One of Beijing's largest traditional hotels unites five courtyards off tranquil Nan Luogu Xiang alleyway. From the wooden balconies of deluxe rooms you can admire the courtyards' stone carvings, pomegranate trees and koi-plopping lily-ponds. Evening lighting is gorgeous. Avoid western-style rooms for the more lavish Chinese guestrooms, where silks and rosewood furniture meet flat-screen TVs and marble bathrooms. Public spaces are crammed with porcelain and antiques. Han's Restaurant serves imperial cuisine, while another restaurant offers modern Italian. Deluxe rooms from yuan 1082, suites from yuan 1413 including breakfast.

See slh.com/hotels/hans-royal-garden-hotel.

THE ORCHID

Hip independent travellers have spread the word about this cool yet down-to-earth accommodation that shows not all courtyard residences are mired in the Qing dynasty. The building is partly new but has achieved internal courtyards with clever use of space. Tiny rooftop terraces, shaded by purple bamboo, have views of the Drum and Bell towers. The 10 rooms are simple but cosy; underfloor heating and goose-down continental quilts are welcome in winter. The friendly Tibetan-Canadian owners and staff are a mine of information. Dumpling-making lessons enliven Thursday evenings. Rooms from yuan 700.

See theorchidbeijing.com.

TEMPLESIDE DELUXE HUTONG HOUSE

The original guesthouse up the road provided budget courtyard living with cheerful hostel rooms and free Wi-Fi, luggage storage and local tours. Then owners Bobby and Tracy Zhang branched out with this seven-room, somewhat more upmarket courtyard house, cheerfully decorated with wooden furnishings and bright-red wall hangings. A free Thursday afternoon tour explores surrounding alleys, and the owners encourage socialising with family meals, ping-pong and dumpling making. Among the increasingly glamorous courtyard hotels, this is a welcome budget option. Rooms from yuan 250, deluxe rooms yuan 520.

See templeside.com.

RED CAPITAL RESIDENCE

One of Beijing's first courtyard hotels stands out for celebrating not imperial China but an equally vanished age of 1950s communist optimism. The retro appeal is signalled by staff in Red Guard uniforms, and public rooms where Mao memorabilia, antiques and Chinese kitsch mingle with mod cons. There are only five rooms, two named after revolutionary writers Edgar Snow and Han Suyin, two Concubine's Private Courtyards that recall opium dens, and a final Chairman's Suite where you might expect Mao himself to be smoking behind the desk.

Rooms from yuan 1050.

See redcapitalclub.com.cn.

AMAN AT SUMMER PALACE

This is the ne plus ultra of courtyard hotels, with its symmetrical sequence of pavilions and courtyards recalling the Forbidden City - and with its own private entrance to the adjacent Summer Palace. Luxe amenities, flawless service and fine dining are an Aman given - the Japanese restaurant is particularly magnificent - but you can also fancy yourself a Qing dynasty courtier by taking courses in calligraphy, paper cutting and other Chinese arts. In the afternoons, traditional musicians serenade you from a water pavilion. Courtyard rooms yuan 4600, suites from yuan 5600.

See amanresorts.com.

DUGE COURTYARD HOTEL

This pocket-size hotel shouts designer influence from its ornate Baccarat chandeliers to sleek, custom-made furnishings which, although they reflect traditional styles, also blend contemporary Chinese and Western influences. Just six guest rooms are individually themed: the Peony Pavilion a 1920s Shanghai classic in rich red, the Bamboo Room cool green and almost zen. The four-poster beds of the gold-tinted Imperial Suite might best recall the style of three generations of imperial ministers who once lived here. The hotel also has a restaurant and White Russian Bar. Rooms from yuan 780 including breakfast.

See dugecourtyard.com.