My Beijing/Xian/Shanghai trip is approaching, and I'm working on the planning. We don't have any tours lined up (assuming that waiting for arrival is best), and we booked the Palace Hotel in Beijing. I've seen little discussion on the Peace Hotel in Shanghai. Does anyone have any recommendations for/against it? It seems historic, the price is decent, and it's location on the Bund seems perfect...or would it be better to stay on the Pudong side? The Grand Hyatt, is much discussed and seems impressive, but considerably more pricey.<BR><BR>Any help would be great, thanks!<BR><BR>Also, any suggestions on Xian hotels in a good location for a brief stay there, and any info on how safe (health/disease safe) the hot springs are there?

We visited China for the first time last September but we were not as brave as you as we were on a 3 week tour. We did have a couple of free days in Shanghai and one of the MUSTS to SEE was the Peace Hotel. Only from having seen it in old movies and constant referrals to it as well historically, we knew is was a must see. The lobby is very charming but as we did not stay there we only made of point of visiting the Peace Hotel. We took the elevator to the highest floor and then walked the final level to the roof. There is a lovely open air restaurant on the top there that serves very good food, though we only had cocktails and h'orderves and enjoyed the view of the city. The pleasant weather made our visit to Shanghai most memorable as after having traveled for 3 weeks and finally relaxing a bit in Shanghai was most welcomed. In addition, the sky was BLUE and clear. The first time we saw the sky and sun without smog. You can travel by train, bus or cab all over Shanghai and there is so much to see. Set aside one full day at the Museum....we are not usually enticed to visit a museum and when they suggested a full day, we scoffed but this one was incredible and a day well spent. Select your restaurants very carefully as nothing is worse that Chairman Mao's Revenge!!!! Have a great time. Also, be sure to visit a public park one morning very early just to see the population exercise and dance. Whenever we could on the trip, we slipped away each morning to see this incredible sight. People are so warm and friendly and we are still very different to them....from the states.

I did not stay at the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, but my friend, Cynthia, and I had dinner there. I thought the hotel was rather shabby for so famous a place. The food and the service in the dining room were atrocious (our waiters brought us the wrong food). I did use the men's room off of the lobby and it reaked of urine. I read a review of the Peace Hotel in a travel journal not too long ago and it stated that the hotel is nice to visit because of its history, but only gave it 3 stars as lodging.

I walked thru the hotel, didn't stay there, and also thought it looked to be in rather shabby condition. I believe the official rating of this hotel is 5 stars but don't confuse it with a real 5 star hotel. It's probably really more comparable to a newer 3 star hotel. The Bund location of course is great so you'll have to decide what's more important to you. In general, I always choose foreign managed hotels in China as the condition of the facilities and quality of service is higher. I say in general because there are a few newer state-run hotels that do have decent service particularly in markets where there is heavy competition from foreign brands. The Grand Hyatt no doubt will be much nicer, but I don't know whether it's worth the price difference to you. From the Hyatt, it's a quick metro ride to the Puxi side. One stop deposits you at the intersection of Nanjing and Henan roads in the pedestrian section. It's certainly hard to beat the view from the Hyatt (except maybe from the Shangri-La) especially at night when the Bund is all lit up.

Hi:<BR><BR>I was in Shanghai last October for one week. I would recommend that you stay in PuDong at the Grand Hyatt if you want real luxury. Some colleagues stayed at the Peace Hotel and had bad things to say about it. We poked around the lobby and had lunch there which we also found atrocious. It's a neat hotel to visit for a few minutes b/c of it's history but that's about it.<BR><BR>We actually stayed at the Shangri-La which is also a nice hotel in Pudong (not as luxurious as the Hyatt but less expensive). Also, right by our hotel was the little underground train that took you to the other side of the bund in a few minutes. Taxis are also very inexpensive.<BR><BR>Be sure to visit teh Shanghai museum as others have indicated. We also had a delicious buffet dinner at teh Shangri-La. I am not normally a buffet person but it was incredible.<BR><BR>Lisa<BR><BR>

We walked through the Peace Hotel and can confirm it was shabby. (With so many of us walking through, though, you know its in a good location and historic). If you go for the higher end hotels and maybe can get a deal, stay at the St. Regis in Pudong. We stayed at both the Ritz-Carlton and the St. Regis. It completely blew away the Ritz. (If you stay at or near the Peace Hotel, try the 'M On the Bund' restaurant, we had a nice meal with a great view).

Dave,<BR>I agree with you - I never thought the Portman Ritz Carlton was that great either.<BR><BR>The St. Regis is a great hotel as long as you're OK with its location. Those that want to step right out of their hotel and be within walking distance to sights, shopping, restaurants, people watching, etc. will be disappointed. But it is near a metro station and for me, I don't find it too inconvenient if I want to go to Puxi. Last year I was able to get great rates there, consistently lower than any other luxury hotel in Shanghai.

You got some really good advice and after reading other responses I'm sure you are moving to another hotel. I guess I just saw the historic value of it and the location. Still go to the top....the view is lovely. We stayed at the Ocean Hotel that had a restaurant on the top floor that evolved. Likewise, very nice. As long as you are going, have a great time.

I'm with Takemeaway - if you're looking for luxury, Peace Hotel isn't your best choice. But for me, the Peace Hotel just sings with history. If you've ever read Shanghai 37 (and I highly recommend that you do), when you enter the lobby, you can just imagine the characters from the book hanging out in the lobby. Expatriates used to sip champagne from the rooftop bar and watch the fighting across the creek. If you've seen Empire of the Sun (again, highly recommended for anyone visiting Shanghai), you can just imagine the crowds of people fighting to get in to the international settlement as you look on the streets below. Personally, I love the authentic art deco decor, and my travel style is usually history over service and sparkling new decor (and that's definately the trade off you'll make - I completely agree that the service in the restaurants is dismal).

Here's an offbeat question. Who's seen the China film at Epcot? There is a scene of people dining at a roof top restuarant in Shanghai. Is that at the Peace Hotel???

I stayed at the Peace Hotel when I was in Shanghai in 1999. I found the service good, the bathroom immense, and the room spacious with lots of amenities. The bad reviews really surprised me; perhaps it had deteriorated that much in 3-4 years ?

Ditto the above. We were there in 1999, too, and liked it very much although luxurious would not be the way I would describe it.