Staying within the City Wall will give you the chance to explore the old city in its tranquility after all the tour buses leave for the night. And if you're the kind of traveler who enjoys staying in a Machiya in Kyoto or a cliff-side room in Santorini, you won't want anything less than a Siheyuan courtyard in Pingyao ... and at a comparatively much cheaper price.
This guide is thus focused on traditional Kezhan guesthouses within the old city. If you're looking for modern hotels with excellent accessibility, Zhongdu and Juguangju are both reputable hotels located close to the Train Station. I've personally been to Zhongdu for dinner and the service was excellent.
Hotel Review: RUIYUSHENG (Pingyao)
Address: 89 Xidajie, Pingyao
Price: RMB 188 for double room with private shower/toilet, summer 2011
Website/Map: http://www.pyydt.com
How To Book: Through Ctrip.com
Directions: Enter the old city through the Lower West Gate closest to the train station. Ruiyusheng is approximately 5 minutes walk inside the gate on the main street of Xidajie, on the left hand side.
Just one of the many Siheyuan courtyard houses converted into Kezhan guesthouses, Ruiyusheng was our choice mainly for its easy access to excellent restaurants outside of the City Wall. In typical Northern Chinese fashion guestrooms on all sides face the courtyard, hence the term Siheyuan, or courtyard enclosed on four sides. When we visited in 2011, double rooms with private shower/toilet and double breakfast went for RMB 188 (CAD$29), and would probably drop to 60% during winter. At least that's the booking price on CTrip.com. Walking in and bargaining may get you a better deal if rooms are still vacant, which some were during our stay in May.
One major attraction of Pingyao's traditional Kezhans is the experience of sleeping on a farmhouse style Kang bed, with beddings set up atop an earthen or brick hearth. It's how hardy peasants endured Northern China's snowy winter for centuries, and it's softer and more comfy than it sounds. Traditional grain-filled pillows and windows decorated with paper-cut silhouettes added to the decor, while the toilet and shower were thankfully Westernized and modern.
Though the hearth is now sealed, some vestiges of old architecture still remains. The wall at the end of our Kang bed had a couple of antique-looking doors ...
... which opened to an excellent little nook for folded backpacks and cameras bags! You never know what you'll encounter at these Qing Dynasty houses.
Breakfast was as traditional as can be and tasted distinctively of Shanxi Province. Breakfast for two consisted of three warm or cold vegetables dishes, a few boiled eggs and steamed bread rolls, and a large pot of millet porridge to share. The vegetable dishes were often mildly spicy and always seasoned with a hint of Shanxi's famously aged vinegar. We always finished our entire pot of millet porridge every single morning, washing down the various dishes.
One breakfast dish stood out among everything else. The soy-based sauce in these Red Braised Cabbages was common anywhere in China, but it was the aged vinegar that added an extra layer of complexity and elevated the entire dish. This was one of the most memorable breakfast dishes on our 16-day trip.
Other dishes, mainly zucchinis, cucumbers and other miscellaneous veggies, were quite forgettable but did their jobs at supplying a good half day's energy for sightseeing.
We did see a couple things that we didn't like. Hot water was theoretically available 24/7, but the water pump was often turned off to save energy, and required a trip to the front desk to sort out. The bathroom floor drainage also could be improved.
Overall Ruiyusheng is still a decent choice for a traditional Kezhan within the old city, which seems to be getting more expensive every year. It's strategically located within walking distance to main sights inside the City Wall, as well as excellent restaurants outside. The main clientelle seemed to consist mostly of budget-conscious domestic travelers, so I'm not sure of the owner's English abilities. The one Polish guy I met didn't seem to complain though.
OTHER GUESTHOUSES
As previously mentioned our main reason for picking Ruiyusheng was its quick access to excellent restaurants outside of the Lower West Gate, near the Train Station. If you don't mind taking the local tricycle taxis, there are quite a number of similarly priced Kezhan guesthouses within the City Wall. The list of guesthouses under our consideration included:
Cheng Jia Lao Yuan - http://www.pycjly.com/
Wen Yuan Kui - http://www.wenyuankui.com/index.html
Hong Jin Tai - http://www.pyhjt.com/zxyd/index.asp
Heng Sheng Fu - http://www.179py.com/hotel/index.html
Guang Xian Yuan - http://www.pygxy.com
Shu Zhuo Yuan - http://www.pyszy.com
Chang Tai Yong - http://www.ctyhotel.com
Zheng Jia Youth Hostel - http://www.hotelpingyao.com
Harmony Gueshouse - http://www.py-harmony.com
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