Templeside Courtyard Hutong House

This is a great hostel, very picturesque and in a quiet setting amidst the nonstop noise and bustle of Beijing. The owner Bobby and his staff (especially the very sweet and charming Sharon) are very hard working and do their utmost to make their guests stay as pleasant as possible. They will order food for delivery for you from a local restaurant -- it's very tasty and very cheap. There's also cheap internet, 2 yuan for half an hour. The only annoying thing about this place was that it's quite hard to find, in a hutong (old fashioned alleyway). They really need to make some good maps available. Bobby is also a good source of local information and will organise tours such as day-trips to the great wall for you with people who won't rip you off -- a godsend in Beijing.

We stayed in the Templeside house for four nights last july 2006. It was our first hostel in China and we were pleasantly surprised by the kind staff and the very decent and clean rooms. The hostel was a bit hard to find, because there are no signs in the hutong referring to the hostel. Eventually we got there and we've had a pleasant stay. Breakfast isn't all that. The staff is really friendly and even though they don't always know the best way to get around in Beijing, they are willing to help and advise you in any way.