Everyone loves novelty, and Beijing has plenty of hidden leisure spots offering interesting new day trips in the city surrounds. Here are three of the best.

*Village View Resort, Huairou: European villas for Chinese, Chinese courtyards for foreigners.

Situated beside a lake with a football pitch sized lawn, Village View Resort combines Chinese farmhouse dishes with authentic German cuisine and Chinese courtyards with European villas. It attracts metropolitan Chinese fond of European style and foreigners fascinated by Chinese courtyards.

Standard rooms are RMB 650 per night, European villas with five rooms and two living areas (lake view included) are RMB 8,800 and Chinese courtyards are RMB 4,000 to RMB 6,000.

Tips:
1. Breakfast seedcakes are delicious and so popular you may find yourself elbowing others aside to get the last one.
2. The hotel bathrooms are rather small and not well equipped.
3. Footballs are available for rent.
4. Bank cards are accepted.

How to get there:

Take Jingshunlu and head north. Continue past Kuliushu roundabout. Take a left turn when you reach Kaifang roundabout. Continue and take a right turn at the T-intersection. Go straight at Fule roundabout, then turn left at Yanqi roundabout. Continue following the mountain path. Village View Resort is a five-minute drive away.

 

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