What's with the strange name? The Chinese for Opposite House is Yu She, which means a cottage or residence made of fine jade. It's a term that describes the building traditionally located opposite the main house in a Chinese courtyard, where esteemed guests would stay. The name also reflects the hotel's southern location within the courtyard design of Sanlitun Village, a trendy retail and entertainment complex, and highlights the bar district's diversity - old and new, East and West, bohemian and chic.
What makes this place special? Its design, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. No matter where you look - from the screen-printed glass facade (in various shades of jadeite green) to the reading light above the bed - every detail has been meticulously designed. Kuma has treated the ground floor of the boutique hotel as if it were a contemporary art museum. Natural light and spacious surrounds give the various temporary and permanent art installations (by contemporary artists such as Li Xiaofeng and Sui Jianguo) room to breathe. The courtyard-like atrium serves as an exhibition area in which the work of some of the mainland's most cutting edge artists are showcased. The few small design blemishes include having nowhere to put the soap in the shower and poor lighting in the lift, which makes finding the floor buttons a chore.
What else is there to do? When you've had your fill of art and visited the restaurants and bars - Sureno (Mediterranean cuisine), Bei (North Asian food), Punk (late night bar and club), Mesh (cocktail lounge) and Village Cafe - you may like to take a hotel-organised motorcycle sidecar tour of the city. Billed as 'an insider's exploration of the capital, beating the traffic jams and tourist crowds while cruising hidden gems in a vintage motorcycle', this is an experience not to be missed. The maximum duration of the tour is four hours, though you cover plenty of ground (literally) in half that time. Riding pillion or in the sidecar, passengers are whisked to busy markets and down back streets. These vintage vehicles grunt rather loudly, though, so stay away from crowded areas so as not to be too intrusive.
What's the service like? Superb. The Opposite House goes that extra mile to make guests feel at home; there are no check-in counters, instead staff greet you at the lobby area before taking your luggage to your room, and no one will stop you if you take the lift down to the indoor pool in a bathrobe. The ground floor art exhibitions are open to the public. The hotel also has in-house masseurs and in-room massages are available.
What's the bottom line? Accommodation starts at 2,300 yuan (HK$2,800) for a Studio 45 room and goes up to 25,000 yuan for the Penthouse (above), plus 15 per cent service charge.