A week in Shanghai
 

Sorry to start another Shanghai thread but having read everything there is on this forum and others I am still confused and would value some advice. SO and I will be in Shanghai for a week in September. We will be first time visitors wanting to do Expo and touristy things.

My hotel choice would be heavily influenced by:

• Location: This is a very big consideration for me especially access to the subway. I realise taxis are very inexpensive but when I have time in a city I find it fun to use public transport. I also like the option to pop back to my hotel during the day if I feel like it, so reasonable proximity to the places I will most likely be visiting would be a big plus.
• Neighbourhood: I like to be able to walk out of a hotel and find something of a “neighbourhood” around the property i.e. places to walk, eat, watch people, etc. Especially at night if I’m pooped I want to make a short foray and experience more than just the hotel restaurants.
• Good deal: There are some attractive deals available like the RC Pudong’s stay 7 pay 4 in an executive suite and the 4th night free at the Fairmont Peace Hotel. Obviously no one wants to spend more than they have to but I am probably, er..., thriftier than most around here. ;)

My understanding is that most people prefer Puxi to Pudong but I thought about doing 3/4 nights in Pudong for the Expo part of the trip and then moving to Puxi for more sightseeing. Although I would prefer luxury, I am not averse to other upscale properties if they are more convenient. (I believe JW Marriott is well located, for example. One upside is that I would be able to afford a bigger room/suite in such a place.)

So what do you advise? Stay put in one place or move about? And where exactly? Or am I totally over thinking this (as usual!) and it doesn’t matter too much at all?

Please follow this thread in the FT China Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
Moderator
Luxury Hotels

I would focus on hotels near Jing'an Temple (Puli, Swiss... Portman, Hilton are a reasonably close) and People's Square (JW, Radisson, LRM) because both are decent areas and are on subway lines (7 and 8) that will take you close to Expo without the need to transfer.

http://www.exploreshanghai.com/metro/

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7 days in Shanghai for Expo = 6 days waiting I line
kiddin aside, Puxi is place to be. You know you CAN access Expo from Puxi, right?
Personally, if this is your first time in Shanghai, I wouldn't spend too time at Expo.

If the OP wants "neighborhoods" then I would avoid Pudong (at least the parts of it that one thinks of) at all costs. It's a concrete jungle...

Yea, nothing at all in Pudong.
Puxi area is nicer.
As the others mentioned, the following areas are nice.
Jin'an Temple, French Concession, People's sq

U;ll spend too much time waiting in line at Expo as well.
Just pass it up unless u have a VIP pass to cut queue.

Not only can you access it from Puxi, but both JA and People's Square are much closer (in terms of time to get their on public transit; no transfers!) than Lujiazui or Century Park. Even as the crow flies, People's Square is closer. (Refer to the map I posted above.)

I was also tempted to recommend the Okura Garden because it fulfills the "neighborhood" requirement better than the other places I've mentioned. But, from there, you'd be looking at some annoying transfers in order to get to Expo on the subway (it is near the Shaanxi Lu stop on line 1).

I would do the first night after arrival in Shanghai. Then travel by train either to Hangzhou or Nanjing (the latter with a stop in Suzhou) for a night and return to Shanghai for the Expo days.

Agree, there's no need to stay in Pudong at all. If you do, stay around Century Avenue metro station, which gives direct access to Puxi and the Expo (on Puxi side).

A week in Shanghai seems too much. 3 days for the Expo as well. It depends on how many pavillions you want to visit, but I'm planing for an upcoming private trip one evening ticket and one full day ticket, not more. Furthermore, you say in your other thread that you're going during the October holidays which might not make the Expo a very pleasant experience. You should pre-purchase tickets (ask the hotel) as these are "special" days with higher prices and more people expected than on other days. Edit: Just re-read your post and saw you're going in September, so never mind...

Hotels in Shanghai: Certainly no luxury property, the Le Royal Meridien at People's Square seems to fit your bill well - book a more expensive room or suite with a view - location, as moondog said, is as good as it can get, with immediate metro access. (The Sofitel Hyland is close and in a good location as well).

There's the Radisson New World as well - a solid 4 star hotel with fairly small (standard) rooms - but absolutely no 5 star or even luxury property.

If you really want to spend a couple of days at the Expo, I would probably look into the InterConti Expo, which is close to the Expo site (and to nothing else) with a shuttle service and -according to reports here- with very decent rooms. The hotel is incredibly expensive, compared to other upper upscales.

