Fairmont Peace Hotel

Located on the Bund, The Fairmont Peace Hotel not only boasts wonderful views but is also a 1920s Art Deco gem.

• The painstakingly restored art-deco architecture
• Views over the Huangpu River
• The quaint Jazz Bar, where a legendary octogenarian band plays every night

The Art Deco Fairmont Peace Hotel was built on the Bund in 1929 by the Iraqi-British real estate tycoon Victor Sassoon. The grand hotel epitomized old-world glamor during the 1930s when Shanghai was nicknamed the “Paris of the East”. But following the Chinese Communist Party takeover in 1949, the hotel fell into decay. Eventually it was turned into a shopping mall with the property's glorious center-piece – a vast stained glass atrium roof which sits in an octagonal lobby – covered by a fake ceiling.

Now, following a $60 million restoration that took three years to complete, the newly named Fairmont Peace Hotel is back to its former glory. Fairmont Hotel & Resorts have gone to painstaking effort to preserve the hotel’s finest historical features. And it shows. As well as enjoying spectacular views across the Huangpo River towards the financial district of Pudong from the roof top bar, visitors can also sip cocktails in the ground floor in the quaint, old-world Jazz Bar. There, an octogenarian band who have played together since the 1980s (two members were in Jimmy King’s legendary 1940s jazz ensemble) only add to the charm.

Other highlights include the Dragon Phoenix restaurant located on the eighth floor. It is decked out in red, green, blue and gold, colors which are reminiscent of the Forbidden City. Rumor has it that hotel staff covered the elaborate ceiling motifs with paper during the Cultural Revolution to prevent them from being destroyed by Red Guards. **

Fittingly, rooms are designed in an Art Deco style. Although they harken back to a bygone time, modern comfort is the order of the day: rooms come with goose-down pillows, Illy espresso machines, iPod docking stations, and wireless internet, plus walk-in wardrobes. The Fairmont Rooms overlook an inner courtyard while the Deluxe Rooms offer the more impressive city views. Aside from enjoying dinner at the Dragon Phoenix, guests can have a sumptuous old world afternoon tea in the Jasmine Lounge. For adventurous types there is also the legendary Tea Dance, where professional instructors provide ballroom dancing lessons to the tunes of a live orchestra. For those after something a little more serene, the Willow Stream spa has all the usual massages and treatments set in luxurious surroundings.

Honeymooners, tourists who love history, visitors who want to stay in the center of the action on the Bund.