The ever-popular Yak has matured in recent years from backpacker hang-out to tour-group favourite, upgrading to a range of comfortable en-suite rooms. The best rates are through an online booking website such as Trip.com. The location is perfect and the 5th-floor breakfast bar offers great views of the Potala.
The cheapest online rates are for smallish doubles with squat toilets. Slightly pricier are the more spacious but noisier deluxe rooms overlooking busy Beijing Donglu. The best options are the colourful Tibetan-style decor of the quiet back block or the plush VIP rooms (guìbīnlóu).