Val Penny's Hotel and Restaurant Reviews The Traveller's Guide to Hotels and Restaurants around the World

The last time I went to China with my family we visited Shanghai and opted for adjoining rooms for us and the children. It was a marvellous choice and suited our needs very well. The kids were thrilled to have their own room and we, as parents, were happy the children were secure.

The Hilton Shanghai is a large, central, modern hotel. It has 714 rooms spread over 40 floors. Our rooms were one king guest room and one twin guest room on the 28th floor and we had lovely views over the city. The rooms had contemporary design for high-speed internet access and seating area with sofa. The bright and airy room, with large opening windows providing a view of the city. Each room also had a large desk that we could write our journals and postcards on and the children could use to colour and play games in our down time together. Wi-fi is available, but at an additional charge.

This hotel does offer the meeting rooms and business facilities you would expect of a Hilton. However, we were there on vacation and were more interested in the fact that the Hilton Shanghai has a full-service spa featuring beauty services and a hair salon. There is a total of 8 treatment rooms and services include traditional Chinese acupressure massage, anti-aging facials and body therapies for cellulite control. All are performed with European skincare products and natural blends of oils. Waxing, body scrubs, and facials are also among the services offered. The Hilton Shanghai also has an indoor pool and a sauna, both of which we used regularly, fitness facilities, a steam room and a health club that we did not explore. Tthere is also an outdoor tennis court, but we did not have a chance to use this either. We did not use the arcade and game room was very popular, but we did not use it.

We did enjoy the buffet breakfast that was offered daily at a small surcharge. There were also a variety of restaurants, bars snack bars and cafes that were convenient to use when the children were tired and the food always tasty. However, most often we chose to eat out in many of the local restaurants. The standard and variety of food available in the vicinity of the hotel was excellent.

The Hilton Shanghai  put us within a 10-minute drive of Jing An Temple and French Concession, We were also close to the People’s Square, the magnificent Jade Buddha Temple and the marvellous Shanghai Museum. We were able to celebrate my daughter’s birthday by travelling through the exciting Bund Tunnel to the Pudong Tower and having a celebration dinner on the Bund.

This was a wonderful trip and the Hilton Shanghai was in the perfect location for the visit we made. I highly recommend this hotle and would definitely use it again.

Valerie Penny