Small Hotel in Shanghai
 

Can anyone recommend a very small hotel, inn or B&B in Shanghai? We are staying for a couple of nights at one of the big ones near the Bund, but for two other nights we'd very much like to find a small family-run place (hopefully around the French Concession) that would be around $100 a night. Obviously not a luxury room, but something down a laneway, perhaps.

Ideas?

Old House Inn on Huashan Road is a lane house, 2 blocks from where my DM lives, a lovely area in the french concession. Check out the reviews on tripadvisor.

I dropped Nutella off after our GTG dinner on her first night in Shanghai, since she hasn't done a TR I don't know her experience except she mentioned her room was a tiny attic. Let's see if she or others respond or else I'll e-mail her.

Hotel No. 9 sounds like an overpriced hostel.

Another one I thought of is the Donghu Hotel, a cluster of old villas in a garden setting, rooms and rates are all over the board from simple to deluxe.

Shanghainese, my ears were burning :)

Yes, I stayed at the Old House Inn for three nights. As S noted, the location is very nice. The desk staff was very nice and helpful when requested, but otherwise quiet.

I would have had a much different experience if I had a different room - I peeked into a queen sized room on the second floor and it was lovely with lots of character. But sadly I was exiled to a single at the top of the stairs on the third floor, where felt like Cinderella being locked in the dungeon by her evil stepsisters. In all fairness, when I booked the room via email, I was told it was "small." But this room was depressing. It had an angled low attic ceiling, which meant I bumped my head (and I'm not tall) anytime I approached the foot of the bed. And it had two small windows that didn't let in any light. Aside from the room configuration - positives included a decent bathroom and shower (small) with good pressure, television and free internet connect in the room. The room had a hot pot and tea bags. And I think there may have been a mini fridge, but I don't remember for sure.

Breakfast was included - you get a meal ticket at the front desk and go over to the trendy restaurant attached by a doorway in the lobby. With the ticket, you are entitled to one hard boiled egg, toast and one cup of coffee or tea. If you instead want to order from the regular menu, I think the ticket entitled you to 20% off. I was fine with the egg and toast as I knew I had lots of excellent eating awaiting me in Shanghai,but otherwise the rations struck me as kind of funny.

My overall experience with this hotel wasn't great because of the room. Small doesn't have to mean depressing and un-functional. I might expect that from a dumpy budget place where every other room is like that too, but a room like that shouldn't be offered to guests who are led to expect more due to how the hotel portrays itself. For that reason I think the OHI is undeserving of my recommendation, but I have to be fair and say that the rest of the place is fine. In short, I think the OHI is a decent homely place with character, but just don't get the dungeon room!

Thanks for that advice - we will try the Donghu after we return to Shanghai from Mt Huangshan.