The Puli Hotel And Spa

Last month we stayed for seven nights at The PuLi. This was a private trip and we enjoyed it very much there. The hotel has a modern, minimalistic but very stylish design and you don’t feel like being in a pulsating city as Shanghai is; it’s kind of an urban oasis. The location opposite Jing’an Temple is very convenient with the subway just around the corner if you need it and many excellent restaurants in the various shopping malls nearby. The room we stayed in had a decent size, was clean, functional, quiet and provided all amenities one would expect from such class of hotel, but it showed signs of ageing. The bed was extremely comfortable and foam pillows were given upon request. Breakfast was served at their French restaurant Phénix; the buffet was rather small, but you can order from their menu with an extensive choice (btw the eggs bendict were fantatstic!). As everywhere in China, communication in English is somewhat difficult, but some of their staff at breakfast spoke some English; this was also the case at the reception and concierge. The service level was very high and attentive and kept us happy. The lobby with its long bar is really beautiful and unfortunately attracts a lot of female Chinese instagrammers for photo and video sessions, resulting in some grotesque and ridiculous scenes, no inhibitions at all. We observed such behaviour every night when we enjoyed our drinks after dinner; one of the managers at the bar was well aware of it and tried to keep it under control. For us it was kind of a nuisance but apparently people don’t care too much about it. Would I stay there again? Yes, I would, because the positive aspects outweigh by far the negative ones, and I would particularly recommend The PuLi to travelers who are not seeking traditional and conventional luxury.