Peace Hotel (Heping Fandian)

Frommer's Review

This Art Deco palace is the ultimate symbol of romantic colonial Shanghai. Built in 1929 by Victor Sassoon, a British descendant of Baghdad Jews who'd made their fortune in opium and real estate, the building was originally part office/residential complex known as the Sassoon House, and part hotel, the Cathay Hotel, one of the world's finest international hotels in the 1930s. Sassoon himself had his bachelor's quarters on the top floor where he threw lavish parties for the city's top denizens. Stroll through the wings of the finely restored lobby, then take the elevator to the gorgeous eighth-floor ballroom. You can walk up to the roof and the garden bar for a superb view of the Bund, Nanjing Lu, the hotel's famous green pyramid roof, and the Huangpu River. Unfortunately, this same view once enjoyed by the world's celebrities in the 1930s now comes with a cover charge of ¥50 ($6.25; one soft drink included), though it's not always enforced.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.