Best New Hotels 2008: Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai

Eyes widen as this hotel’s twin-tower glass elevators reveal the ornate stone rooftops of old Shanghai en route to one of the 631 guestrooms. Textured linens, beds fitted with artful mother-of-pearl headboards and floor-to-ceiling Huang Pu River views could keep some from undertaking the 15-minute meander to the Bund’s historic addresses. Xindalu, the Chinese eatery, is deservedly famous for Peking duck and beggar’s chicken, a must for those who still have room after delving deep into the seemingly endless breakfast buffet.

We love The time-warping neoclassical-to-neon panorama that surrounds Vue, the open-air bar, which takes maximum advantage of the hotel’s position at the north end of the Bund, and the outdoor Jacuzzi.

Rooms from about $320, www.shanghai.bund.hyatt.com.
CYNTHIA ROSENFELD