The Bund hotel in Shanghai is not on the Bund and is not to be confused with the Hyatt-on-the-Bund Hotel.
The Bund Hotel is a modern four star hotel ideally located in the center of central (Huangpu area) Shanghai. The East Nanjing Road pedestrian zone (and metro stop) is a 10 minute walk north; the People’s (Renmin) Park (and major museums and metro stop) is a 10 minute walk west; the Bund waterfront is a 20 minute walk east; Yuyuan gardens (and old town tourist zone) is a 25 minute walk southeast.
Unlike the new hotels in the Pudong area, which are elegant but located in an isolated tourist wasteland, the Bund hotel is on (relatively) quiet Guangdong Road in a low rise area full of small shops and local color, within reasonable walking distance of many tourist sights.
The Bund hotel rooms are very nicely decorated, with rosewood paneling and furnishings. Beds are extra firm, and bed linens are excellent. My corner room had wrap around balcony windows with views in three compass directions, like the bridge of a ship.
Rooms have the usual four star amenities. The only disappointment is that my TV did not work (static only) and there is no newspaper service (English language papers are available to be read in the hotel business center). Free bottled water is provided in the marble and granite bathroom, and a teapot is provided to boil water. The mini-bar and internet hook-up have the usual charges.
The front desk staff is efficient, and the concierge staff is friendly and eager to please. A western style breakfast buffet is available for about $12 if it is not included in your room rate. I did not try this or any of the hotel restaurants. There are other options nearby, including a French bakery with tables and (I believe) free wi-fi half a block north of the hotel (the hotel charges $1.50 per quarter hour to use their business center internet laptop). A large modern supermarket is one block west and north of the hotel, and several mini-markets are even closer.
The best part of my 6 night stay at the Bund Hotel was the price -- $54 plus tax per night for a superior single (actually a twin bed double) room booked through Travelocity. I usually bid for international hotels on the web, but this price was too good to pass up, especially since the location is ideal.
Reserving hotels in China can be problematic, since location is very important -- some hotels are quite isolated and some are not in the location their names suggest. Also, non-smoking rooms can be difficult to obtain (the Bund Hotel has only 3 non-smoking of 22 floors, and the Travelocity operator even called the hotel for me to guarantee that I got one). Also, even the better hotels in China may have advertised base rates for rooms that can be tiny and even windowless, so I chose a superior rather than standard single for only $6 more than the $48 base rate. My superior single was twice the size of a standard single (320 vs. 160 square feet according to the internet description).
To find the Bund Hotel from the Pudong (PVG) airport take the Maglev bullet train ($6) to the Longyang Road metro station, then line 2 (60 cents) to the East Nanjing Road station. Exit the metro station onto the pedestrian street and walk several blocks west to the Sofitel Hotel, then turn south (on Fujian Road) several blocks to Guangdong Road. The Bund Hotel is then one block west (not visible until you approach it). It is a 10 minute walk. Watch for turning traffic whenever crossing at an intersection. Street names are well marked with in English and Chinese. A taxi from the airport takes about an hour.
I hope you enjoy Shanghai and the Bund Hotel as much as I did. Happy and safe travel!
