Guest User
May 30, 2024
The Ancient Rhyme Manxin was everything we hoped it would be and more! We were looking for an experience that had some authenticity for the hutong life and it really delivered. The building is really cool and located in a currently residential hutong (alley), yet it is just one block from a really vibrant area with shops, snacks, restaurants, treats, and sights. It's a short walk to a metro stop and you can access the shared bike system at the end of the block to get anywhere in the city very quickly. Our room was cool, with a carved bedframe and it was clean and comfortable. The hotel manager Grace was beyond helpful and kind and friendly and spoke great English. The breakfast situation was fabulous - a huge, fresh selection of Eastern and Western options in buffet form - everything from fresh eggs to congee to noodles to friend rice to fresh fruit and cakes. This ended up being important because getting breakfast in China is not as easy as other countries - they don't really open up coffee shops and bakeries until later in the morning. Highly recommend setting up Alipay and WeChat before you arrive in China as everything is paid through those apps, getting an international cell phone plan and a couple translation apps. Not many people speak English, but we found it a friendly place with people very patient and willing to try their best to help you get what you need. But having Grace as a homebase touchstone was very reassuring!