Equatorial Hotel Shanghai

Having stayed at this hotel in July, it is one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in. It is located in the central business district of Puxi.

It was not central to the normal tourist attractions, but as taxis are so cheap it was nice to be away from the hustle and bustle at the end of the day.

The rooms were average size for a 4* hotel, and while we had to ask for an ironing board, we were able to keep it for the time we were there.

Luckily it was air conditioned as the heat was oppressive, and it was a delight to walk into the cool reception. The rooms cooled down very quickly as well.

The hotel has 507 rooms and suites, and a wide range of cafes, restaurants and bars.

Breakfast - there was a wide range of hot and cold food. This was a mixture of Asian cuisine, continental breakfast and full English, all in a buffet style.

There is a rather expensive coffee bar in the foyer, but a much more reasonably priced one to the side of the hotel. Both sell cakes and drinks, but the atmosphere was much nicer in the cheaper one. It did look out towards the red light district, but during the day that was not a problem.

We ate in the hotel twice during the evening. The first time we had a meal from the menu. It may have been because we came down quite late, but the meal was rushed and not of the standard we were expecting. The salads we had for starters were large, and had we known we could have easily had one between us. The burger was not too well cooked and the meal was hard to eat while people were hovering waiting to take the plate. The pasta was not much better, and we decided not to try again.

A few night later when we were too tired to go out, we tried the buffet, and that was much more enjoyable. Again it was a mixture of Eastern and Western cuisine, but much more relaxed.

The Shanghai International Club is located on the 4th floor. The fitness centre has state of the art facilities and a top quality fitness trainer to provide individual or group session designed to meet all levels of fitness. Facilities include a gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, steam room and sauna,

The shop is very much like most hotel shops - selling all the normal trinkets and souvenirs, but much more expensively.

Staff were polite and helpful, and by and large, spoke English, so we did not have the problems we imagined. We had managed to learn a few words of Chines before we left, but it was not needed.

I would certainly recommend this hotel, especially of you were travelling for business.