The ultimate 21st-century city, Shanghai boasts a striking skyline, glam dining and a seductive shopping scene…
Sleep: For luxe urban lodgings in shopping-central Nanjing Road, book an art- and antique-filled boudoir at Jia Shanghai. Rooms sport kitchenettes or pop to in-house Italian restaurant Issimo if you’re peckish. The Puli Hotel and Spa, by Jing-An Park, offers handsome drinking and dining dens, with an impressive wine-by-the-glass list at the lobby’s jaw-dropping 32-metre Long Bar.
Shop: Nanjing Road hosts some of the city’s ritziest shopping, especially at Plaza 66, ideal for getting a haute couture fix from Cartier, Louis Vuitton or Christian Dior. The French Concession area is also great for browsing boutiques; don’t miss smart fashion store Shanghai Tang in Xintiandi. Yuyuan Gardens & Bazaar is an atmospheric spot for picking up souvenirs, or for quirky curios head to the Old Town’s Dongtai Road antique market.
Snack: For light bites, try Crystal Jade for dumplings and dim sim (Xintiandi South Block, 2nd floor, Building 6). In Yuyuan Bazaar, Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant (378 Fuyou Road) is a must for xiao long bau soup dumplings.
See: Tranquil breathing space the People’s Park, off Renmin Avenue, houses the Shanghai Museum, for traditional Chinese art, as well as the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art.
Stroll: Wander famous riverside strip the Bund to ogle historic architecture and Pudong’s futuristic skyline. Alternatively, Xintiandi is full of cool cafés, intriguing alleyways and historic shikumen (houses).
Spa: Pamper yourself with a massage at the Puli Hotel and Spa’s sanctuary, run by Thai spa specialists Anantara. Green-tea wraps, white-tea scrubs and rose-tea beauty packages are also perfect pick-you-ups.
Savour: Make reservations for Table No. 1, the industrial-chic Euro fine-diner at The Waterhouse at South Bund boutique hotel in the Shiliupu docklands. Helmed by former Gordon Ramsay chefs Jason Atherton and Scott Melvin, this edgy space has serious culinary cred. Ascend to the rooftop bar after for ravishing river views.
Sip: Kick off with cocktails at style oasis M on the Bund (7th floor, No 5 the Bund, corner of Guangdong Road), before a flash dinner at Jean Georges or the Whampoa Club at Three on the Bund (4th and 5th floor respectively, 3 East Zhongshan No 1 Road) also home to hot art galleries and shops.
To book any of Mr & Mrs Smith’s stylish boutique hotels visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or call the expert Travel Team on 1300 896 627. Smith guests enjoy exclusive extras at all stays.