Originally Posted by hauteboy
My wife is headed to Beijing for 6 days in early July and is having trouble deciding on a hotel and tour options. Looking at the Marco Polo, Grand Hyatt, and a few others. Wanting to keep it on the cheaper side though ($80-$120). She has a bad ankle so unfortunately can't walk too much, taxis are probably her best bet, but she's wondering the best way to get out to the Great Wall without it costing an arm and a leg or stopping at every other jade factory.
There is a cable car at Mutianyu iirc that can cut out a lot of walking, but it's worth pointing out that the touristy wall spots (Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai) can be incredibly crowded during high season and she might need to do a fair amount of walking between the bus and the wall.
As far as hotels are concerned, the Marco Polo and GH are both subway oriented. The Swiss, Great Dragon, Hilton, and Kempenski are a little more taxi friendly. However, the GH is probably nicer than all these.