Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
though not if you suffer vertigo or dislike ear-
popping lifts - the lobby is on the 38th floor.
Request an east-facing room for views of
the liveliest scenes. Windows are huge and
have deep sills for sitting and gazing.
9
Radisson New World
新世界丽笙大酒店
xīn shì jiè lì shēng dà ji
and the centre of gangland operations in the
1920s and 1930s. Today, rooms in this
section are sedate and spacious with big
bathrooms - the best are in building one,
where all the furniture is in traditional Chinese
style. The rooms in the new buildings on the
north side of the street are much less inter
i diàn
esting, but cheaper. Its good location and
pleasant gardens make this one of the best
hotels in its price range.
5
-
7
Hengshan Moller Villa
88 Nanjing Xi Lu
www.radisson
.com.
This swish new venue offers in general
a slick upscale experience, though the
lobby, with its gold lighting, is a bit too
much. Has all the facilities you could expect,
including spa, gym and pool, and a great
location at the end of Nanjing Xi Lu, though
eclectic design features give the impression
that it doesn't seem quite to have worked
out an identity yet. That UFO on the roof is
actually a revolving restaurant, though the
v
iew is more distinguished than the food.
8
T
63599999,
W
héng shān m
lè shù fàn diàn
30 Shaanxi Nan Lu
T
62478881,
W
www
.mollervilla.com.
Describing itself as a
boutique heritage hotel, the main villa here is
a gorgeous Scandinavian gothic fantasy (see
p.76), built in the 1930s and set in lovely,
quiet grounds. You have a choice of where to
stay - the main villa's rooms have balconies,
wood panelling and fireplaces, but they're
pricey, and there are only a couple of singles,
which you'll have to book long in advance.
Rooms in the new three-storey block just
behind are clean and modern, of much less
interest but considerably cheaper. Breakfast
is served in the villa, and there's a great
branch of the Bonomi café on site.
6
-
8
Jinjiang
锦江之星
j
The Old French Concession
Establishments reviewed here are marked on
the map on pp.70-71, except where noted.
88 Xintiandi
88 新天地
bā shí bā xīn tiān dì
380 Huangpi Nan Lu
T
53838833,
W
www.88intiandi.com. See map, p.73.
Handily
close to Huangpi Nan Lu metro, this fifty-
room boutique hotel, Shanghai's first, is at the
edge of the yuppie fantasyland that is the
Xintiandi complex. With half the city's destina-
tion restaurants on your doorstep you won't
have to go far to eat, though each room has
a little kitchen attached so you can do your
own cooking if you (rather perversely) want
to. Carved wood, screens and curtains jazz
up a design that isn't quite far enough away
from the standard business hotel model - still,
it's got a lot more character than most
Shanghai hotels. The best rooms have a view
of the small lake to the east and the no-
smoking floors are a nice touch. There's also
a pool and guests can use the adjacent spa
and fitness centre. Note that it can get noisy
outside at weekends. Pricey, but worth it.
8
Donghu
东湖宾馆
dōng hú bīn gu
n
70 Donghu Lu, one block north of Huaihai Zhong
Lu
59 Maoming Nan Lu
j n jiāng zhī xīng
T
62582582,
W
www
.jinjianghotels.com.
This vast place with many
wings, built in the 1930s, is one of Shanghai's
most historic addresses (see p.75). Perhaps
it's a trifle old-fashioned, and has been
overtaken by slick new competitors, but it's
well located, just north of Shaanxi Nan Lu
subway, off busy Huaihai Zhong Lu. Rooms
in the main, Georgian-style Cathay building to
the north are a little ordinary for the price; the
best are in the Grosvenor building and the
recently renovated south building.
7
-
9
Mansion Hotel
上海首席公馆酒店
shàng h
i sh
u xí gōng gu
n jii
diàn
82 Xinle Lu
54039888.
This painstakingly
reconstructed 1920s mansion, discreetly
tucked away from the street amongst
manicured gardens, has the feel of an elite
private members club - in fact it was once
home to notorious gangster Du Yuesheng
(see p.179). The building is magnificent but
they've tried too hard with the lobby and
corridor furnishings, cramming unrelated
antiques into every corner. Still, the thirty
T
www.donghuhotel.com.
Seven
buildings in total make up the Donghu, in a
sprawling complex separated by Donghu Lu.
The villas on the south side have a chequered
past; they served as an opium warehouse
T
64158158,
W
108
