Sanlitun Youth Hostel - Welcome to the party
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E-mail CRI, March 5, 2012
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Sanlitun Youth Hostel lounge: chill in the daytime, chock full of fun by night. Photo by CRI's William Wang, taken February, 2012. |
These guys put the "youth" into youth hostel. The average guest is somewhere in their early 20s. The lounge areas are comfortable, and pool and foosball tables encourage people to socialize. There's a noticeable feeling of camaraderie between travelers and staff here, supported by the weekly free dumpling and hotpot parties. Guests are instructed to prepare their own food at these free dinners, and the Beijing beer on tap flows accordingly.
The hostel's drink menu is even longer than its food menu, with a wide selection of international beverages, to compliment the local beers. The parking lot enclosure out front may be bland and dusty by day, but it becomes a raucous international beer garden by night.
Sorry if it sounds like partying is the only reason to visit the Sanlitun Youth Hostel. All the history and tradition that Beijing has to offer is still accessible, though you will need ten minutes or so more of subway time to get to, say, the Forbidden City. "Local" culture is to be found in the popular Yashow market, where Chinese and international travelers painstakingly bargain for knock-off clothes.
Prices here are among the lowest the city has to offer, so rooms are of the basic, no-frills variety. Spacious they're not, but that's fine for travelers who need a room for one reason only: to sleep.
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