A garden sanctuary in the hutong, the Orchid is Beijing's best-run boutique hotel, going the extra mile with memory-foam mattresses, mobile phones, marvellous breakfasts and a local area map for alleyway adventures. The cheapest rooms occupy wood-beamed Qing-era buildings that wrap around a cobbled courtyard, while premium digs have petite private gardens and roof terraces.
Food is an integral part of the Orchid experience, with homemade bread and sausages in the breakfasts and creative mezze-style fare served at in-house restaurant Toast. A stylish event space hosts wine-fuelled dumpling-wrapping and Shaanxi-noodle-making classes.
Outside the hotel are several larger rooms dispersed in thrillingly local nooks around the Drum and Bell Tower neighbourhood. These studios and maisonettes come with kitchenettes, but you can still breakfast at the hotel, never more than a stroll away.
