The Opposite House

Mr & Mrs Smith have just got back from an anonymous review trip to this brand new boutique hotel in Beijing, and just as soon as they’ve unpacked their bags, a full account of their stay in China will be with you. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here’s a quick taster of The Opposite House…

Beijing may be in the throes of its post-Olympic comedown, but the pre-Olympic spruce-up has made it one of the most alluring destinations in China. The Opposite House – shining centrepiece of the new Sanlitun Village development – is one of the best places from which to admire the city’s makeover. Designed to resemble the traditional wooden latticework of Chinese craft, the exterior is a shimmering green sheet of panelled glass. Inside, a lobby lined with modern sculpture leads the way to both the bedrooms – light and modernist apartment-style studios, with deep oaken bath tubs and rustic black stone walls – and the hotel’s indulgent quintet of restaurants and bars. Dine on accomplished Mediterranean cuisine at Sureño, zingy North Asian dishes at Bei, or feast on an array of lighter bites at the internationally inclined Village Café, before sinking a kiwi martini in the sultry, drape-hung Mesh bar.