Flash. Lights. Sparkle.. Shanghai’s skyline is one of the most iconic city skylines in the world, with skyscrapers dominating your view across the horizon. At night, this view comes alive as the riverfront lights up in numerous colors for dazzling light shows that serenade the city until the clock strikes 11. Think red, blue, yellow – rain or shine, Shanghai comes alive at night. While most tourists flock to The Bund for the perfect view of the city’s skyline, we decided to stay inside the view itself at Pudong Shangri-La.
Most of the city’s most famous skyscrapers are located in the Pudong district, which is where we chose to call home for a few days as a family. Luxury combined with the best view of the city? Sign us up. After a quick high speed train ride from Hangzhou, we had left the quiet, mountainous lakeside retreat behind to find ourselves in the heart of towering buildings, glittering lights, and busy streets. And from the top of the Shangri-La, we were able to feel like the whole city was admiring us.
From our spacious one-bedroom suite that overlooked the one and only Pearl Tower, we could easily see the entire length of the Bund from our living room while our bedroom gave us that iconic shot of the tower. Born and growing up in Hong Kong, little bean is no stranger to seeing skyscrapers around her. However, the view of the Pearl Tower at night lit up in red certainly blew her mind. Her favourite part about Pudong Shangri-La was having a large sofa bed in our bedroom entirely to herself, which was evident by how quickly she would fall asleep each night curled up under her blankets. I think her second favourite part of the room was the large deep-soaking tub, which overlooked the city below.
In the morning, we enjoyed a quiet breakfast in the lounge. While breakfast was also available in the more popular YICAFE, our suite came with Horizon Club access where we could enjoy a quieter breakfast with the morning sun peeking through between the buildings as we devoured noodles, chicken sausage, passion fruit, French toast, and hot tea. Slow mornings. In the center of the city. Just what we all needed.
Unlike other districts in Shanghai like Jing’an, Pudong District is primarily the financial heart of the city. However, this is not a disadvantage, as it’s very easy to cross the river with a 5-minute ferry or a 10-minute Didi ride. Plus, being in the financial center means lots of opportunities for shopping and a plethora of options for lunch. We couldn’t help but enjoy sushi twice at Pudong Shangri-La’s Sushi by Yisea. Although we are always eager to try as many places as possible, the sushi at Sushi by Yisea was just too good to enjoy only once. The afternoon was a great success – I got to enjoy some shopping (mostly for beauty products I had run out of), the beau got to enjoy some sushi, and little bean got to splash around the pool. While little bean and the beau enjoyed the pool, I enjoyed a good soak in the hot tub after a refreshing sauna experience. Despite being in the heart of the city, this stay was giving us all a bit of a much needed reset.
Despite being in the busiest part of Shanghai, our retreat at Pudong Shangri-La was still just that – a small retreat inside the largest city in all of China. Watching the city thrive 30 floors below us as we put our feet up within the most iconic skyline in the country, we couldn’t help but feel comfortable and at home. I’m not going to lie, I had been told not to stay in Pudong because it was just the financial center of the city, but our visit proved those suggestions wrong. Most things in Shanghai are a simple 15 minute Didi drive away, or even faster with the train. The city is so large that every district has something to offer, whether you’re there with family, looking for a romantic escape, or having a bit of a solo retreat. I think it’s still worth considering staying in Pudong, and I think Pudong Shangri-La is a great place to call home.
Thank you to Pudong Shangri-La for partnering on this post. Although we were guests of Shangri-La, all opinions written here are my own.
