Most capital cities are expensive, and Beijing is absolutely no different. We had a tight budget, and we wanted to spend any money we had left over on seeing as much of China as we could, so when we saw the amazing Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel in our price range, we jumped at it. Is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International the best hostel in Beijing?
- Is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International the best hostel in Beijing?
- Where is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel?
- The rooms at the Beijing Heyuan Hostel
- What facilities does the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel have?
- Best bits about the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel
- Some room for improvement in areas
- Our favourite parts of the hostel
- What essential services are near the hostel?
- What are things to do around Beijing Heyuan International Youth Hostel?
- Do we recommend the Heyuan Youth Hostel?
- Money in China
- How to get to Beijing
Is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International the best hostel in Beijing?
Now, don’t let the whole youth hostel thing put you off. Hostels worldwide are realising that there is a much bigger market than the crazy young ones who want to party.
There are older couples, families, and still those young ones that want to party but they also want to stay in quality accommodation with facilities to meet fellow travellers without breaking the bank and Heyuan Youth Hostel is a leader in this.
We have stayed in a few hostels with our daughters on all of our travels and we have to say the Heyuan is one of the best we have stayed in.
Where is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel?
The address you need is: 1 Zhiqiang Beiyuan, Wenhuiyuan Road, Hai Dian, 100088 Beijing, China
The Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel is located in a Hutong area in outer Beijing. While the Hutong area the hostel is located in is not filled with traditional buildings there are plenty of small alleys near it.
The rooms at the Beijing Heyuan Hostel
Because this is a hostel you have many options from single dorms, to twin rooms and family rooms.
Our room was equipped with two double beds and a private shower/bathroom. It was located at the back of the hostel through the inner courtyard in a nice quiet place.
Our friends had a twin room inside the main building in the hostel. It had a twin size bed and a private bathroom as well. They said it was still very quiet and comfortable inside the main building area.
Read more: Our ultimate guide to staying in hostels
What facilities does the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel have?
There is an amazing courtyard for relaxing in after a huge day of sightseeing in Beijing.
- There is a well-stocked bar with basic meals available starting at 10Yuan.
- Family rooms with a private bathroom and dorms, single rooms and private rooms with ensuite.
- A washing machine and a drying area in the courtyard.
- Airport pick up and drop off.
- The guys at the desk can organise any tours for you.
Best bits about the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel
For me, the washing machine was really needed for us. I also liked the cheap dinner options that we could have after a long day. Getting a cheap dinner there for the whole family was very easy.
For my daughters, it was the hostel puppy, ‘Mao Mao.’ They absolutely loved watching him run around and loved spending time snuggling with him.
Some room for improvement in areas
I had no problems with the hostel, but you cannot cook there or use a dryer. For people on a very tight budget, this may be an issue or a tight time frame to get the washing done.
Family travel expert tips: 6 reasons why staying in a hostel is good for your family vacation
Our favourite parts of the hostel
I loved so many things about this hostel that it was hard to narrow it down to just three of my favourite things.
The communal room
The communal room at the Hostel had numerous charging points for devices, a pool table, some board games, and a bar where you could purchase cheap drinks and food.
The inner courtyard
This beautiful, peaceful place was a pleasure to be in at any time of the day. It had traditional Chinese decorations, including a koi pond, bamboo, and fruit trees. It was also a favourite of Mao Mao, as he loved to play there, and the girls would watch him run around.
The staff
The staff here were brilliant and did as much as possible to help us. We wanted to have Peking Duck one night, but the kids just hadn’t enough, so they helped us order some and deliver it.
What essential services are near the hostel?
You will find nearly everything you need within walking distance.
On the same street
Right next to the hostel are two small local shops that sell drinks and snacky food (their range is more extensive than the hostel’s). Around the corner on the same street, you will find a restaurant as well.
We ate here one night, but we found it very hard to order and preferred the restaurant on the main road.
A bit of walking (under a kilometre)
There is a main street very close to the hostel. On this street, you will find a McDonald’s, an ATM, a bakery, 3 great restaurants, a pharmacy, a supermarket and a fruit shop.
What are things to do around Beijing Heyuan International Youth Hostel?
There are so many things to do in Beijing that you must plan your days well throughout your stay.
We found that the Beijing Heyuan Youth Hostel is a little bit out of the city centre so walking is not an option to the sites around here.
We did find it easy to catch a Didi from the hostel and go to any place we wanted to see while visiting Beijing. We had no problems getting to and from sites while we were there using the app.
Do we recommend the Heyuan Youth Hostel?
Is the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International the best hostel in Beijing? People are very worried about staying in hotels with kids, but to be honest, we booked a full room and a private bathroom for our family of 4. With that, we highly recommend a stay at Beijing Heyuan International Youth Hostel.
We found the facilities, staff, and location fabulous. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there, and if we do another Beijing trip, we will stay here again.
Money in China
The official National Currency in China is the rénmínbì (RMB), or some call it the Yuan. They come in 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, and 1 RMB banknotes and 1 yuan, 5 jiao, and 1 jiao coins.
We found that tourists needed cash, and smaller notes were better. Most Chinese pay through WeChat or Alipay. The ICBC bank was the easiest to use, with an English language option and fewer withdrawal fees than other banks.
How to get to Beijing
Beijing is serviced by two airports: Beijing Capital and Beijing Daxing International Airport. Beijing Capital is 32 kilometres from the city centre, while Daxing is 46 kilometres away.
High-speed rail is king in China. China has the world’s largest high-speed rail network, with trains travelling the country at up to 350 kilometres an hour. You can reach Beijing from anywhere in China via high-speed rail. You can read our buying train tickets in China post here.
China has an extensive network of highways of good Western quality. The traffic in Beijing is always heavy and best tackled by experienced city drivers. Nevertheless, you can hire cars at the major airports.
We hope this article from us here at Wyld Family Travel inspires you to stay at the Beijing Heyuan Courtyard International Hostel when you visit Beijing. There are so many things to do in Beijing that will have you entertained for your whole vacation in Beijing.
For more amazing ideas on where to holiday in China click through to our China Destination Guide Page for more brilliant inspiration for planning your trip to China.
If you are looking at travelling and using hostels all over the world then check out our Hostels Guide Page for more family-friendly hostels we recommend.
More travel inspiration for your trip to China
Rebecca Wyld
bec.wyld@wyldfamilytravel.com
Content Creator/SEO Editor
Co-founder and SEO editor here at Wyld Family Travel. Bec has travelled to over 45 countries across 3 continents and is a journey with kids advocate. When Bec is not planning travel, she creates content for our family travel blog or does local community service work. You can find all of Bec’s detailed travel guides here on Wyld Family Travel and on other popular websites such as Lonely Planet.