PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Lodged in a refurbished 1926 neoclassical building on Nanjing Lu is the chic boutique hotel JIA, providing one of the most comfortable stays in town. Brought to you by the same owner of the Philippe Starck-designed JIA Hong Kong, JIA Shanghai has maintained the building's original facade and structure but has gussied up the interiors with some highly eclectic modern design (3 different designers split duties on different areas). Guests range from today's savvy young entrepreneurs to fashionable grandmothers, though the vibe is refreshingly informal and devoid of the pretension and preciousness that can sometimes afflict the trendy set. Rooms, some of which have balconies, are all comfortably large, and come with kitchenettes, microwaves, separate dining area, sofas, board games, free Wi-Fi, Bose CD players, and iPod docking stations that can pipe your tunes to the room's stereo speakers. All these perks so that JIA (Mandarin for "home") can be your home away from home. While JIA's funky decor and bespoke furniture may not be to everyone's taste, for all its comfort, luxury, and friendly service, I'm moving in.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Shanghai, 5th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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