Shanghai Travel Forum

Hi everyone!
I´ll be going to China for 2 weeks in July and I still need to find a hotel for my 4 nights in Shanghai.
I´m looking for something not too pricey (something between USD $50-80) but specially something that has a great location.

I love the city center areas, or shopping areas.. but I heard staying near the Bund is the best option. What do you guys think?
Also, I read on lots of reviews that bed are normally very hard so I was wondering of chosing the "Executive" or even "Deluxe" rooms would be the best thing to do... or if that doesn´t make any difference.

Thanks for your help! please consider that I´m travelling on my own so I would appreciate if your recommendations were in safe areas.

Vikkia, we are booked into (what looks like) a great Hotel in Shanghai in September called "A live Design Hotel". It is on Nanjing Street (main shopping street) but a little bit further down from the Bund, but still from what I can see within walking distance. This Hotel was recommended to me by ellyse from vt. It is about 3-4 star but appears to be in great location and we got it for fantastic price. A friend of mine lives in Shanghai and he managed to book it for only $60AUD per nite for 2 people, so only $30 each per night, WHAT A BARGAIN!!! This equates to about $40 per person in USD. The price to book on line is slightly higher, but still is good value.

Hope this helps.

"Very hard" is relative. I think most bed mattresses in China are more accurately termed as "firm".
I think A-Live Design Hotel would be the best choice for you given your requirements and price range. You might also want to consider Lijing Hotel, Shangfu Holiday Hotel, Jiujiu Holiday Hotel etc.

I actually don't really recommend staying anywhere near the Bund or Yuyuan area in these few months unless you enjoy staying in a construction site!

Vikika, I have booked the Manhattan Business Hotel near the Bund for about $70US. This hotel was high on the list on various sites I checked (tripadvisor, ctrip, etc). I understand that some of the rooms may not have windows, however. Just ask for one with! Apparently, it's only a block away from the Bund and also smack dab on the main shopping street. That's what I was looking for (also, that the service is top-notch and the food is great!). They have a website, and you can check the location by going to google maps and type in THE BUND SHANGHAI and then click on SEARCH NEARBY and type in HOTEL. This hotel comes up and there you have the location! ANd yes, as ellyse says, there is apparently construction going on but I am hoping it's not so bad when I get there in a few months! :)

I should post photos of what the Bund currently looks like, just to convince you all that it's really awful. -_-
No, Manhattan Business Hotel isn't on the main shopping street, it's on a small and dark street running parallel to the non-pedetrian part of Nanjing Lu, behind Peace Hotel which's also currently under renovation.

ellyse, will the construction impede one's view across the water? I mainly am interested in being on the Bund to take photos of the Orient Tower, laser show, etc etc across the water (the typical 'Shanghai' postcard shot). Any idea when the construction crews will haul out of there finally?

Yes, it's currently pretty impossible to take photos from the riverside. You could take photos from the side with the buildings, but you'd have a much clearer view of the road construction rather than the Pudong skyline!
I think the best photo-taking spot of the Pudong skyline would be, apart from going to one of the expensive rooftop bars on the Bund, would be from the Garden Bridge on the north end of the Bund.

Garden Bridge, North side of the Bund. Got it, Thanks! We plan to be in Shanghai in mid-September--do you think it'll still be pretty much under construction then? Or perhaps I should look for another hotel nearer to the Garden Bridge?

I wouldn't bother staying anywhere near the Bund or Garden Bridge anyway. If you're staying at one of the hotels near Garden Bridge (eg Astor House Hotel or Broadway Mansions), you have a 15 to 20-min walk to the nearest metro stop, through lots of construction and crowds... totally unnecessary!
Stay somewhere around People's Square or in the French Concession instead, really. The Bund might be the namesake attraction of Shanghai, but you're not going to spend your entire trip looking at it.

ellyse, thanks for the info! I am still hoping to photograph the Orient Tower etc from a decent vantage point across the river at sunset or twilight. Can you recommend a decent rooftop cafe that we could go to that has a decent unobstructed view of that area?

I think the Garden Bridge would already work pretty well, actually.
Alternatively, you might want to try Hyatt on the Bund, or the Seagull.

thanks ellyse! I may ask again closer to mid-September and get an update on whether you can still walk the pedestrian scenic walk at the Bund. That's where I want to take my photo--right in that little niche at the tip of Huangpu park!