Jac747

I'm not sure what we will be doing yet in Shanghai for a week but we are two women who will be spending 7nts there in late Jan. From reading other posts, it sounds like the Meridien might be a good place to stay? Do they have good concierges there also who can book us day trips? Is it easy to take a taxi from PVG or should I book transfers ahead of time? Thanks for any advice.

Kagehitokiri

you might also consider >

regent
1BR summit (~$1K) > 2BR regent (~$4K)
(virtuoso upgrade at booking)


hmm... might not be 2BR by default anymore..

previously >
http://web.archive.org/web/200703150...tDayMonthYear= currently >
http://www.regenthotels.com/webExtra...tDayMonthYear=

Jac747

This hotel looks lovely but am not sure about location?

mattlim76

If u have extra $$$, try the grand hyatt in the Pudong area. If not, look at the sofitel on Nanjing road or Howard Johnson. Would suggest something with a good location instead of the Le Meridien. Try taking the maglev from PVG instead of a cab. It is the world's fastest commercial train.

Nachria

I would recommend the Four Seasons.

I would also recommend visiting another city in China. I spent three days in Shanghai and felt that I had seen everything by the third day. I do not know what one would do in Shanghai for seven days unless you have business.

Jac747

I would like to stay at the FS if there are some sights/shopping that would be walkable from there. We would like to do some trips outside of Shanghai, whether it be day trips or overnight but aren't sure of where as of yet. We definitely want a luxury hotel though.

mosburger

The Sofitel has a prime location for shopping (albeit not sightseeing) but feels kind of cramped and access is beyond the worst traffic jams in Shanghai. The FS has more of a "luxury hotel" feel but you won't be overwhelmed by room size or interiors. Service is top notch, though. Location is a bit "poorer" but that also means easier access through the traffic.

Please also check hotels in Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing. Shanghai is a lot like Seoul, a business city with limited "obvious" sights. The three aforementioned cities are much more welcoming for a "sightseeing" visit.

SanDiego1K

I was very pleased with the JW Marriott. It has a terrific location at Tomorrow Square. There are several museums within a 2 block walk. They have a very nice executive lounge, and I had a spacious junior suite. Taxis are very cheap throughout the city.

Parrotfish

For leisure travelers the Okura Garden Hotel may be a better choice, or even the Regal International East Asia on Hengshan Road. Because they are away from the business crowd (no reward programs), the prices are usually quite reasonable. The location is good for strolls, restaurants, etc. The Okura has a beautiful garden, just make sure you get one of the renovated rooms.

unagi1

Although I have not stayed there, the JW Marriott presents an excellent location.

At some point if not in the mood for Chinese food, I might recommend Kathleen 5 on the roof of the Shanghai Art Museum.

In the past for myself I have stayed at the Shanghai Centre serviced apartments (same complex as the Portman Ritz Carlton), which is somewhat further west but immed adjacent to a couple of large shopping malls. .

hairpeace

The St. Regis has a floor for women only.

mario33

Le Royal Meridien is along Nanjing Road right by Peoples Square (cant get more central than that) with incredible views towards Pudong (its the tallest building in Puxi) and one of the nicest lounge I have used. Dont think any of the two Nanjing Road hotels mentioned above comes anywhere close.

TRAVELSIG

I stay in Shanghai every month, and would recommend both the Four Seasons and the JW Marriott. If you do choose the Four Seasons, book at least a junior suite or you will find very small rooms. The JW has excellent conceirge levels, although the overall service is a bit spotty. I would not recommend staying in Pudong if you are on vacation- but if you DO decide to stay there, you could do not better than the Shangri La Tower Two in my opinion. The Regent is nice, but the location is terrible- dont stay there unless you have to. LeMeridien has been very popular since it opened, but I dont think it is a luxury hotel- good business hotel choice- but not at the same level as the JW or FS in my opinion. The Sofitel is a dump- avoid this hotel all together. Finally, a lot of people like the location of the Ritz Carlton, but personally I am not a big fan of this hotel due to continual service issues.

abk

i agree with this 100%. location is great. you are right outside nanjing road and can walk anywhere and you are right next to a great mall. i can't tell your starwood status from your profile but if you are platinum they should give you lounge access and if not i would pay the extra for the club floor.
one tip, no matter which hotel you choose have the hotel send you directions to the hotel written in chinese so that you can show them to the taxi starter and/or driver at the airport. this will make it much less stressful for you.

gpan

Taxi's are fine from the airport. Expect to be hit with a charge of a couple hundred yuan to central shanghai though. You could of course take the Maglev train (takes like 9 minutes to pudong MRT station) and then catch a taxi from there, or take the MRT to Nanjing road (if you're staying at the Le Meridian for example)

Staying around the MRT stations (or using the MRT to commute) is usually the best way to avoid the traffic jams around nanjing road which seem to happen anytime after 4PM on most days of the week. Most of the major brands (i.e Cartier, Mont Blanc) have large shops in malls there around Nanjing road.

There's lots to do in Shanghai shopping wise (can spend endless amounts of times doing it - far more than 7 days), but much of it involves speaking mandarin (or having local friends who do speak it) outside of the Nanjing road (aka Tourist trap nowdays) area..