Which area to stay in Shanghai?
 

The wife and I (in our late 20s) will be in Shanghai for a couple of nights in March. It'll be our first time in the city and I am really confused what area to book a hotel in. I have considered the Mandarin Oriental and the Park Hyatt in Pudong and the Andaz in Xintiandi. There are a few other options on the bund. What would be the best area for a young couple to stay in? We're looking at doing some touristy things while enjoying nightlife and restaurants and some shopping.

Also, in our travels we rarely take public transportation and mostly rely on cabs and now uber.

Which general area should I look for hotels in?

Jing'an or the former French Concession. Luwan isn't bad either.

There are some nice hotels along the Bund too but dont get those hotels that are too far away.

Jing'an area is also good, I like Puli hotel there.
French Concession and Huaihai road area are nice as well.

Dont really care for Pudong.

Stay close to the Bund, most of the popular sites are in that area. Areas farther (closer to SHA / PVG) are cheaper, but you'll have an hour plus of taxi ride to any sightseeing sites.

There's far more to Shanghai than a handful of tourist sites. The city's true pulse is several kilometers west of the Bund IMO. (Of course, all Shanghai visitors should see the Bund, but I see little point in staying over there.)

Fully agree on this. The Bund is not ideal traffic wise, has few attractions apart from the famous Pudong skyline view and mostly offers expensive bars and eateries targeted at the expat crowd.

While that is true, what is also true is that there is good things to see everywhere. But if one were to think of tourist attractions in Shanghai, Bund usually comes on top.

To which "tourist attractions" are you referring?:confused:

...the Bund, Oriental Pearl, skyline.

Very nice indeed, for about a ten minute photo session. ;)

You can access the bar and shopping in the Xintiandi area, around the Bund is the view. I will suggest you can switch hotel if no too much luggage.

XTD is a bit too "Disneyfied" for my tastes, and ~10 former residents of the area burned themselves to death in protest (the laws were very pro-business back then), but I agree it is still a big step up from the Bund.

+1...
http://www.ferretingoutthefun.com/wp.../IMG_15731.jpg

That must be Fuxing Road... my nomination for Shanghai's most pleasant street.

What to do for 9 days in and around Shanghai
 

We plan to be in the Shanghai area for 9 days in June. To my astonishment, most posts I have read said you don't need more than 3 days to see Shanghai. Given that this is true, we are thinking of going out to Hungzhou, and Ningbo to round out the other days. Is this is sound plan and better yet, are there other places near by which we should consider? Our family of 4 includes 2 teens. And our current plan is to stay at the Hyatt on the Bund for 1st 2 days and P Hyatt on the last day before departure. Any help will be appreciated!