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Bulgari Hotel Shanghai: Killer Coffee Break Spot

Bulgari Hotel Shanghai
Not a bad spot for a coffee.

If you think you’ve seen that Pudong skyline from every conceivable angle then we might just have a little surprise for you here. When Bespoke swung by the just-opened Bulgari Hotel Shanghai for a quick coffee we weren’t quite sure what to expect given that its off-Bund location isn’t exactly the most promising.

But nip up to the Il Bar on the 47th floor and be greeted by one of the best Shanghai views we’ve seen in a while. Set further back from the Huangpu than most similar venues, you’ll see a grand sweep of the city here – and from a fresh perspective too.

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The Middle House Hotel

The Middle House Lobby

It honestly feels like we’ve waited an age for The Middle House. After all, the team behind the project has already set the bar for design hotels in Beijing, Chengdu and Hong Kong with their ‘House Collective’ properties, so it really was about time they showed Shanghai a little bit of love. So excited were we that, when an invitation arrived requesting Bespoke’s presence for a  pre-opening trial stay, we dashed the two blocks from our office to their new ‘house’ in what may have been an inappropriately hasty manner.

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W Hotel Shanghai

W Hotel Pool

Confession time, folks. Bespoke rocked up at Shanghai’s newly opened W Hotel with every intention of a thorough investigation of the hotel’s particulars: its room sizes, its conference facilities, its dining venues and so on. And then we saw the swimming pool.

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3 Old School Shanghai Hotels

Taiyuan Villa, Ruijin Hotel Shanghai
Nice lawn, Taiyuan Villa

Shanghai’s stock of fabulous old buildings sometimes seems to dwindle by the day. As the city marches relentlessly toward its prosperous and harmonious future, one of two fates seems to befall our historical gems:

  • They are razed to the ground by teams of bulldozers and replaced by office blocks.
  • They are ‘restored to their original to condition’ (i.e. the architectural equivalent of a lobotomy is performed – we’re looking at you, Ruijin Intercontinental Hotel!).

There are still a handful of historic Shanghai hotels that, whilst bearing the brutal scars of decades of government management, retain just enough charm for lovers of creaky floorboards and original plasterwork for ‘Old Shanghai’ geeks like Bespoke to enjoy sneaking around. Here are a few of our heritage favorites with a big caveat: do not expect five star service at these joints (The Peninsula is full for a reason, right?). In fact, the lower you set your expectations, the better you’ll fare.

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New Hotels to Know: Shanghai & Beijing

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Let’s face it, from fluffy bathrooms and breakfast buffets through to the knowledge that there will always be someone to clean up after you, a fabulous hotel stay is one of the highlights of a proper holiday. Accommodation options at the top end in China have increased exponentially in the last decade but, in a country that seems to constantly reinvent itself, new options are always welcome. What’s more, 2017 is shaping up to see a bumper crop of openings from some leading players. Here’s the lowdown:

Capella
(Shanghai, Early Summer 2017)

Capella Shanghai
Capella Shanghai. Photo Credit: Capella Hotels.

Hurrah! We’ve been waiting forever for a proper boutique hotel in the leafy French Concession. Fifty-five rooms housed in a historic block of old shikumen lane homes and access to the city’s most eclectic shopping and dining should make this a winner with those that like low key luxury. Foodie bonus: Michelin favorite Pierre Gagnaire is opening a French resto here too.

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