Despite being hidden away from the world until the mid nineties, Shanghai is quickly becoming a financial and technological hub of the globe. It is also making a huge push with tourism, by introducing 144 hour visa free entries to attract more visitors. Major hotel brands have now entered China, with one of our favourites, the W Hotel brand making a bang in several Chinese cities including Shanghai. At the W Shanghai, there is art and design almost everywhere you look. This is actually the right way to describe most of the W Hotels all around the world. Now let us tell you what we thought of our stay there.
Where is W Shanghai located
The W Shanghai is located on 66 Lvshan Rd, which is reasonably close to the Bund, the famous road located next the Huangpu River, with one of the best skylines the world has to offer. Do yourself a favour and make sure you get there at night time to watch old ladies doing Tai Chi, fun games, plenty of fakes goods and a neon-lit skyline. Note that there is not much to do around the property by walk, you will need to take a cab away!
Great things about W Shanghai
There are plenty of thing to like about the W Shanghai. When you walk in you are greeted by W’s funky lobby setup, with a vintage motorbike and lifts that are whisking you 4 floors to the reception area. Check-in was speedy and was helped all the way to our room with our luggage. The 4th floor is where everything is at. It is also the home of the WOOBAR, which becomes a popular evening spot with an extensive cocktail list and cool DJ’s playing the night away. There are little pods in the area for work meetings, or to just chill with your friends over some coffee. The W has designed this area to feel as homely and comfortable as possible.
The restaurant “The Kitchen Table” is also located on the 4th floor a great view the skyline with both an outdoor and indoor relaxation area. The breakfast buffet has absolutely everything, from local cuisine, continental breakfast and specialty meals. We suggest that you spend your quality time in the bakery section, there are a plethora of treats there for all us sweet tooth inclined people. If the weather is a little cool, it is great to get there early and sit outside to get a great breakfast view of the Bund. China is not known for its high quality coffee but we were really happy with the range of coffees. We had our almond milk latte fix that morning.
The WETBar is a great place to have a few quiet drinks into the evening. It is located next to the pool and has its own bar area. You can get bar food and is a perfect place to have sundowners overlooking the views of the Bund. The crowd was quite fancy but just smart casual will do and you will fit right in.
There is an indoor and outdoor pool access. The indoor pool is spacious and comes with an incredible view of the cityscape. Our tip is to get there early as it fills up quickly. There will always be space but can get noisy. The Jacuzzi in the indoor area has massage jets and you can spend hours in there (and we did). In each changing room is another oasis area with a jacuzzi with wonderful daylight, perfect to chill with more privacy to read a book.
FIT Gym is a fully decked out fitness area which has a range of machines for all types of trainers. It is spacious and has all the modern equipment. There is even a spin cycling class you can join if you don’t want to ride around the congested city.
We absolutely loved our room. We stayed in a Spectacular Room, and that was the actual name of the room. It was by far the most colourful room we have stayed in with a view of the Huangpu River and the nightlife. It had a whole host of modern features and was certainly unique in design. The toilet had all the buttons you ever needed and a warming seat as well (yup a Toto, the famous Japanese toilet bowl brand). Everything in the room was automatic with buttons for all lights, curtains and services. The room itself is great for photos with all the colours and views.
The couch area next to the wide window is a perfect place to relax and watch the world go by. This was by far my favourite area of the room and was really complimented well by the huge windows that kept the colourful room night and light.
Not so awesome things at W Shanghai
For a city that virtually never sleeps, the restaurants close quite early in the hotel, but the staff are very happy to offer in room dining options and recommend great eats around the city for you. The downstairs bar on the deck was still kicking so it as easy to get a refreshment there as well. The metro is the most used form of transport in Shanghai and it is a little difficult to reach.
W Shanghai Rates
Finding quality hotels in Shanghai can be an expensive task, especially near the Bund area. However, W Shanghai is really well priced considering what you get from the hotel. Unlike other hotels, you are not just paying for the name, instead here they have put the customer first and delivered and excellent hotel stay for both a short or long term visitor. To find out the best prices make sure to compare the prices from the W Hotels website, Booking.com and Agoda.
Our final thoughts on W Shanghai
The facilities are vibrant and plentiful with the staff going above and beyond to meet your needs. With the location being close enough to the action without being in the chaos, you are not going to get a more enjoyable stay than at the W Shanghai. The colours of the hotel are enough to keep you in a jubilant mood and the pool and jacuzzi are great ways to destress while looking at a premium view.
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