Originally Posted by
wlau
Shanghai (PVG) and Beijing (PEK) are pretty good from SEA. It's too hot right now but should definitely cool off by your planned time frame.
Shanghai has a lot of European flare and its air is pretty clean by Asia standards. It can be pricey if you hit up the prime areas, just like any big cities. Tons of great shopping, way more luxury brands and stores than even Beverly Hills but a lot of affordable places to shop or eat as well.
If you want affordable, I highly recommend Taipei, Taiwan (TPE). Very westernized but everything is very very affordable of all the major Asia cities. there are a lot of outdoor/scenic things you can do - a lot of beautiful places to visit.
Hong Kong is pretty nice but it's very costly...
If you want to split up with your GF, you can find cheap flights on other airlines:
China Airlines (Sky Team), or Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong, Korean Air/Asiana via Seoul. You can usually find very competitive fares in that region. RT Fares to Shanghai was as low as $550-$600 a few months ago and should come down when vacation seasons are over.
Just remember that Shanghai and Beijing will require a PRC visa, which is relatively pricey and annoying to obtain ($140, plus you either need to pay a visa agency or drop it off yourself in person in San Francisco).
On the plus side, once you have that visa, it's good for ten years, so it's a great time to get one! But the extra $300+ in visa fees could be an unpleasant surprise in an otherwise good award travel deal.