A Room with a View – Shanghai, China

Shanghai is truly one of the most incredible cities in the world. Visually speaking there are few, if any, cities that come close to matching its futuristic skyline. While planning for our summer 2010 trip to China I had one main agenda for Shanghai…find a room with a good view of the city for cheap. The reason I wanted this so much is because the skyline of Shanghai (specifically the futuristic Pudong area) changes into a lightshow at night and I wanted to be able to enjoy this from the comfort of my hotel room (after wearing myself out enjoying it on the streets). There are numerous hotels that offer this and they all come with a pretty hefty price tag. However, after lots of research on trip advisor I was able to find a hotel called “The Bund Riverside” which promised to offer some of the best views of the city. The hotel was off the main tourist area a little but that actually is a good thing. Furthermore, because it was not a Marriott, Hilton, Westin, etc we were able to beat the rush and prices of other western tourists. After arriving in Shanghai, via a night train from Beijing, we took the convenient metro right into the heart of the city (Nanjing Road). From there we walked a few blocks away from the hustle and bustle and found our hotel. Upon arriving I was nervous that we would not get a room with a view as we had requested because there were hundreds of other Chinese tourists staying at the hotel. However, after checking-in I was very hopeful as we had a room on a high floor. When we walked into the room I was literally blown away by the view. I had high expectations but nothing had prepared me for the SPECTACULAR view that we saw. The room had a huge bay window that looked out towards the Pudong area of Shanghai (this is the futuristic looking part of the city with all the great skyscrapers). The hazy morning sky was the perfect backdrop to the concrete jungle before us. It was such a perfect view that it honestly looked fake. Just when we thought nothing could top this we noticed that there was a large ledge at the bottom of the window so that you could sit, or lie down in my case, and gaze out over the city. Over the next few days I found myself constantly grabbing a pillow and lying next to the window to just watch this magnificent city. At night the scene was absolutely incredible as the entire city (each skyscraper) would light up with lasers, twinkling lights, changing colors, etc. I know it seems odd to go on about a view but if you look at our pictures below you will see just how incredible it really was. If you ever find yourself in Shanghai, China and are looking for a “room with a view” then don’t miss out on The Bund Riverside Hotel.