Chaobai Youlejia Homestay

The compound and apartment are both very nice. Check-in was not difficult for us but only because we used WeChat and spoke Mandarin. Amenities were sufficient, though the kitchen lacked a microwave. The kitchen initially also lacked cooking supplies but our host provided them upon our request. The host is very responsive on WeChat. The compound has a playground and a few shops, and there are plenty of small restaurants just outside the compound. The location of the compound is right across the Chaobai river from Beijing, very close to one of the three bridges in the area. Crossing the bridge into Beijing by car requires passing a border check station which is slightly inconvenient as a foreigner since you will likely be required to go into the station to register every time. However, after the first crossing, subsequent crossings were very fast for us (1-2min processing time) and our rideshare drivers waited for us with no problems. Most of the time, the compound is ~20-25min by car to LuCheng subway station in Beijing, which is currently the closest subway station to the compound. However, during the morning rush hour on workdays, the border check station going into Beijing will have traffic jams up to 30+min. A rideshare (DiDi or Hello Ride) to/from LuCheng subway station costs around 20-30CNY each way. There are also public buses that go directly to/from LuCheng subway station but they only run during rush hour, and passengers still have to get off at the border check station for processing. This border check station is currently a big inconvenience, but current road and subway constructions in the area may alleviate this inconvenience in the near future. Currently, it is difficult to find short term apartment rentals that accept foreigners in/near Beijing, so this stay was great value for money, despite us having paid ~2-3x the cost of rent for locals, it was still priced below tiny rooms in most Beijing hotels.

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