After reading fabulous reviews, I decided to book this for my friend and I for our short 5 days 4 nights trip. We booked through expedia for a twin bedroom.

On the way from the airport, I decided to call up the hotel to ask for tips on how to get there to avoid all those crazy skyprices that taxi drivers will offer. The hotel staff were really helpful and told us the usual rate which was $15 - $30.

Finding a cab requires skill, the further you walk away from the tourist trap mrt, the lower the cab fare, just flag your own cab and don't bother about those targeting tourists. Their prices were like $300. =.=

Finding the place after the taxi dropped us off was pretty easy, a bit of a long walk for us since we had heavy backpacks and all. But our destination was totally worth it. Like mentioned, we paid for a twin bedroom and to our surprise, we were given a room so much bigger and better than that! Later on, we were told that they upgraded us to their family room, and the biggest one at that! It came with 2 big beds, spacious room and even a private balcony, all for the two of us. It totally swept us off our feet. The staff told us that they would try their best to let us be able to enjoy different kind of 'rooms' if possible and so it happened that no one booked that room and they decided to upgrade us there for free.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed the time there, going out with happy faces waving goodbyes and giving us advice on sightseeing and having them there to welcome you back after a tiring day is such a relief. It was an enjoyable stay there.

An additional plus for a history junkie like me was the fact that the place used to belong to a famous official in the Qing Dynasty, Ji Xiao Lan Shifu. Was so happy when I found that out. All in all, I am extremely happy with the place, and so was my friend. We couldn't help gushing over how the place brought us back to the old China era, how friendly the staff were and of course, the place was really convenient, being so near to DongSi Station. We could venture on our own after the 1st day.

Service there were really good. When we were waiting for our cab to the airport, they accompanied us and chatted with us. Despite us telling them that we were really happy with the service, they kept asking us for suggestions for improvement. Kudos to that.

This is a place that I would totally recommend to all my friends visiting Beijing. Good price for unique and awesome accommodation. Would totally visit this place again when I return to Beijing. Fabulous Hutong experience!

A Must-go place!

I stayed here for nearly a week with my parents in their 'Family' room. The staff would bend over backward to help you with anything you needed, and they were always incredibly friendly while doing it. The hallways and rooms are absolutely charming - traditional decorations and furniture mixed with more modern-ish bathrooms. Breakfast was Chinese and Western mixed - great!

Our room: Having been staying in apartments for the other parts of our trip, the room seemed initially small, but was great for a hotel room accomodating three people. The canopy bed my parents shared was not their favorite, as they are used to larger, open beds. Having two sides with walls bothered them. My bed was comfortable, although we also had to use it for seating if we were in the room. The decorations are beautiful and comfortable. Seating in the room is not super comfortable, but we were fine. It would be better in warmer weather, when you could enjoy their courtyard. We were stuck indoors with our winter visit. Our room was always plenty warm (even hot at times), and we didn't even turn on the blower heater, just left it with the radiators.

The staff: Utterly fantastic! Thanks to all of them for their help, advice, and smiles, jokes, and questions welcoming us 'home' each day! They did things promptly, but were always patient with us. They've got a great group of people working there.

The location: A little farther from things than I thought it would be, but really a good location. The Dongsi subway station is nearby and there are a few sights within 20-30 minutes of walking. Since it is in the 'hutong' area, it can also be worth longer walks to some other things to see. Because of massive amounts of luggage we set up a driver to and from the airport, so he didn't have a problem getting us there (plus, he spoke English). I could see getting taxis to find it if you don't speak Mandarin could be difficult.

Chinese New Year warning: If you go during Chinese New Year, DO NOT EXPECT TO SLEEP! The hotel was wonderful, but we were all sleep-deprived after a week of seemingly non-stop fireworks in the neighborhood. The fireworks are ALL OVER Beijing then, but with the setting of the courtyard sleep was especially difficult to block them out (plus, the cats that live around the courtyard somewhere were miserable and let us all know it after most of the firework outbursts).

I arrived on foot from Dongsi Metro Station (line 5) as I had only a light wheelie suitcase. 5 minute walk to the hotel, (walk north then take 4th alleyway to the east - it was labelled in pinyin).

Good: Friendly staff who speak English, upgraded to larger room as it was quiet. Charmingly decorated rooms, clean, free internet on room computer. Very good location if you're going around by metro.

Bad: Radiator was not enough for a Beijing December and the door/window provided no insulation. Turned the A/C unit up and that was ok.

This only reflects one night's stay.

I loved my 3 nights at the Double Happiness hotel, it was such a great change from staying at the fancy Western style hotels in Chongqing and Chengdu. I didn't want to leave! One word of advice - make sure you have the hotel address/name written in Chinese when you land in Beijing... I only had it written in English and had a hard time getting a cab driver to understand where I was going. The staff at Double Happiness were very nice and helpful and the pub was super cute. Subways were easy to navigate and made me feel like I had a better sense of the city rather than taking taxis everywhere. I can't wait to go back!