Shanghai

Ah - Shanghai.... if you ask me the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Shanghai, it's the hookers. Sure, there are prostitutes all over Asia, but the sheer volume and level of aggression in Shanghai was astounding.  Walking on the Bund or Nanjing Road with western features is an invitation for pimps and hookers to literally swarm you like paparazzi chasing a Kardashian.

Once you get past all that, it's pretty cool. Sure there's pollution, traffic, awful taxi drivers, you can't eat the chicken, and it's mainland China, so Google and Facebook are either non-existent or crippled, but there's so much history, culture and great food it's a hard place not to enjoy.

The skyline is one of the best and most beautiful in the world - and most of it didn't even exist 10 years ago.  Truly amazing.

There are so many cuisines represented so well, but I really enjoyed the Sichuan.  I ate at South Beauty a few times, on a great recommendation.  The one thing I was happy to learn, though, was that what Tony Hu is doing in Chicago at Lao Sze Chuan is really as good as the real thing!

Below are some pics from one night at South Beauty:

Yep - that's a turtle. The guy that ordered it didn't even try it... boo!  It tasted quite good, although there was much less meat than I expected.

I took the Maglev to the airport.  What a great ride.  That's the speed we were going... no joke.  It felt much safer than the taxis, and cost less too.

This is the Jing An temple.  The district that bears its name is mostly business, and it's where the Hilton is located, just a short walk from my client's offices.

Nan Xziang dumpling house - home of the most famous Xiao Long Bao in the world.  Honestly, not quite as good as Din Tai Fung (sorry) - but DTF does not offer the GIANT crab roe dumpling shown below.. complete with straw.  IT was quite amazing.

 

Outside Nan Xiang is the Le Garden.  It's quite beautiful and there is an area you can buy a ticket to take a tour as well.  Very cool, and lots of pearls/jade/art for shopping in this area.  Just remember to bargain.  The first price they give you is more than double what you should pay.

Some other recommendations in Shanghai:
Most of this stuff is on the Bund.  Opposite side of the river from the PuDong skyline shown above is the Bund, a relic of the years when the Westerners set up to trade with the Chinese.

Mr. and Mrs. Bund was quite god, but probably a little overrated.  Still, I'd say go as the prices are high for Shanghai, but not outrageous and the view from the outer deck is really great.  After eating here, I headed to Glamour Bar upstairs from M on the Bund.  Pretty good scene, although there were lots of hookers working, so need to be careful there.  I saw one guy get a drink thrown on him when he let a girl sit down and have drinks, then said he wasn't buying.  After that I hit the long bar at the Waldorf Astoria.  Live Jazz, solid cocktails and a generally nice room with good service.  Highly recommended.

Mercato (Italian) by Jean Gorges Vongerichten is an excellent value, serves food til late night. The night club in the 1st floor of that building (can't remember the name) was also quite a good time.

El Willy - an oasis of traditional Spanish tapas in Shanghai.  High end food and drink in a great atmosphere. Most of the servers are western and English is no problem here.

South Beauty - there are  many locations.  The one on Nanjing road is okay, but if you can, hit the flagship, it's much better.

If you're in the mood for Western food at a lower price point, in the Jing An district, there is a great Italian place called Bella Napoli.  Solid red-sauce Italian, mostly Western clientele, good service, and a nice patio, although outside seating is smoking allowed.

One place to stay away from... Amex Concierge recommended Shanghai Uncle, which happened to be in the Bund Center, adjacent to my hotel.  Did not like it at all.... I'd stay clear of that one.

Phuket

Phuket is a tropical paradise in Southwestern Thailand.  You won't find too many high end restaurants, but the local food is fresh and there is LOTS of fresh, wonderful seafood because there is lots of beautiful ocean (see pics).  The airport is quite small and easy to navigate.  Direct flights to and from Hong Kong took about 4 hours and were affordable, but the times were odd (very late at night).

The resorts are fairly spread out, so if you are going with a group you should coordinate to stay at the same place or in the same vicinity.  Prices are really not bad... 

In terms of things to do, we did elephant rides one day.  We were told the elephant sanctuary we used was not cruel to the animals... I hope that's true, but wish I had done some better research.  The Patong Beach area is classic Wild & Crazy Thailand with ping pong ball shows, other smut, and plenty of crime... but there are also some normal bars with karaoke, dancing, and live music, so with a group it's lots of fun.

There are a few other "activities" - you can tour some Wots, etc.  but the Island Boat tours are the way to go.  If money is no object, I'd do a private charter, just because you can spend more time on the open water, and you don't get herded to lots of different spots if you're really enjoying one of the less crowded ones where you are.

I stayed at Le Meridien.  Really loved the resort.  Got Platinum upgrade to a junior suite room with a full terrace, pool and ocean view.  Really wish I had thought to use Starwood's Your 24 benefit to cut out a day, as I checked in 4am Thursday night and checked out 4am Monday morning.  Could have made that 3 nights instead of 4. There's a shuttle to Patong, and it's about a $5 USD cab ride if you want to go immediately.  Teppan and Thai restaurants on the premises were both very good, and the drinks were fantastic.