48 Hours in Shanghai
After five busy days in historic Suzhou, I was ready for 48 luxurious hours in nearby Shanghai. China’s largest city is famous for its futuristic skyline, incredible soup dumplings and cutting-edge style.
The city’s new crop of luxury hotels keeps raising the bar. When The Sukhothai Shanghai invited me to be the first guest to experience the brand-new Premier Suite, I felt honored.
The sleek high-rise, in the heart of the upscale entertainment district, is a LEED-certified sanctuary made for pampering, fine dining, retail therapy and sightseeing. I exhaled the moment I walked in, welcomed by soothing neutral tones, minimal design, and flawless service.
Light flooded the floor-to-ceiling windows as I entered my 1,300-square-foot suite. I stepped onto the wrap-around balcony to admire the modern skyline from the 17th floor. The sleek bathroom was a work of art complete with sunken stone bathtub, two kinds of plush robes, a Dyson hair dryer, nail dryer, and heated Japanese toilet. More comforts of home included a fully stocked complimentary drinks fridge, fresh fruit, and beautiful tea and coffee service.
Every afternoon I would return to the thoughtful surprises in my suite. A hot pot of tea and sweet treats. A handmade thank you note adorned with sakura petals. A soothing face mask.
Shanghai is a walking city like my hometown New York. Mark Wengelewski, a local American guide, showed me around my first afternoon. We headed east, passing the world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery (the hotel can arrange a free tour), and continued down busy Nanjing Road to the Peoples Park. On weekends, the park is home to the must-see Marriage Market, a lively exchange of parents seeking potential mates for their children. Who needs a dating app when your parents can do the vetting?
East Nanjing Road, one of the world’s busiest shopping streets, dead ends into the Bund, Shanghai’s crown jewel. The skyline is epic – almost surreal in person. One by one, Mark pointed out famous skyscrapers like “the bottle opener,” “the whisk” and “the cooking syringe.”
The colorful back streets of Old Town are the last relics of traditional life in Shanghai. Poking around the crumbling alleys, I kept thinking how vital it is to preserve the past to appreciate the present. We ended our walk in Yu Garden & Bazaar, the city’s most popular tourist site. There I got my fill of Shanghai’s delicious soup dumplings, street life and koi ponds.
After a week of Chinese cuisine in Suzhou, I was craving La Scala, the Sukhothai’s signature Italian restaurant. Michelin-star chef Theodor Falser amazed us with his creative take on traditional Italian flavors using wild herbs and vegetables.
The next day, I took a leisurely stroll through my favorite part of the city, the fashionably historic French Concession. Its leafy picture-perfect streets are why the city was dubbed the “Paris of the East.”
A classic massage in The Retreat, the hotel’s luxury spa, restored my energy before my final dinner. I ended the night on the Bund with one last jaw-dropping view of skyline from The Peninsula’s rooftop bar.
I loved pairing Suzhou and Shanghai for my first taste of China. It was a high-energy contrast of old and new—where ancient tradition coexists with futuristic flair.