Shanghai Hotel Recommendations? 1st visit in 2 weeks looking for 5 star +location near clubs and restaurants.?

I am a Puxi girl so I would suggest you to stay away from Pudong. There isnt anything to do on that side of the river.... BUT I do hear there are more and more things to do over in Pudong.

I think the Grand Hyatt is the most awesome hotel in Shanghai and if I had a chance to rent a room in Shanghai for one night I would be opting to stay at the Grand Hyatt because of the view. I also think the Jin Mao Building is really cool, so I would like to stay there. It is located in Pudong. The Shangri La is also in Pudong, I am not really sure what it has going for it. It is located near the Super Brand Mall which has some things for eating--- South Beauty, Blue Frog, Hooters, Element Fresh... but not a reason to stay there.

The Westin is not really in a good location at all. It is close to Yu Garden and not so far from People's Square, and I guess not so far from XinTianDi.

The Ritz Carlton is a sort of Shanghai institution. It was the first major hotel located on Nanjing Xi Lu. It is probably the closest to a bar street (Tongren Lu), and there is stuff to do around there.

The Four Seasons has an ok location. None of the places you mention are most convenient to access clubs. All are near restaurants.

The Ritz Carlton probably has the most of what you are looking for.. walking distance to bars/clubs and good places to eat around there.

the Grand Hyatt has the coolest location.

In reality if you can afford to stay in a 5 star hotel, you will be taking taxis to most any place so the cost will not be all that important. Pretty much from any of the hotels you mention (especially in Puxi) will need about $2 or $3 to get to any of the bar streets. Dont worry so much about the location of the hotel and the relationship to bar locations, you will likely take a taxi to get there anyway.

FYI major bar streets are Maoming Nan Lu, Tongren Lu, and Hengshan Lu. There are a few more creeping up and other areas with clubs. Grab a copy of City weekend or That's Shanghai when you get into town and decide where you want to go from the listings in the magazine.

Don't forget to check Hotwire (dot) com, you can get a 4-5 star hotel for a lot less. I've gotten great deals that way! I agree on Union Square for shopping etc. but don't forget North Beach, which is close to China Town, and the Embarcadero. Also the Marina, which is an upscale neighborhood on the water, often has great deals on hotels because business travelers don't want to stay so far from the financial district. San Francisco is only 7X7 miles so as long as you avoid the Tenderloin, Bayview, and Panhandle, (the bad hoods) you will be ok on transportation, especially if you can find a place on a Muni (rail) line. My advice is not to rent a car but to take a shuttle or Bart train from the airport and use public transportation to get around. Parking is hell and driving in SF, especially in tourist areas, is a pain. Take buses and trains to go out during the day and cabs to get home late at night. That's what we local kids do : ) PS Don't come in June, it's foggy. Come July - September for the best weather. Check the SF website for lots more info: onlyinsanfrancisco (dot) com

Hi, if you want to be near clubs and restaurants, then avoid Pudong which is really quite barren in terms of fun and entertainment.

I strongly suggest that you stay at Puxi which is where the shopping and nightlife are. Xintiandi and pubs along Hengshan St are the action is. Shopping and sight-seeing (plus the Bund) are also on this side of the Huangpu River. Haven't stayed at these hotels, so I can't say but some of my friends like the Ritz and Westin.

For hotels, you can check these 2 local travel booking sites which have English versions.

-- http://www.ctrip.com.cn/

-- http://www.elong.com.cn/ (do not choose the expedia option if it detects that you are not in China -- I found the prices to be more expensive than on the elong.com.cn site for the same hotel but not sure if that's always the case).

If you go to this website you can compare the prices and facilities of 5 star hotels in the Shanghai districts that you mention.

The sort filters on the star ratings may assist you.