The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai

The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai is an unforgettable luxury hotel, right at the heart of Shanghai's contemporary life, culture, shopping and entertainment. It is located on the famous Nanjing Xi Lu, near the Jing An District. A stroll down Nanjing Xi Lu brings you to the magnificent Bund buildings including some superb architectural restoration projects, so that the past is combined with ultra-modern.
After a day spent sightseeing, the hotel has a great deal to offer its guests. The Spa offers a range of relaxing and invigorating experiences. There are six in-house restaurants. Above all, the luxuriously appointed rooms and suites offer superb views.

There are 610 rooms and suites, all of which are superbly appointed for optimum comfort. Suites include the two-bedroom Penthouse Suites, each of which providing a total of 1,916 square feet on the top (45th) floor. The Portman Suite features timber finish, modern Italian furnishings, and a collection of contemporary art, while the Greenberg Suite is in 1900s Shanghai style with Colonial features. Technology includes high-speed Internet, flat-screen TV, and CD player. All rooms feature Shanghai skyline views, contemporary Chinese décor, furnishings and artwork, luxury bed linen and pillows, and all technology equipment. Services offered by the hotel include the Ritz-Carlton Signature Shop, a gift shop, 24-hour room service, regular and express valet services, limousine and taxi services, gym, wireless Internet, complimentary shoeshine, daily paper and more.

Dining options include Hanagatami, a restaurant offering the finest sushi, kaiseki and teppanyaki in Shanghai, in sophisticated, Japanese-influenced décor. The Chef Hoshina's Table at Hanagatami is a unique experience for Japanese culinary culture.

At the Ritz Bar, you can listen to singer Loretta Holloway performing jazz, from Monday to Saturday, 9.30 p.m. to 00.30 a.m. Her sounds are accompanied by the superb cocktails prepared by the bar team, amongst whom mixologist Caroline Zhang. The menu includes a new range of 35 cocktails created specially by London mixologist Peter Kendall. In addition, cigars and a great collection of malt whiskies.

At Tables, guests can enjoy multicultural cuisine and a macrobiotic menu. It has become a favourite amongst Shanghai's local and ex-pat communities, who love the fantastic buffet selection. Sunday bruch at Tables is an innovative and interactive dining experience, with freshest ingredients in a refined setting, and featuring champagne.

Palladio is an Italian restaurant, with four seating areas including an outdoor terrace. The Italian recipes are prepared with fresh ingredients and seasonal menus, accompanied by the superb wine selection that have won four Wine Spectator Awards (Best Award of Excellence) in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.

A final note on another highlight at the hotel: Ye Shanghai candle-lighting ceremony. This is performed by men and women in traditional dress, including the "qipao", with high Mandarin collar, at the height of fashion in the 1930s. The qipao was tailored for slimi Shanghainese women, and it established the city as China's fashion centre. The candle-lighting ceremony recalls those years of the "golden era," and it marks the start of the evening.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa is one of Shanghai's largest and most luxurious wellness clubs. Its facilities include steam bath, sauna, solarium and a peaceful pool bar. The many treatment specialities available comprise Bliss-Out Back Massage, Pure Reflexology, Pure Aromatherapy Massage, Pure Sports Massage, Traditional Chinese Massage, and Pure Acupressure Massage

Summer Pavilion
Enjoy tantalizing Cantonese cuisine in the luxurious surroundings of the Summer Pavilion in the Portman Ritz Carlton, Shanghai. Central to the décor are the iconic pillars decorated with silver and gold leaves to represent the flora of each of the four seasons. In the kitchen Chef Cheng Chi Keung prepares artistic, culinary masterpieces that include specialties like imported abalone, shark’s fin and bird’s nest. Diners will also enjoy the spectacular array of dim sum offerings that include favorites like the Shanghainese dumplings or barbecued pork puff pastry.

Luxos Recommended Menu:
Roasted goose, Cantonese style

E.B., 12.10.10