Fairmont Peace Hotel On the Bund

More than a luxury 5-star hotel, the Fairmont Peace Hotel is a legendary Shanghai monument and art deco masterpiece that was once the playground of the city's elite. With over nine decades of history, it was a favourite with foreign celebrities – including Charlie Chaplin and served as the glamorous playground where every night an extravagant gala event took place. Now brilliantly reinvented for the 21st century, the hotel has 270 guestrooms, including 39 suites that blend period-inspired finishers with modern amenities. The impressive Presidential Suite occupies the entire 10th floor and is where the flamboyant former owner Victor Sassoon once lived. The Willow Stream Spa brings to life the cultural diversity for which the city is renowned. Ancient traditional Chinese healing combines with up to the minute skincare and wellbeing to ensure the quintessential balance of yin and yang.

The Cathay Room remains a social dining institute with elegant European cuisine and views towards the Bund. Dragon Phoenix on the 8th floor has reclaimed its status as one of the premier Chinese restaurants in Shanghai and promises a nostalgic experience. Victor's is a charming old-school deli with a French Café menu and moreish pastries. The hotel has revived the Legendary Afternoon Tea Dance and you can take to the floors of the Jasmine Lounge as the live orchestra blasts from the balcony above. In the Peace Museum find hotel memorabilia – silverware, porcelain, crystal. Art Deco, antiques, photographs of the hotel’s celebrity visitors and books that tell the tale of the grand old hotel through the decades.