The Best Places to Stay and Do in East Da Pu Qiao

A curvy tower in Xintiandi that leans into contradictions, the Andaz is a boutique-feeling hotel inside a 28-story Hyatt property, where the rooms run red and rich hardwood, LED lighting shifts to suit your mood, and an iPad controls everything from the shades to room service. The French patisserie and modern Shanghainese restaurant give you reasons to stay in. Shopping and the Metro are a short walk out the door.

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2. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

The lobby announces itself with a spritz of ginger flower scent, which you can buy bottled at the gift shop if you fall hard enough. The Langham is a 357-room luxury hotel sitting directly across from Xintiandi's cobbled shikumen lanes, with a three-story chandelier that sets expectations the guest rooms wisely dial back, trading drama for lacquered wood and modern Chinese calm. Club floors come with round-the-clock butlers, and the Chuan Spa handles the rest.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Recommended
2. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels

The name sets expectations that the address quietly overturns: this InterContinental is not a tower above the skyline but a century-old estate, gardens and all, that once served as the State Guest House. European-style buildings sit amid parkland that most Shanghai hotels would trade their infinity pools for. The rooms and spa are as polished as any in the chain; guests just happen to fall asleep somewhere that feels nothing like a hotel.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Hotels