This is a lovely hotel in the ‘Old Beijing’ district hutong. It is somehow very modern and chic while being traditional. The dozen rooms or so all face into a courtyard where there is a little pond to relax around and, after a day sightseeing in Beijing, you will welcome how peaceful this place is. Showers, beds, everything is just so.

By the way, a good coffee isn’t the easiest thing to come by in Beijing unless you like Starbucks (yep, ’fraid so) but Shauna Liu, the owner, knows a mean brew.

www.hotelcotecoursl.com

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A great place to see the locals - especially the more senior citizens - enjoy themselves at the weekend exercising, dancing, doing taiqi and doing calligraphy with water-filled brushes on the paving stones near the east entrance.

North 3rd Ring Road neat intersection with Chaoyang Bei Lu

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In the early morning, there are groups of people practicing all types of kung fu and tai chi chuan. Many people contentedly entertain each other with music, songs or quietly playing cards. You can also practice with them if you are so inclined. This is another good activity for the jetlagged.

What makes the temple unique is the century-old trees - line upon line of Chinese cypress, Chinese juniper and scholar trees. Some of the cypresses are more than 600 years old. Dr Henry Kissinger, when he visited the temple, stated that while the USA could recreate the Temple of Heaven if it desired, it could not create the trees!

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