Pops' China Travel Guide, Pudong Shangri-La

Shangri-La is in center

When I travel I usually look at a hotel as a place to get dressed in the morning and sleep at night. It's not often when a hotel stands out and I am fine with a normal hotel.

On this trip I stayed at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai. The hotel is located across the river from The Bund in Pudong and actually right across the street from the river and next door to the Super Brand Mall. It is in a convenient location close to eating, shopping and also in the heart of the business district. The Shangri-La caters to business travelers and spares no expense. The service was impeccable from the greeting in the lobby to check-in and check-out. In the lobby you are greeted as you enter the door, at the elevators there is someone to help you and if you have a puzzled look on your face there will be someone there asking if they can help. At check-in someone brought up a large pot of hot tea. Everyday in the room I had fresh fruit and cookies. The rooms are large with both a tub and separate shower. The China Daily was delivered to my room.

River Tower Lounge

The layout of the hotel has two towers, the Grand Tower and the River Tower with a lobby for each tower and in between are lounges and shops. I stayed in the River Tower. For amenities I took advantage of the fitness center and pool, the Jade Bar, the Yi Cafe and the shops. There were other restaurants in the hotel but I didn't have a chance to try them. Maybe next time.

The fitness center equipment rivaled what you would find in the best workout clubs and the pool was a nice lap pool. The Jade Bar is on the top,36th floor, of the Grand Tower. I got to know the bar manager who happened to be from Malaysia and we had stories to share about Malaysia. I also met Jackie who was one of the servers. You get a great view of the area from up there and every night they had some kind of special. The Yi Cafe is buffet style and you need a map to get around. For both dinner or breakfast they have stations with most every type of food. I saw western, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Thai, Sushi, juice bars, pastry, fruit and cheese, and the list goes on. I would definitely recommend trying it out even if you are not staying there. There are two lounges, each close to each lobby. They offer a great place to relax. The lounge by the River Tower has high tea in the afternoon and faces the river. Early on in my stay I was sitting in the lobby waiting for someone and I heard music that I thought was piped in. I looked over and there was someone playing the harp.Other days they had piano and violins. The shops included a gift shop, clothing store and a cigar shop. On the second floor I saw a tailor for hand made suits.

Yi Cafe

Jade Bar

Within a block of the hotel are two shopping malls and a number of restaurants from all over the world. Across the street is a promenade that follows the river. Attractions like the Jin Mao Tower, Pearl Tower and aquarium are all within walking distance.

I'll take the time to write about a hotel if it is memorable. This was one of the best experiences I have had with a hotel. If you are going to Shanghai for business or pleasure and want to be pampered then the Shangri-La is the place for you.