sink

Got upgraded twice to "junior suite", it's the corner room xx25. I was there on a matress run; spent the first night at LRM, second night at Westin, and the third night LRM. The xx25 room assigned were all below floor 40, so have to take another elevator to the lounge on 44.

I'm not sure what view the xx25 room was. I had a view of the Nanjing Road East (pedestrian walkway) on the left and people's square on the right.

The breakfast in the lobby was good; I have to give it to LM Bangkok for best breakfast (Westin Tokyo is awesome as well). Did not try afternoon tea/happy hour at either LRM or Westin.

kgkg

Anyone has recommendation on restaurants, bars/clubs in the surrounding area? Thanks!

TimMeineke

Stayed there Sunday and Monday nights; I really liked this hotel. Very nice pool and (not too) hot tub. Also excellent breakfast and cocktail hour food selections. Clearly very well located. I would have liked it if they provided an instruction manual of how to get from point A to point B on the elevators. I would stay there again (got a good C+P deal)

For the restaurant recommendation, I really liked Crystal Jade (it shows up on my credit card statement as Crystal Trade, but I think something got lost in translation) at 123 Xinge Road in Xintiandi. Excellent food, and 5 of us had a lot of food for lunch for a total of $55. It seemed pretty close, but we had a driver so I dont know how far away it is in reality

kgkg

I vaguely remember the hotel is located next to another tower with a shopping mall and restaurants. Can anyone recommend good restaurants in the tower nearby or within the walking distance? Thanks!

moondog

Raffles City? There is a Carl's Jr. there, with which many of my friends are in love.

username

I wanted to try the "South Beauty Restaurant" http://en.southbeautygroup.com/produ...850627533.html but never got the chance. It is supposed to be not bad (or even pretty good).

As you exit the hotel from the front entrance, turn LEFT to the ally with the coffee store and Subway restaurant. On your left, you will see a door in the attached building with elevators inside. I THINK you can take the elevator sup to the restaurant.

Or, you can go through the department store's escalators.

There are a few huge restaurants in there so don't get confused.

Here is a review: http://www.foodnut.com/589/south-bea...view-shanghai/

moondog

In spite of the fact that I'm not too into Chinese food (ironic because I live in China), South Beauty is pretty decent. It's a chain, and some of their locations (LAN in BJ, in particular) feature stunning interior design. Since I feel a little guilty about plugging Carl's Jr, I'll provide one more rec: Babarosa. It is more of a bar than a restaurant, but is close to the LRM and has a nice happy hour.

tncjoey

South Beauty is pretty good for a chain - Sichuan toned down. It's right in the mall next door, brilliance mall I think. Cumin Pork Ribs, fresh tofu, and cumin and cilantro beef are good.

For real Sichuan, the closest Yu Xin is on Chongqing Lu on the southwest side of People's Square - (http://www.yuxin1997.com/)

The Izakaya style restaurant call Mado in the Langham Hotel (a block away on Jiujiang Lu) is great for lunch sets/bento boxes - they start at about 150 RMB and the quality is good.

Kervan isn't bad for a quick doner (also on Jiujiang Lu).

Honestly, Shanghai's best restaurants aren't near People's Square or the LRM. You will mostly find chains in the area.

Crystal Jade and Din Tai Feng are solid choices in Xin Tian Di though they are exports from Singapore and Taiwan respectively. Din Tain Feng still has the best Xiao Long Bao in Shanghai... There is also a new DTF location at the Portman Center (beside the Ritz Carlton on Nanjing Lu). XinTianDi is 10 - 15 minutes by taxi from the LRM. Or take the metro Line 1 to Huang Pi Lu Station.

Another good casual option is taking a 10 - 15 minute taxi to Boxing Cat Brewery in the newish Sinan Mansions which is on Fuxing Lu near Chongqing Lu (diagonally across from Fuxing Gong Yuan). They make decent beer! IPA, DIPA, Tripel, Pils, etc.. Food is not bad either.

moondog

Sadly, their brew master passed away several months ago (so, I've heard). In any event, the product is not as good as it used to be, though I still prefer it to the Shanghai Brewery.

I agree that People's Square is short on interesting dining options, but this is not the case ~1 km to the west or south. If you guys want to discuss Shanghai dining options in the general sense, I encourage someone to start a new thread in the China forum. There are a bunch of threads there on the topic already, but the scene changes quickly.

tncjoey

You think? I think the beer is better now. They have a new brewmaster named Michael Jordan who has brewing experience from the Pacific Northwest (Widmer Brothers) and Europe (Denmark I believe).

He's really embracing the current golden age of brewing and a lot of the new styles being developed in the American and EU craftbeer scenes. I think he makes a great India Pale Ale. He's doing some cool stuff with Centennial, Citra, Simcoe, and other hops varieties. Lucky to have him in Shanghai.

moondog

Perhaps I'm spoiled because I discovered Great Leap (in BJ) a few months ago, which is 10-fold better than Boxing Cat (old or new), IMO.

tncjoey

Never been but that is a fantastic name! I'll check it out next time I'm in BJ.

(back on topic...)

username

Would it be fair to say South Beauty is sort of like the PF Chang of China?

I mean the food would be more authentic but it is a chain that offers half decent food with good decor.

Sam P. Goodman

My wife and I just spent five nights in Shanghai—one at the Westin Bund Center followed by four at the Le Royal Meridien.

LRM put us in a Bund View room on the 41st floor. I asked about suites and they said they could put us in one on a low floor with no view, but recommended the view since this was our first visit to Shanghai. The skies were remarkably clear (perhaps due to factory shutdowns for National Week?), which made us very happy we chose the view. Later in our stay, it got quite smoggy, leading us to conclude that the choice of view vs. space should be made with air quality forecasts in mind. The room was comfortable, though the open concept bathroom is not my favorite. We had a welcome note, fruit plate, and cookies on arrival. The club lounge is a great space with impressive views. Service was attentive, but the food offerings, while varied, always seemed a little disappointing. We were always immediately offered a drink on arrival, but they struggled to make a bourbon and 7 (actually Jack since they didn’t have bourbon). On one occasion, I got only whiskey and another only 7up. Breakfast in the main restaurant had a large spread. The noodles cooked to order were always great as were the eggs, though they had pre-cooked poached eggs in a chafing dish, which was disappointing. On a side note, my phone disappeared during our stay, though I can’t be certain how or when. When I went to the front desk to see if it had been found, they were less helpful than I would have liked.

Both properties were nice, but as tourists, we preferred the LRM for the location, views, and lounge.

susiesan

I am just ending a 3 night stay at LRM Shanghai. The location of this hotel is perfect for sightseeing-across the street from a subway stop, walking distance to Shanghai Museum, and right on Nanjing Lu. I booked a regular room with points plus cash, $60 + 4K *points per night. Upon arrival I asked about upgrading to club floor. They offered RMB750 + tax additional or 4500 * points per night. I used the points as I have a lot. Well worth the upgrade for the included breakfast, free internet, and club lounge.

I would stay at this hotel again in a flash.