Spectacular, but in less convenient location and totally overpriced is the Park Hyatt - and I wouldn't stay there on a paid stay; neither at the Grand Hyatt.

The Peninsula is an excellent location for Nanjing Road with fabolous views, but there's no metro access and I would, hence, give it a miss when you plan to use the metro.

Take everyone's advice and stay Puxi side, not Pudong. I often stay at the Radisson New World www.radisson.com/shanghaicn_newworld it's on Nanjing Road opposite the Peoples Square and it's a really nice hotel and excellent value. It's also 15mins walk to The Bund or 20mins walk to Xintiandi and right next to the underground train station.

Many thanks for all the info. I am very grateful for the specific recommendations on areas and hotels. :-:

Sadly, I am no VIP. And I would happily give Expo a miss after everything I have read about it. But my partner is dead set on it (because of our very enjoyable visit to the Vancouver Expo in the '80s!). Maybe once he has read all the reports he'll change his mind. ;)

I may well follow your example and shave it down.

Nice to know: if we do hotel hop we might include it for a day or two.

Check out the Binlong aka Barron Business Hotel, it's a boutique hotel by the bund, easy walk to the subway, lots of little restaurants around the corner and an easy walk to Old Town neighborhoods.

Agree fully, stay in Puxi (but if you do go Pudong stay near Century Ave). Ppl Sq or Jing-An are the best as many have suggested.

Don't forget to use ctrip.com to search for hotels.

If you know of other good Shanghai boutique hotels, then please share with the rest of the board.

I'm planning to organize a broader Asia tour for my parents and thought about the Shangri-La for their Shanghai stay. But of course a smaller hotel with more individual touches and access to the city would be nice.

I'd second the proposal to cut the stay in Shanghai down from 7 days, even with the expo. Shanghai is THE place to be if you are doing most business in China. It is emphatically not THE place to be if you're a tourist.

Are they going other places in China?

The Binlong is my current SHA favorite, if I was going to look for a replacement, I would probably check out:
Ruijin Hotel - the grounds and buildings are nice but may be better than the rooms.
88 Xintiandi
Pudi Boutique Hotel
Lapis Casa

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has personal experience with any of those.

As far as time in SHA, I enjoy being a tourist in SHA and always find interesting things to do there even for a week+.

I used to recommend that place back when Face was an in spot because it was cheap and the area was lively, but I've heard that the rooms are unimpressive.

I guess I'd only consider it if I had other options lined up and could make a decision on the spot.

One of my friends is a part owner of the Jia Hotel (though his discounted rate is laughably expensive); it's a pretty neat place, but the taxi situation is among the worst anywhere in town... during peak times, you only stand a chance if you split your party up in order to cover multiple locations.

7 days in Shanghai is a bit long.
3 days is more than enough I feel.

The nice thing about Shanghai is its close proximity to other interesting China cities.
It's a short ride to Hangzhou, Suzhou, watertown(whatever the name is).
They can be day trips or part of a longer itinerary.

1) agreed
2) there around 7 water towns close in, some more touristy than others, but all similar

Personally, I'd use the extra 3-4 days to go somewhere else entirely, maybe flying out of Hangzhou, which definitely warrants a short visit. I was checking out Spring Airlines' website yesterday and was amazed by some of their fares (Air Asia type deals).

My dad used to do quite a lot of business in China and the rest of Asia so this would be a kind of nostalgy tour for him and my mom (who also visited there several times)

I was thinking arrival at Hong Kong, then Shenzhen and Guangzhou (by train), CAN - SHA flight, after a few days there Suzhou, Nanjing, Beijing (again by train), then off to Korea.

Thank you so much. Will do some more research on these.

What are those 7 water towns by the way? If you count Hangzhou, I only know of Suzhou and Xitang...

I can think of these
Luzhi
Zhouzhuang
Tongli
Nanxun
Wuzhen
Xitang
Qibao
Zhujiajiao

Been reading up about them and I'm getting quite fired up with this idea. Thanks. ^

Just an idea for Hangzhou: Check for the new Four Seasons there, or the Banyan Tree Resort. Haven't stayed in one, but visited the latter - looks absolutely amazing.

I know it's not China, but it is a lot of fun and it undoubtedly feels like the center of the world at the moment. ^

I have stayed at 88 Xintiandi and whilst it's a pretty normal (but nice)boutique hotel in most respects, I can confirm that the rooms are amazing.

Nice, thanks!