I came to Beijing this time to avoid the noise of chain hotels in the bustling city, so I specifically chose the Dong Fang Hotel Beijing next to Hufang Bridge, this old Western style building that was built in 1918. Originally, I only wanted it to be close to Liulichang, but I didn't expect that after staying for three nights, the most unforgettable experience was not checking in at the scenic spots, but rather getting several peaceful sleep experiences in a century old building.
Turning into Wanming Road from Hufangqiao Subway Station, within a few steps, you can see the retro gatehouse of Dongfang Hotel. As soon as the thick wooden door is pushed open, the hustle and bustle of cars on the street is instantly isolated behind you. When checking in, the old staff at the front desk heard that I was here for recuperation, so they specially arranged a room on the second floor facing the courtyard for me. They said it was the quietest here, and I couldn't even hear footsteps passing by. Taking the room card with old photos of the restaurant printed on it, my fingertips touched the frosted surface of the card. Before entering the room, most of the dust from the journey had already dissipated.
At the moment of pushing open the solid wood door, the whole person immediately loosened. There are no generic internet traffic lights or plastic decorations. The dark brown old furniture carries the warm and moist patina that has been accumulated for decades. The wall is hung with street view prints of old Beijing from the Republic of China era. The old-fashioned green covered desk lamp by the window emits a warm yellow soft light, and even the air is filled with the faint aroma of sandalwood and old paper. The most amazing thing is that old-fashioned soft bed, the mattress's softness and hardness just fit the shoulders and neck, without the uncomfortable feeling of being too collapsed like modern hotels. As someone who knows beds all year round, I fell asleep after touching the pillow for a while on my first night.
The precision in the details is all polished for "living well": the thick double-layer solid wood doors and windows, when closed, cannot even let in the noise of traffic halfway through the street, and the light sound of crabapple flowers falling in the courtyard has become a white noise to help sleep; The blackout curtain is made of thick cotton and linen material, which makes the room perfectly dark when pulled up, without revealing glaring slit light like in modern hotels; The hot water in the bathroom comes out in ten seconds. After taking a shower, wrap yourself in a sunny bathrobe and stand by the window to see the crabapple tree in the courtyard. As soon as the wind blows, the petals fall on the bluestone path.
At night, there was no bustling traffic in the city, only the faint bicycle bells in the alleys in the distance. I slept for three consecutive nights until I woke up naturally, without even setting the alarm clock. Sitting on the wicker chair in the courtyard for half an hour in the morning, drinking a cup of free old Beijing chrysanthemum tea provided by the hotel, even the previously accumulated insomnia and fatigue were completely eliminated. Before leaving, I put on the exclusive commemorative badge of the Oriental Hotel in the lobby, taking this peaceful sleep in the century old Western style building into my memory of this trip to Beijing.
I used to think that traveling requires taking photos of all the attractions to be fully enjoyable. However, this time at Dong Fang Hotel Beijing, I realized that the most precious accommodation experience is never a pile of high-end configurations, but rather one that can help you relieve all fatigue and have a few undisturbed good nights. Next time I come to Beijing, I will definitely return here.Show more