Shanghai Hotel Review (Aman & St. Regis)
Just spent some time in Shanghai and wanted to share my thoughts on where I stayed in the event helpful as I use this group so much!
St. Regis on the Bund: We stayed here for a few nights on the front end of our trip as a base to explore the city. We’ve stayed at a few St Regis properties around the world but I think this one is my favorite! I think this is recently renovated / bought over from a different property and the renovations are obvious.
Rooms are fantastic - we stayed in a Grand Bund View Room and it was beautifully decorated, modernized (so much so that they have a “music” button in the bathroom that plays jazz) and had amazing views. Huge bathtub with floor to ceiling window views, huge rain shower, mood lighting, frette robes - everything you would want in a luxury stay.
Service - they have the classic St Regis butler program. The Butler met me as our car pulled up and checked us into our room in our room which is always helpful. They have complimentary steaming services, unpacking services, etc. Turn down was great and we used the concierge for a few questions and they always had the answers!
Food - breakfast is phenomenal. I saw a few reviews that said the Buffett was expansive but average food. That may be true for some items (like the bakery section, fruit section) but the egg station and noodle station were really top quality. We had one of our favorite noodle dishes of the trip (a trip that included japan) here at breakfast! We didn’t eat at Spago, their rooftop restaurant, but we had a few drinks one night as the skyline view is awesome and those were great. We did order room service one night which was fine for what we needed after a really long exploring day.
Location - this was our first time in Shanghai so we don’t have so much experience but we enjoyed the location. It was pretty much on the bund, walking distancing to nanjing road and Yun gardens. Cabs are so cheap so I didn’t mind when we needed to grab one.
Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here when I come back. We popped into the Peninsula as many people recommended that but it definitely felt dated. Happy to answer any more questions if anyone has!
BONUS - we used Genie Yip for a day tour in Shanghai. I found her through chubbytravel. She was AMAZING. Do not hesitate to book her if you are going to Shanghai for the first time. She totally made our day in Shanghai so easy and entertaining.
Amanyangyun: UGH. A confusing stay to say the least. This was our last stop on a long Japan/China trip so we wanted to use it as a relaxing “no need to leave the resort” vibe. We saw the conflicting reviews but after staying at a few Aman properties, we figured to give it a try.
Room - we stayed in a basic room which was spacious, clean Aman aesthetic and two outdoor spaces. The outdoor spaces were dirty and not cleaned. There was a tub that was filled with leaves, etc and a fire place that looked broken. They let us know if we wanted to use the tub to give them a call, but we think they could just clean it once a day.
Property - the property is beautiful. Manicured and modern with Chinese touches and taken care of. The park it sits next to is outstanding and amazing for biking and walking.
Food - the food was surprisingly exceptional. We were able to try all three of their restaurants for dinner and especially enjoyed the traditional Chinese spot. The hotspot spot was very good but wildly overpriced but that was expected. Breakfast was a good mix of buffet and ala carte.
Spa - really horrible. We had two treatments; a standard massage and the hammam “journey”. The therapists were really poor, the facilities were nothing special and the logistics just didn’t feel right. The spa bathrooms were dirty. Overall horrible experience and we were really disappointed.
Service - service was just not Aman level service. It was clear that not a lot of people were actual hotel guests (more on that later) but there was little to no recognition of who we were. Normally I wouldn’t care but at an Aman, that is generally a cornerstone of the experience. They forgot items of our laundry and didn’t tell us (we had to ask) and then also forgot to include it in our final bill. They arranged our car to the airport but we were asked 4-5 times throughout our stay and also as we checked out whether we had a car coming. We had an activity scheduled and when we went to the activity area, they had to scramble to get it together.
Pool Service - this was one of the more shocking issues we had. It was 80 degrees and sunny the entire time we were there. They had one person cleaning the pool from time to time but no other attendants. I had to ask the folks in the lobby of the spa for a menu, waters, etc. The service was pretty much nonexistent and was really disappointing.
Other notes - the day we arrived there was a wedding and the next day there was a child’s birthday party at one of the restaurants. They didn’t inform us of either. For the wedding, they had tons of people walking around the property taking pictures, etc. which really took away from the Aman feeling of exclusivity, peacefulness, etc. Totally fine to have events but please let your guests know! The children’s birthday took place in a very public area and was extremely loud, again taking away from the property’s peacefulness. They had swings in a beautiful grassy area and one day just took them away and didn’t replace them.
Overall, I would not go back nor would I try the other Aman properties in China due to this experience. Thankfully, the other Aman properties have been so so amazing so maybe this was just a bad week for them!
Happy to answer questions or give insight!