China 2014: Beijing Downtown Backpacker Hostel

The Beijing Downtown Backpacker Hostel is a funky hostel located smack dab in the middle of Nanluoguxiang aka where all Chinese teenagers seem to hang out and consume sugary beverages. It’s a cool area if you get off the main street, as the hutongs have lots of cool alleyways to explore.

We booked a private room to share, but the only room they had available was a private triple for 300 rmb per night (about $50 USD). It’s a hostel, so it’s not fancy, but there was air conditioning and wifi in the room, which are two keys for me whenever I’m traveling and it’s hot (I’m a wimp when it comes to temperature from growing up in Seattle).

The hostel also organizes a lot of tours, including a tour to the Great Wall which we took (and which I will write about tomorrow). Overall, I’d say that the hostel was pretty good–the rooms were clean and comfortable enough for the price. The location, however, is a double-edged sword. It’s in the midst of a lot of things, and it’s not that far distance-wise from the Nanluoguxiang metro station, but when you consider that the street gets mobbed, it can take 15 minutes to walk what should be a 5-minute walk. And, well, when all I want to do is get back to my air-conditioned room after a day of dealing with crowds and sweltering heat in Beijing, the last thing I want to deal with is another crowd, which extends the amount of time I need to spend in said heat. For that reason, I probably wouldn’t stay here again.