Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique Hotel / Beijing, China
After weeks spent basking in tropical temperatures, arriving into Beijing in the dead of winter and being greeted by frosty -10°C air came as quite a shock to the system. Tucked away inside the hutongs of the Houhai district, we arrived at the Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique Hotel at close to midnight, frozen solid and in desperate need of a warm bed to curl up in.
The Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique Hotel was once called the Xinghua Mansion and was the home of an important administrator during the Qing Dynasty. The hotel doesn’t look like much from the outside, hidden away in a narrow back alley of grey stone walls, a decorative red door with large brass lion knockers is the only hint at what awaits inside. The former mansion has been lovingly restored and retains many features that hint at its past history. The rooms and layout have been carefully planned around the central courtyard to ensure an authentic feel, and each area is decorated with a mixture of new and antique furnishings to give a luxurious, modern traditional feel.
Our room was one of the large traditional rooms on the ground floor facing into the courtyard. With a high wooden beamed ceiling, huge soft bed and a cosy little seating area it was a welcome retreat after a long day outside in the cold. The inner courtyard area is completely covered and heated too, meaning we could sit and enjoy breakfast or drinks outside even despite the winter chill. The breakfast here was simple and easy, a standard continental spread, cooked meats, eggs and toast, alongside more traditional dishes.
We had so much to pack into our few days in Beijing, but hadn’t really planned any of our time. Thankfully the lovely receptionists were happy to recommend favourite spots to eat, places not to miss and also organised our Great Wall of China trip for us, they even packed us a little breakfast to take on our early morning coach.
Due to flight issues we had to add an extra day onto our stay in Beijing just a few weeks before we left. The Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique Hotel was sadly fully booked by this point, so we spent our last night at its sister hotel just down the road, the Shichahai Shadow Art Performance Hotel. The staff at both hotels were incredibly helpful, storing our bags and allowing us a late check in so that we didn’t have to miss out a day of exploring to switch over. Both hotels are wonderful and have their own unique charms, but I’m glad we got to spend more of our time at the Shichahai Sandalwood Boutique Hotel. Getting to sleep amongst such history and knowing that hundreds of years ago this was someone’s home felt really special, and I loved how this atmosphere just seemed to envelope the whole place.
