Beijing, China's Main Sights, China

We love this pint-sized, great value boutique hotel buried deep in the narrowest hutong blocks of old Beijing. Close to the breezy Imperial Lakes, it offers a cosy, stylish, convenient base from which to explore the city, with sleek contemporary interiors of wood and stone inflected with traditional Ming motifs. Its USP, though, is the little gabled stage in the inner courtyard, where performances of old-world shadow puppetry are held each evening – a cultural delight. China was where this ancient form of storytelling originated, though it has almost died out elsewhere in the country.