Banyan Tree is a very well known luxury hotel chain in Asia - the perfect place to spend your first night in Shanghai, recovering from your flight, acclimatising to the time zone and getting your first taste of this busy city.
The hotel is situated on The Bund, and unlike so many Shanghai hotels, every room has a fantastic, floor to ceiling view of the river. There is everything you will want within the hotel - from reasonably priced restaurants to a pool and the famous Banyan Tree Spa.
The rooms and suites
The rooms are luxurious, boasting huge beds, a large seating area in the window overlooking the river, a desk area and a large bar and coffee area, all fully equipped with Nespresso machines, complimentary soft drinks in the fridge and a full mini bar. The bathrooms feature a huge round bath in front of the window, and if you ever tire of the view there is a television set into a mirrored wall by the bath.
As you would expect in a luxury Asian hotel, the toilet is fully automated with a heated seat, various washing options and a hot air dryer.
The bars and restaurants
The Banyan Tree in Shanghai is well known for its rooftop bar with views across the Bund towards the skyscrapers of the Pudong business district.
The bar is closed in the colder winter months, with guests using a cosy 2nd floor bar with a great selection of wines and cocktails, and attentive service. There is a traditional Chinese restaurant and a beautifully presented sushi bar for just 12 guests at a time where a dedicated chef prepares sushi and sashimi in front of his guests.
There is a larger restaurant on the ground floor, where a lavish buffet breakfast is served daily, and several well designed private dining rooms used for small weddings and celebrations.
The Banyan Tree Spa
The hotel has a dedicated health and fitness area incorporating a huge gym with state of the art equipment and weights, a yoga studio, luxurious changing rooms including a steam room in the mens' changing rooms, and a large pool with smaller pools beside for any younger guests. The spa offers a range of treatments including treatments for couples in special double rooms with double bath tubs.
Weddings at the Banyan Tree
Although the hotel doesn't proactively market itself for weddings it has several beautiful private dining rooms each suitable for a small group, plus one for a slightly larger group. Each dining room has its own private cloakroom and is served by the main restaurant.
