This hotel, also variously known as the "Junqiao Apartments Hotel" and the "Jinqiao International Garden" is a little off the beaten path, but is right off the second ring road and even the cheapest rooms are roomy, modern and include a kitchen.

It's a 15Y cab ride from the train station, and there are always cabs waiting outside the lobby area of the hotel. It's a bit of a trek if you want to walk to the main sights; maybe half an hour to the Temple of Heaven, longer to the Forbidden City. Cabs are cheap in Beijing, and the hotel is literally just feet away from the ring road, so getting there and away is a breeze.

The building is really a high-rise apartment complex that rents out some of the apartments to travelers. There are people who live there full-time, and the rest of the units are something like a time-share. The rooms are different sizes and layouts depending on what class of room you get. We stayed in the cheapest, a "Standard Suit," as they called it. It was about $65 all in, and included breakfast (for 1, $5 for an additional person). There were no suits included, but the suite was roomy, the kitchen handy, and there was even a washer/dryer.

As is the case so often in China, even in Beijing, not a whole lot of English is spoken, and tasks at the front desk can take some time.

There are two restaurants on the ground floor. One, where the (rather elaborate) breakfast buffet is served, and the other, which is a very odd take on a "Western" (as in the American old west) restaurant; cowgirls and cowboys all gussied up in their western wear and 10 gallon hats serving you an strange mix of pizzas, burritos and enchiladas. There's a bar and a pool table as well.

A small grocery store is also on premises, selling basics like soda and snacks. A small pharmacy, a few shops, a travel agent, and a hair salon round out the other amenities.

For us, the comfort of this place balanced out it's lack of character that one might have found in the Hutong Hotels. Having a kitchen and being able to wash clothes was great, and having 500+ square feet was also nice. We would definitely stay here again.