Set amid the very heart of Shanghai’s JingAn District, between the famous NanJing West Road and YanAn Road, the PuLi Hotel and Spa pays homage to China’s grand cultural heritage. Blending old-world charm with contemporary design and high-tech amenities, it lets you unwind with the sound of a Bose wave music system while you admire the beauty of an imperial porcelain plate.

Guests can luxuriate at the Anantara Spa and an impressive restaurant with award-winning chef Dane Clouston, or choose to stay on the Club floor where they get pampered with all-day refreshments and 24-hour butler service.

At this place you can find your shangri-la, without even crossing Shanghai’s city limit.

Occupying that claw-topped tower that looks as if it were ripped from some doomsday headquarters of a comic book villain, the JW Marriot outdoes almost all its competitors by offering elite five star accommodation at Tomorrow’s Square; right at the rim of People’s Square and within walking distance of the city’s business district, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai Grand Theater, and—what every visitor makes a point of experiencing—the endless shopping along Nanjing Road.

In line with its exquisite Mandara spa, 24-hour health club, distinguished restaurants and amenities, prices reach the peak of what you can pay for a place to stay. The hotel is popular amongst businesspeople not only for its prime downtown location, but its breadth of convention facilities, which draw many a high-powered meeting throughout the week. Standing 60 stories high, the hotel naturally offers incredible 360 degree views of the sprawling city below from its main lobby, rooms and restaurants. All in all, the JW Marriott illustrates Shanghai’s rapidly realized future as a leading metropolis.

Shanghai’s debut boutique hotel found its way into the city via the greatly heralded Xintiandi district in the Former French Concession. 88 Xintiandi combines its superior location with luxurious design and amenities. With only 53 rooms, a stay at 88 Xintiandi is certainly all about exclusivity. Many of the suites overlook the hotel’s lake, and while some rooms are so close to the nearby nightlife that full escape from the city is challenged, the proximity to Shanghai’s vibrant activity is usually regarded as advantageous.

While you won’t find any in-house restaurant or bar, perhaps it’s all for the best as you’re urged to find your way around the distinguished local establishments—not that great food or entertainment is far off by any means. The downtown Xintiandi shopping and dining district awaiting downstairs from the hotel offers a magnificent range of choices, of which the hotel staff will happily make recommendations. You can’t feel much more at home at any other hotel—and what a home at that. With kitchenettes and living rooms adjoined to each room, you can even shop at the local markets and throw together an easy meal in your own serene lakeside setting. And for the ultimate in relaxation, 88 Spa features a full range of services.