Even though I’ve traveled all around China, Shanghai is still my favourite city by a mile. There’s something almost comforting about the train pulling up to Hongqiao railway station that allows me to breath a sigh of relief. Shanghai is a truly beautiful city, it has everything from traditional Chinese lanes, to stunning skyscrappers. You can find quinoa as easy as you can find dumplings, you can find teenagers with Forever 21 bags alongside women carrying vegetables on the back of her bicycle.In other words, if you are an expat in China, Shanghai is the place to go to give you a little piece of home without losing the charm that made you move to Asia in the first place.
My trips to Shanghai are frequent, but my most recent stay was my favourite by a mile. Several weeks ago, my husband I are were lucky enough to stay at the Grand Kempinski, Shanghai and in today’s post I’m going to share my review.
Let’s start with location. Usually I don’t place such emphasis on location because in Shanghai it’s pretty cheap to get around. However, in this review I’ll make an exception: The location of the Grand Kempinski Shanghai was perfect! A quick 2 minute walk from Lujiazui metro station (which is Line 2 so easy to hop to all the important places like err Forever 21 and Marks and Spencers!) and the Pearl Tower/Bund skyline (which truly needs to be seen to be believed!) We were able to hop on the metro from Hongqiao station and were checking in within 30 minutes of leaving the train.
The rooms at the Grand Kempinski hotel were stunning: I wish I could have taken the perfect shot just to show how spectacular our bund view was, but I just couldn’t get my camera to play nice. You can see below how the iconic skyline is literally outside of your window.
I do have a little bath fetish and as I type this (with my bath in the apartment broken) I am remembering how fabulous this bath really was! It was huge, had a giant tv on the wall and was the perfect place to sip my complimentary vino.
Now on to food! As you know, I have crohn’s disease and at the moment a gluten and dairy free diet is working well for me. It’s so difficult sticking to this while traveling but I’m determined not to let it stop me (although sometimes I nurse a bowl of plain rice, cursing myself at picking to live in a country that as a whole doesn’t recognise dietary intoletances!) However, the staff were so accomodating of my needs (I’d go as far to say they were the most accomodating of all the places I’ve stayed in Asia so far) The chef even got my special gluten free bread (In Shanghai, gluten free bread is a real rarity!) I had this with olive oil dip as a starter during my evening meal and then at breakfast. It might seem like a little thing, but it was so great for me to just feel normal and be able to eat the same things as my husband without feeling uncomfortable.
Most hotel’s menus are a little indulgent but I shouldn’t have worried. At the Grand Kempinski, there were so many options I was spoilt for choice! At breakfast, I loved the juice shots which I downed with gluten free egg sandwiches!
Overall, it was one of the nicest weekends we have had in a long while and I would definitely suggest you check this hotel out if you need somewhere to stay when your next in Shanghai. Whether you want a taste of luxury at a reasonable price or are traveling with an allergy/restricted diet, I would wholeheartedly recommend Grand Kempinski, Shanghai.It is a beautiful hotel, with an amazing location and most importantly staff that really do whatever they can to make your time in Shanghai memorable.
