatscreen TV that also served as the monitor for a computer system with wireless keyboard and mouse... free ethernet connection to the internet which we hooked to our Apple laptop... and plenty of desk space for a business stay. The staff was very helpful... kudos to them... and also very friendly. Word to the wise... beware of the taxi drivers in Beijing... they remind me of a Clint Eastwood movie... The Good, The Bad and The Ugly !! The hotel staff can hook you up with quality taxi service, but anything on the street is like gambling in Las Vegas which is no big deal if you embrace a little adventure in your life. A taxi is needed to see Tian Tan or the Great Wall or a trip to the "new" Beijing downtown to see the Birds Nest and other Olympic venues. A tour bus is recommended for the Great Wall... we found an excellent tour for 300 yuan for two people on a quality bus, with guide, with lunch, pickup and dropoff at the hotel, and a stop at the Ming Tombs enroute to the Great Wall... tremendous value. Our tour was organized for English speaking visitors, but the guide was gracious and also communicated in Chinese if necessary. If you are interested in tours and guides, be careful... there are some great values and quality service available... and others designed only to open and empty your wallet.

I reall think this is one of the best hotels. It has a great central location and is within walking distance of Tiannenmen square as well as Temple of Heaven and other attractions. There is subway access across the street (and it is so easy and cheap to get all around Bejing on the subway system). There are many reasonably priced places to eat around the hotel and in the mall which is 5 minutes away walking. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The one thing that I did not like is smelling cigarette smoke on a nonsmoking floor. Unfortunately, it is probably like that in other hotels, too. The other drawback is that the internet is slow. Great bonus and tip - there is a fantastic tailor shop on the ground floor (Jenny Tailor). They are reasonably priced and have made me some of the best suits and shirts that I have ever had custom made. They make clothes for both men and women.

We chose the Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel because we wanted to stay in a Chinese Hotel, not in a western style hotel. We are very happiy that we chose this place. If you are looking for a Marriott style hotel in Beijing, this isn't the place for you. But if you want an authentic Chinese experience, then by all means, stay here. The hotel is located in a hutong (old Beijing alley), and hutongs can be a little intimidating at first, but are entirely safe. We were excited when we checked in, because it was everything we were hoping for. There were Chinese decorations everywhere you looked. The gals at the front desk are friendly, and will do anything for you to make your stay more pleasant. They arrange tours, answer questions, call cabs - they even saw us off at the hotel entrance when we left! The beds are quite firm, but we found them very comfortable. Breakfast is included in the room charge, and the food is plentiful - but remember it is an authentic chinese experience. Try everything, but if your tastes don't run along the lines of chinese breakfast cuisine, there is always toast and coffee. One concession they have made to modern technology is a computer in the room. It made it very convenient to check in back home via email, look for shows, etc. Hint: If you go to the west entrance to the hutong and turn left, you will arrive at the Dongsi subway station. The Beijing subways are convenient and very easy to use, and this station should be your jumping off point. At the same corner is a "Wu Mart". This is a huge grocery store that has just about everything you might need as a traveler.