tonyhua

It's depend on the depature time of your flight to Vietnam, first you need to know it's far from city center to PVG...so if you'd like to shopping , I recommened Lujiazui , then you can take metro to hotel, if your flight is in morning(before 12pm ), you'd better arrive PVG at 9am to proceed checkin,security check and border check, so it's better to stay at the hotel just located near PVG ,like Ramada, Dazhong Airport Hotel or other hotel chain near PVG(Homeinns ,Htinns..).

The nearest IHG property to PVG is Holiday Inn Express : Shanghai New Jinqiao, but it still 30 kilometer from PVG and no metro,
Inedigo in bund is better, because your can take Line 10 or Line 9 convientaly and transfer to Line 2 to PVG, note that you need spend about 1 hour and 30 minutes in the metro, so leave plenty time for yourself..

moondog

-30 v 45 mins in a taxi is a silly debate if the latter can get you some place that's interesting
-talk of multiple subway transfers makes my head spin
-what is there to shop for in ljz that can't be fetched for substantially less money elsewhere?
-check in cut off for most flights ex-pvg is t-60. Obviously you shouldn't miss your flight, but t-75 is pretty safe

pvgman

Except if you fancy to spend your time having drinks at Flair or at the top of the Gran Hyatt and Park Hyatt, don't stay in Pudong...
Walk by the Huangpu can be nice on a sunny day for locals, if you are not familiar with the city, head to Puxi side.

moondog

Haha As much as I dislike Lujiazui, Flair (when the weather is decent) almost justifies crossing the river on its own accord (though you might as well walk through Binjiang Park while you're over there). It is so stunning that I'm not bothered by the sky high drink prices.

moondog

I suggest you consider asking a mod to retitle your thread to something like "Shanghai: General Discussion". In some cities (e.g. PDX, BOS, LAS, MSP), the airport represents well, but in Shanghai, we regard "PVG" as an airport far from town. If one must use airport codes, "SHA" is a better choice because --in addition to representing Hongqiao Airport-- it includes all airports in the Shanghai municipality (in the same manner as other metro codes, e.g. WAS, NYC, TYO).

Unterwegs

My recommendation would be the IC Pudong. Take a Taxi from the airport, should take much less than one hour. (Don't take the Maglev since it is very difficult to find Taxis at the station). You could also take Line 2 directly to Century Avenue Station, but it is a 5 min walk from there to the hotel crossing a major street.
There are restaurants and some shopping in the area, there is a huge underground mall with all the fakes you ever want to see 2 subway stations away (Schience and Technology Museum station) on Line 2. For walking: Nanjing Road and The Bund (3 subway stations in the other direction). 'On the way back take a Taxi to the Maglev Station (check the operating hours of the train) and go to the airport from there.
Luggage on the Maglev is no problem. Luggage on the subway is mostly no problem, but sometimes you need to walk up/down stairs.

airmotive

Thanks again from the OP for the suggestions and discussions.

The goal of these stop-overs is multi-layered, and is probably the same for a lot of folks during an extended layover.
Since I'll have my fiancé with me who has never been to China, I want her to at least get a little taste....enough to be able to say "I've been to China" rather than "I changed planes in China". So a HIX in an industrial development isn't on my list, but neither is one in a resort area that's too secluded.

I realize pretty much all my choices are 25 miles away, but as long as a taxi or maglev is viable, I'm happy. I have zero desire to schlepp large suitcase through turnstiles and crowded subways or buses. Maybe if I was alone, but not worth the stress when traveling with someone who's relatively new to international travel. (Happy wife/Happy life, ya know).

Thanks again for the comments!
Feel free to add, subtract or critique. I'll add my own reviews here (or in another thread) sometime after our trip.

moondog

Ihg manages a lot of hotels in Shanghai (more than any other foreign brand, I think), but almost all are in sub optimal locations. Nothing in jing'an, 2 in xuhui, 1 in huangpu...everything else is poor unless you have a reason (e.g. office/client office) to be in a certain locale or are really into subways (they close at 11p BTW).

chris635

hi
Any IHG hotel with shuttle from and to PVG ?
tks
rgds

moondog

No. The only hotels I know of with free shuttles are the ones between the two terminals (no shuttle required), the Radisson (overpriced), and the Shanghai Airlines Hotel. The Disney hotels are also worthy of checking out.

Flying Lawyer

You are (a) aware that PVG is close to an hour away from whatever the centre may be and that (b) taxis are quite cheap for European standards?

NavSTL

If one's only been to Shanghai, one still hasn't been to China.

Atacama40

Area not so great but taxi's are for free so it's disconnection isn't so much a problem.

It's insane cheap, has great service, great club lounge, the FOM and all supporting staff are great, really great. I love this place but like a few others ... Festival City, O2 it could be accused of being a tad far out.

Not seem the issue with the AC yet. This place (I'm told) was built at insane money for Chinese top boys for the Expo as a showcase.

The corner suites higher up are really nice. I'd pick this place, save the money and take the taxi in. Also if you RA you get treated like royalty.

You might have noticed I like this place :-)

moondog

​​​​​​What is the point of visiting if you don't stay in a decent area? I'll admit that taxis are pretty cheap, but good luck finding one on a weekend night.

moondog

​​​​​​What is the point of visiting if you don't stay in a decent area? I'll admit that taxis are pretty cheap, but good luck finding one on a weekend night.