It's time to plan the Spring 2005 trip to Shanghai again! Every time I've been to Shanghai - 4 times in the last few years - I've stayed at the Portman or JC Mandarin and now I'm wondering if I should try the other side of town for a change. Tell me your favorite hotel picks in the Pudong and why I should stay there. Doesn't need to be as fancy as the Portman though I'd like a clean room and nice breakfast buffet. Prefer USD$100-$150/nt.

Lia, if a clean room and a breakfast buffet are at the top of your wish list, you could get that for WAY less than US$100-150. Try $50. Heavens above, let's keep some sense of proportion - that's about a month's pay for many Chinese professionals and at least 5 times a 4-star hotel's breakeven rate. Rather than pre-booking you might have to just turn up and negotiate a 40-50% discount off the rack rate, but that should be a piece of cake unless you're there during the May Day holiday week. Maybe even then.

Of course, if money is no object (e.g. you're on expenses) you can ignore the foregoing, but I'd still wonder why you'd stay in sterile, boring Pudong rather than somewhere with some character.

My favorite in Pudong would be the Grand Hyatt for its simply amazing views and easy access to Puxi. However, I don't think you'll be able to book it for under $150 a night unless it's an extremely slow period (the only time I've stayed there for less than $150 was during the SARS outbreak). I've only had breakfast in the club lounge and not the Grand Cafe, but I'm sure they have an extensive buffet in the cafe.

Depending on the dates, you might be able to find the St. Regis for close to that price. I've stayed there also and found the property to be very nice. The breakfast buffet in the downstairs restaurant, Saints, is excellent and all guests have access to the executive lounge for evening cocktails and hors d'ouevres. There are no views to speak of though and it is a farther from Puxi. The atmosphere here is quieter than the Grand Hyatt which tends to be very busy all the time.

There are many other hotels in Pudong for less, but none that particularly stand out enough for me to recommend one over another. All of the chain properties will provide a clean room and good breakfast buffet, so in that case, I would just go with price as the determining factor. I'd also pick one that has close metro access.

Keep in mind that rates and occupancy levels in Pudong have much more to do with what conventions are taking place in the area rather than any public holidays. It's predominantly a business oriented district. You'll often find Pudong hotels lowering, not raising, their rates and offering specials during holiday periods as most business travelers stay home then.

BTW I posted pics for 3 Pudong hotels including the Hyatt and St. Regis on the following website. Just search for Shanghai under location.

www.hotelscoop.com

Lia- the world is a big place- why Shanghai every year?

Thanks for your suggestions. I was being a little too lenient in my qualifications. Actually, I like coming back to a 5* hotel room after a long day in the city and I'm very picky about where I stay so I prefer to pre-book, even if it costs more. I travel almost non-stop around the world for business and leisure, and still haven't seen and done everything I want to in Shanghai. The last few trips to China (inc. Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou) have been business conventions or family vacations, so I'm really looking forward to time on my own this trip. However, I sometimes get the feeling that I enjoy Shanghai much more than others do.