Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Shanghai mid March

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Shanghai mid March

We arrive in Shanghai by train from Hong Kong and want to know of a good 4-5 star hotel close to main tourist sights and shops. we want to have 2 nts in Shanghai then fly to Beijing for a couple of days. Thanks for any info.

Lyndie, I am looking for similar information. Can you send information on the plane/train from Hong Kong to Shanghai ie. cost, length of the ride, where you arranged your ticket etc. Many thanks..

Hi MaryRay Train trip is 25 hrs from Kowloon at 1500 to Shanghai. We've booked deluxe soft sleeper with private facilities. HKD 1270 via Tiglion Travel at www.travel.com.hk through Vicky. They have been very efficient and I recommend them. Good luck.

Ouch! An 18% mark-up on the price from the station or from CTS: HK$1039. And the cheaper tickets are more like 30% marked-up. See http://www.chinatravelone.com for a fair price. Also, unless they've suddenly swapped the rolling stock, the privacy at this most expensive class (gaoji ruanwo) merely means two beds in a compartment. All other facilities (washroom, lavatory, etc.) are shared. Peter N-H http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

Peter We knew we were paying a premium to have someone buy the tickets for us, however we did not want to waste time buying tickets when we only had one full day in Hong Kong. Also is the Equatorial Hotel superior to Sofitel in Shanghai? Tks for your input.

Sorry, perhaps I didn't make myself very clear. For your future reference (and for others who read this site), if you want to book tickets for trains departing from Hong Kong over the Web, you can do it through the other site I mentioned *without* the massive mark-up. I've stayed at the Sofitel when it was the New Asia Thomson and a comfortable if very conventional five-star, but I haven't seen it since it was acquired by the French group (although Sofitels I've stayed in elsewhere, notably Hanoi, have been fine). My first choice in Shanghai is usually the Grand Hyatt, but there are others on this board who know a lot more about Shanghai hotels than I do. Peter N-H http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

I first have to say that I am not a fan of Shanghai as a tourist destination. I have been there many times on business, but would not put it high on the list for tourists. There really is very little of old Shanghai left; and more is being torn down each day. The new architecture is quite amazing: I call it the Jetson city because of all the futuristic towers. However, there is not much of historical interest, and other Chinese cities (like Hong Kong) offer futuristic modern skyscrapers plus a lot more. Also, March will be cold and probably rainy, but the same will be true in Beijing so you are probably prepared for that. Plus 25 hours on a train to get there.... Lyndie, if you only have one day in Hong Kong and have not been there before, please don't go to Shanghai but stay in Hong Kong and really see it. Or, take more days in Beijing where there is so much to see and do… That being said, hotel recommendations in order of personal preference would be (4-5 star range): Grand Hyatt Ritz Carlton Portman St. Regis Shanghai is pretty spread out and so no hotel is really centrally located. The Ritz Carlton is probably in the best location for shopping, the Grand Hyatt has the best views and would be walkable to the Bund (longish walk), and is close to the new subway station so is convenient for other parts of the city. It has very large rooms with stunning views -- even through all the pollution. The St. Regis is not really in a good location for a tourist but is a great hotel. Check the Rants and Raves on this site for reviews of these hotels and recommendations for others. The Peace Hotel would not have been on my list, and after reading the Rants and Rave review, my view is confirmed. Don't know anything about the Equatorial and it does not appear to be listed in the Rants and Raves section. I thought there were two Sofitels in Shanghai (the Sofitel Hyland and the Sofitel Jin Jiang in Pudong, although only the former appears in the Rants and Raves and neither is the New Asia Thomson as far as I know so there may actually be three Sofitels now). You might want to check a which one you are referring to. Two restaurants to recommend: The Grand Café in the Grand Hyatt -- fantastic sunset and night views. The lobby bar is also good for a drink at sunset or in the evening. M on the Bund - for great views and food. Also has a lively bar. Need reservations. 7/F, 20 Guangdong Lu, Corner of the Bund, Shanghai, 200002 Telephone: 00 86 21 6350 9988 http://www.m-onthebund.com

My mistake: The New Asia Thomson is in fact now the Inter-Continental, not a Sofitel. Apologies. The Grand Hyatt is very close to a ferry which departs every few minutes directly to The Bund, and runs 24 hours a day. There's a second service to a different point on The Bund a slightly longer walk away. Peter N-H http://members.axion.net/~pnh/China.html

I agree with Cicerone, the St. Regis is a great hotel but I would not recommend it for a first time visitor due to it's more distant location to the main tourist sights and lack of any views. The Grand Hyatt isn't technically 'walkable' to the Bund as it's across the Huang Pu river (though it's easy to get there). The ferry as Peter mentioned is one option. The metro station is also nearby and one stop will bring you to Henan station at Nanjing road not far from the Bund. Another option for about 10x the price of the metro ticket is the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. You can take it from the Pudong riverfront right to the Bund. You ride in a gondola type car thru a tunnel decorated with lots of fiber optic lights. It's wacky enough that you should see it for yourself once. If you want to walk to sights, it's better to stay on the Puxi side. The Sofitel Hyland has a great location. You may also want to check the fairly new Westin. I haven't stayed there but it's location is close to the Bund and other sights.

Just checked the 'rants and raves' section of this site. They really need to update the hotel list! The St. Regis is still not on it and the Tai Ping Yang hasn't been a Westin for a while (it's Sheraton now). Could be very confusing.

I'm just posting to completely agree with Cicerone's previous posting. Very good advice. Stayed at Ritz and St. Regis, Ritz location good but St. Regis blew them away. 'M on the Bund' was very good and rooftop Italian at the St. Regis was fantastic.

Thanks very much to all those who gave us so much info & input. We return to HK for 3 nights after Shanghai so we will hopefully get to see most of the sights in that time. Thanks again, everyone.