Heart of Beijing: House with View 1

There's a little bit of difference between 5 Stars Hotels or a Luxury Suite and Cindy's nice courtyard, in a very popular neighborhood. But we think independent travellers may appreciate the convenience of this accommodation for a lot of reasons. First of all Cindy Xia and her husband Nicos are very kind, patient, and helpful. In addition you are in a central location, near a Metro station (Dongsishitao), so that you can easily move around the city center (and you will be proud how simple to use bilingual subway). Our trip was amazing and we so want to go back and see more we did. We hope to see Cindy and Nic again. In Beijing or in Europe, who knows!

Four of us( three from the States and one from HK) stayed at Cindy's place in Mid March and we all had a great time there. One of the things I really appreciate is that Cindy's recommendations either regarding the restaurant or where to go are truly helpful. She is a wonderful host. I recommend to whoever come to China, and want to have the local experiences, this is definitely a neat place to stay.

We stayed with Cindy for four nights in Beijing on our first trip to China. Cindy is so friendly and helpful. She responded quickly to our queries about her place, sent great information about what we could expect and set up a tour to the Great Wall for us. Cindy and Nikos were easy to talk to and you could ask any question! They helped us find good food and interesting places to visit. The room was more than we could have hoped for and so close to all the sites! We will recommend to friends who head to Beijing that they stay at Cindy's place!

As you can read in the other reviews, Cindy and Nico are very great ,as well as the place ! What I can say personally , and what was for great value for me, is that the choice to go to Cindy is really the right one, when you have no idea, what is Benjing, and you are there for the first time. Cindy will give you useful contacts, information and interesting chat about Benjing and chinese people.  And, now after a few days spent by Cindy and Nico, their place is definitely the right one again, even if you are not for the first time in Benjing ;)

Staying with Cindy proved to be a great decision. We stayed in Beijing for three nights in a whirlwind tour of China and Japan. The lodging was great and centrally located. Cindy was an excellent source of local knowledge and super helpful with directions. We checked out the badaling portion of the great wall, and she provided lunch and a thermos of hot tea for us to take there. She also helped us get tickets for the acrobatics show. I have no idea how we would have managed without her :-)

As you will read in all the other reviews, Cindy and her husband Nick are the greatest. Cindy will do anything to make your stay super, from arranging trips to The Great Wall to inviting you to dinner with her friends so that you can gain a real insight into Beijing life. The rooms are large and comfy, the water hot, and the wifi makes staying connected a snap. With her central location near two subway lines and the chance to stay in an authentic 'hutung' area, you couldn't ask for a better experience.

Finding Cindy's hutong oasis was our favorite part of our visit to Beijing. Our room was very spacious. Adding nicely to that was a private bathroom and a great water pressured shower. Cindy made a nice breakfast everyday which got us off to a great start of very long touring days. We valued her suggestions as to how to maximize our short two days in Beijing and left feeling like we owed our completed check list to her. Our trip to the Great Wall was perfect because of her planning. We left early and virtually had the Wall to ourselves for the majority of our climb. She even packed us a lunch! I would love to return someday to experience her lovely outdoor areas and to visit with Cindy, who we now consider to be a friend.

My family and I had a great time at Cindy's. She is an excellent host with a lot of knowledge about the area. She gave us some great recommendations on places to eat and helped us with all our reservations. She also made some great breakfast dishes that were much appreciated. The room is very comfortable and warm. The showers had more than enough hot water for three people (it was the middle of winter). The place is also central to many things in Beijing. I would stay there again the next time we visit again.

The best decision we made in Beijing was booking to stay here! Unbelievably generous, Cindy and Nikos were not only the great hosts but amazing company :) we were already in Beijing for about a week or so before we stayed with them and they were kind enough to invite us out to eat on multiple occasions. As if that wasn't enough, Cindy even paired us up with another couple staying with them so that we could see the Great Wall for cheaper...all this before we had even checked in! If you want great company, where you can relax with a beer in hand and laugh until your cheeks hurt, look no further. If you want a great, warm place to stay with invaluable advice and recommendations of things to do/see in and around Beijing, look no further. Basically just look no further!

Cindy was amazing, so was her place. We only stayed there for 2 nights but wish we could have stayed for longer. Located in the heart of Beijing her place seamed to be a rare gem in these parts. Loads of space and lots of heaters which was very welcome in the Beijing winter. Cindy gave us great directions on how to find her place. She even gave us directions in Chinese to give to the cab driver which made getting from the airport to here's very easy. Cindy also organsied a cab driver to take us to The Wall and to the Summer Palace. She even made sandwiches for us to take to the wall as it is hard to find food out there! 5/5 rating! Will never stay in a hotel again after this experience.

Cindy made Beijing bareable and fun, we'd love to call her a friend - well defiantly stay again next time we come :)

This is an amazing little gem, tucked away in one of the old hutong alleys in central Beijing. Cindy was a great host and always good for a laugh. The pictures are very accurate by the way and there is some nice artwork at display in the courtyard. Would always go back if i have the chance.

