Taxis in Shanghai are really cheap so anywhere around Xintiandi, People's Square, Bund, Huahuai Lu would all be accessible.
One consideration is how easy it is to get a taxi from your hotel e.g. we stayed at the Radisson before and had a really good rate for a 2 bedroom suite with a living room with 2 sofas and dining table for 8 persons. Every night we watched episodes of Without a Trace off the DVDs we bought. However, on weekends and in the evenings, it was a nightmare to try to catch a cab with the people cutting queues or rushing into your taxi or both. Since cabs were our main mode of transport to dinner and meeting with friends, I don’t think I’ll stay at the Radisson again.
We have stayed at the Westin Bund Hotel and it was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S and if I had the budget, I’d be staying there all the time. The heavenly shower is as good as its name – simply heavenly after spending a hot summer afternoon out in the crowded Shanghai in the heat and humidity.
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Our next favourite and a lot more affordable hotel is Pudi Boutique which is located in less known area, just 5 minutes from Xintiandi by cab.
Pudi Boutique Hotel Room with a flat screen swivel TV behind the alcohol
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| From Shanghai |
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| From Shanghai |
The luxurious bathroom
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| From Shanghai |
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| From Shanghai |
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| From Shanghai |
A cheaper alternative still relatively convenient is Citadines Jinqiao. It’s a no-fuss but clean hotel with decent service and check for discounts with the Citibank credit card which may include free breakfasts.
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LAST THOUGHTS
I thought it would be a good time to end off with managing expectations about Shanghai. People tend to end up either loving the place or hating it.....
- It's a noisy and polluted place (with bicycles which haven't been oiled in years squealing to a stop at traffic light in Shaanxi Lu).
- It is dirty: I've seen people dig their nose and stick it on the wall of the Raffles City Tower and a couple of times, people have spat on the floor centimetres away from my feet in open-toed sandals with back splash landing on my poor feet. I won't bother to mention littering as that's the least of your worries of all the possible unsavoury habits .
- It's a "every man for himself" land.
-> A fair number of the "average man on the street" has no manners, etiquette and/or civility. I am over generalising here but it felt that way no matter where I went during my 4 trips to Shanghai. I had an experience in KFC where this lady's first priority would be to get into queue in front of me and only when she reached the front, she would yell at her friends sitting at the table nowhere near the counter (really really really loudly) to ask what they wanted to order......
-> They have NO respect for queuing. I say this with my hand over my heart – ZERO. I've had too many cabs stolen from me when I'm standing Right At the Door waiting politely for the passenger to step out of the cab by some lady who walks in from the other door and sits down inside the cab or simply pushes me out of the way (and I'm really quite tall so there is some obvious effort in pushing). So, d
on't bother being polite when it comes to queuing for cabs or at KFC or any other fastfood joint (make sure you watch who the person is in front of you like a hawk, you never know how they could slide themselves in between if you leave so much as a gap to avoid breathing in someone else's hair and they turn around and scold you for not being quicker to protect your spot).....-> And most importantly, don't bother getting angry about it either, if not, 2 days into your holiday, you'll be really upset about the lack of manners which will waste your holiday. Just join them. Fight for your cab.
