Peking Yard Hostel

The stylish common area is the star in Peking Yard Hostel, but dorm rooms are cramped and those seeking a social atmosphere may want to look elsewhere.

The Location

Peking Yard is in one of Beijing’s hutongs, the low-level residential areas that traditionally have made up much of the city’s housing. It’s around five minutes’ walk to a metro station, and a similar distance to bus routes. Within walking distance is the restaurant area of “ghost street,” and the boutique shops, bars, and restaurants in Nanluogu Xiang. It’s a longer walk to the Forbidden City and Tian’anmen Square -- maybe an hour -- so it’s easier to use the metro. Beijing is vast and it’s easy to forget that -- we took to using the good value cabs fairly often.

Immediately around the hostel are a number of local eateries selling dumplings, noodles, and Muslim specialties. Most only have Chinese menus (or no menu at all), but you can point at what you want in many of them. A French bakery on the way to the metro can provide western-style cakes and sandwiches if the Chinese food gets too much.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dorm rooms are painted white and are pretty small -- there’s not enough room to put a backpack in the lockers, so you have to squash your luggage where you can. The bunks are a bit rickety, so it’s noisy when your bunk-mate gets in or out of bed. Each bunk has its own locker (weirdly, often near someone else’s bed -- not convenient) with a built-in lock. You also get a small shelf, directional light, and electrical socket near your head. There’s an AC unit in each room -- ours was a touch noisy but effective. The provided bedding is nice and clean, but otherwise the dorm is a bit grubby -- it didn’t look like anyone had swept under the beds for a long time.

The bathroom is shared between the dorms. There are two showers and three western toilets shared among twenty-four beds. We didn’t find that we had to wait for either during our stay. The showers are powerful and hot, with hot water seemingly always available. The bathroom seems to be cleaned frequently, although there is always a slight drain smell -- apparently a common problem in Beijing. Towels are available for rent, and shower gel or shampoo aren't provided.

Common Spaces

The hostel’s real attraction is its great common area. A large room with a pool table, comfortable sofas, funky decoration, and nice lighting, it’s got a relaxed atmosphere and is a pleasant space to spend some time. There’s free Wi-Fi and a computer with internet access, too. Movie nights are advertised, but none happened during the seven nights we were there. When the weather’s good, there’s also a roof terrace with chairs and tables for some outside relaxation. The interior of the hostel is nonsmoking, so smokers will be on the roof or outside the front door.

The common area is run like a café, with western and Chinese food available, as well as alcoholic and soft drinks. Prices are reasonable by Western standards, but quite a bit higher than in the shops and restaurants around the hostel. We ate there once and the food is ok.
The hostel is quiet and friendly but not really a place to find a party. There are always plenty of people in the common area, so you’re likely to get chatting to other travelers, but the hostel doesn’t organise dumpling parties or other social events to help things along.

When in China you often find yourself reliant on the hostel staff to help with travel arrangements, directions, and general advice. The staff at Peking Yard are adequate in this respect, but we’ve come across other places where people go the extra mile.

Summary

Minor quibbles about cramped rooms, cleanliness, and pricey food and drink aside, Peking Yard is a decent hostel with a great common area. The location is pretty good, and it’s certainly very convenient for the metro. It’s definitely a hostel to consider for your stay in Beijing, but if you want a party scene, or just to meet some other travelers, there are probably better options.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2011