Staying at Cindy's place was marvelous! In the very heart of Beijing you get to feel the old culture collide with the new. Cindy and Nick are great hosts and helped us a lot with tips on what to see around town and provided with local sim card, helped to book a taxi to the Great Wall. They are both very creative people and we had interesting and fun conversations in the yard all the time. The rooms are really cozy and we had no trouble at all. The space itself is very relaxing amidst a busy city. I recommend staying here to anyone who wants a lovely authentic experience of Beijing.

Cindy and Nick are immaculate hosts! we reaally enjoyed our stay and would have extended it if they'd had accommodation available. Cindy was extremely helpful with local informaation and the facilites were clean, comfortable and provided everything we needed. It was great to ave a cellphone and be able to call Cindy when stuck language-wise. I woudl highly recommend this experience to anyone who is looking for something more authentic.

If you haven't figured it out by the other reviews, staying with Cindy is the best choice you can make in Beijing. She knows the city better than a hotel concierge, provides everything you could need from restaurant suggestions to shopping tips, and keeps the rooms incredibly comfortable and clean. Staying with her and nico felt like staying with friends. This is the LOCAL Beijing experience you can't get anywhere else.

Cindy and Nic and their Hutong are fantastisch! They were the missing link in a puzzle made of 20.000.000 parts. It was such a great gift to enjoy them and their human touch. Is there anything better than waking up and going to bed with a smile? Cindy is a fountain of joy and surprise and I don't want to miss a second. Hope to see you again one day in Europe. Love & happiness to Beijing.

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Our stay in Cindy's apartment was simply outstanding. Cindy gave us a super friendly welcome and offered us something to eat right, after our stay in North Korea. The apartment was so clean that you could perform an operation in it. Cindy lives there with her husband Nico, he asked us what we want to eat every night for breakfast, just a super friendly person. Cindy was able to give us all the important tips to our stay in Beijing and has always written us notes, for example to give to the taxi drivers, who usually speak no English. I can only say that Cindy made ​​sure that our stay in Beijing has become great and I would always go back to her.

Cindy is a gem! Beforehand she had sent us plenty of useful info and directions for the taxi driver so it was easy to find her place. It is a beautiful old courtyard house, and has been really lovingly restored. The room was great and had absolutely everything we needed - Cindy is very thoughtful - she is a warm, funny and generous host. You'll definitely make the most of your stay as she has great ideas and advice on navigating the city. We loved the area too, perfect for wandering around and exploring the hutongs. It was such a pleasure to meet Cindy and Nic, we would love to go back!

Staying with Cindy and Nick is great. They are very kind, helpfull and nice company. All very easy and relaxed, gives you a bit of 'hippie-feeling'. The place is wonderfull, enough room, all clean, good beer and breakfast, everything (hot water, wifi, etc) works perfect. Nice neighbourhood, realy Beijing. It made our stay in China unforgetable.

Staying with Cindy and Nic was one of the highlights of our trip. Like visiting old friends who welcome you with open arms and genuine hospitality. Friends with local knowledge who can help you navigate the city and it's surroundings. The location is great with 3 different metro lines within easy walking distance and plenty of good local restaurants and shops. The house (3 separate rooms plus the host's space) was nicely set out and amazingly quiet at night. The rooms were spacious and comfortable and the dvds were great for some downtime for the kids. But it is the genuine friendliness of Cindy and Nic that really make the place special. And all the extra effort they went to so that the children were really made to feel at home. If you are looking for something different, outside the normal chains of big hotels, then stay here - you won't regret it. We will be back when we can.

We had such a good time at the place of Cindy and Nik! We loved the nice hutong with all the plants, we enjoyed breakfast accompanied by Cindy (too much butter!), we appreciated the talks with Cindy an Nik. It was our fourth time in Beijing but it was one of the best! To have subway and bus just very near is a big advantage of this place. In the evening we liked to go through the streets of the other hutongs. We are sure that we will visit the place of Cindy and Nik at another time!

If you are looking for a host who will go above and beyond to make their guests feel at home, look no further, that is Cindy. Even when you first establish contact with her, she will be very dedicated. She is interested in the questions you may have, and she takes the time to reply every message. If she thinks her housing may not be convenient for you, she will tell you. However, she is willing to sort differences out. It is really hard to find people in the present with that degree of honesty, specially on the net. Cindy seems to be the exception to the rule. I would recommend to everyone to stay with Cindy without the slightest degree of hesitation. You will never get this kind of attention at a hotel. You will feel you are talking/staying with a friend, and not with some random host.

If you are thinking about travel to Beijing then Cindy is the one to stay with. We hit a bull’s-eye with the choice of the hostel. Adapted to modern requirements, Ancient Hutong, let us feel comfortable and provided contact with fascinating Chinese culture. Cindy, her mother and Nicols won our hearts with a unique sensitivity to the needs of their guests. Thanks to them, our stay in Beijing gave us really great memorials.