I have a 48 hour stop in Shanghai in November. LHR-PVG-KUL, so under the 72 hour visa free transit.

I'm looking for a hotel to book for the 2 nights, I'm currently looking at either The QUBE Pudong or Ramada Pudong Airport Shanghai. Which is better? Any other suggestions? (limit of around $150 AUD/night)
The PVG-KUL flight departs at 0945, so I'm leaning towards somewhere close to Pudong Airport and near a metro station into the rest of the city.

You should stay in the city. The airport Ramada is a particularly bad choice for anyone who has more than a night on their hands.

Any suggestion as to where?

Near ja temple if you want to make it to the airport quickly. The puli and Shang gri la are nicest. Next tier down are the Portman and the Swiss followed by the Hilton. Cheaper options are also abound. Also check out places in the French concession which isn't that much further from pvg

A lot depends on how the OP plans to get to and from PVG airport. It might make sense to look for a hotel on the subway line. For Maglev, look for subway lines that connect at the Maglev station or plan for a short taxi ride to a hotel on the Pudong side (but Puxi is more interesting).

Even from Lujiazui (perhaps the only place in Pudong maybe worth staying) the subway to PVG still takes about 1 hour, whereas the bus from JA Temple only takes 45 minutes.

And, like I've said before, just because PVG is in Pudong does not mean that all points in Pudong are closer to PVG (especially in terms of driving time) than the more interesting spots in the city; Lujiazui is basically a wash, for example. This is a common misconception that causes many people to miss out on actually experiencing Shanghai.

I can't find much info on the airport buses...

I'm currently thinking of getting the Maglev to Longyang Road, then metro from there.

Any good hotels around People's Square?

If you google "pudong airport buses", you'll find a few relevant pages. The only one I ever take is #2 because it's a straight shot (no traffic until the last 2 km or so) to Jing'an Temple.

I tried #5 to People's Square once, and will never repeat that mistake (it wasn't the end of the world, but in addition to making an intermediate stop in Lujiazui, it crosses the river in the most congested possible place).

Yes, there are a number of nice hotels in People's Square, plus you have the park, the museum, a large shopping mall, access to both Huaihai Lu and Nanjing Lu, etc, etc. My only beefs with it are that it lacks the neighborhood feel that I like most about Shanghai, and it's kind of annoying to walk around the area because of all of the pedestrian barriers and foot bridges.

I like the LRM for short stops in Shanghai, it's on People's Square at the metro stop, & on Nanjing Lu for some easy entertainment, food and shopping especially if you're not familiar with Shanghai and don't want to spend too much of a short stop making your way through the city. Plus it's close enough for a nice (decent length) walk to the French concession to get the feel that moondog is mentioning above.

LRM?

Don't stay in people's square, it's a mess. Instead take the subway 2 more stops to Jing'an Temple and walk to either the Swissotel, Shangri-la west Shanghai or Puli depending on your budget. The best area in Shanghai by far for tourists and you'll only have to spend 3 more minutes on the subway compared to getting off at Peoples Square.

Yup, that's what I'm talking about.

Also, People's Square is a big connection station, so it seems crowded and confusing. The subway at Jing'an Temple is easier to use.

The Maglev takes 8 minutes for PVG-Longyang Road. How long does the metro take?
Then ~23 minutes for Longyang Road to Jing'an Temple?

How does Maglev+Line 2 compare to the bus?

Which is the better option to get back to PVG for a 0945 departure?

If you've never done the Maglev before, it's worth trying for novelty value alone, but as you will note from the following thread, taxis are hard to beat, as are buses if you happen to need to go where they terminate. The subway all the way is a nonstarter... full stop.

I suggest you take the subway/Maglev on your way in and bus or taxi on your way back to the airport (Maglev doesn't run at top speed early in the morning anyway).

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