WIFM

Summer 2011

WIFM — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:26:28 +0000

In this issue…
SUMMER 2011: From the Publisher

My Favorite Places

Simon Berry

Challenging Tradition

Pacific Melting Pot

Escape City Heat for Country Cool!

WIFM`s Top 12 Apps for 2011

Japan Gets Jive Motion

Shanghai Surprise

WIFM`s Strategies to Beat Stress

JMEC Business Plan Competition

SUMMER 2011: From the Publisher

Simon Farrell — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 11:22:40 +0000

Round the World in 40 Pages

To mark the annual exodus of pleasure-seekers from Japan, WIFM entices readers of this issue with an eclectic array of sublime destinations, featuring mountains, beaches, countryside and cities on three continents.

Among the frequent travelers is Noriko Yamaguchi, whose images have decorated the pages of Japan’s most famous travel, fashion and lifestyle magazines for many years. I asked her to pick four of her favorite places with contrasting themes and believe you’ll agree she came up with some spectacular results in our cover story.

Saipan is a long-time favorite, but how many guests leave their comfortable resort for a day trip to taste some local culture and cuisine? Rob Gilhooly did, and stumbled on a fascinating melting pot of people and places on page 20.

And keeping up with China’s fast pace of change is Catherine Shaw, who revisited Shanghai (page 30) to see where a very special part of that historic city is heading.

But if you’re staying in Japan, there’s always the ever-popular Evergreen Outdoor Center in Nagano for a slower pace, cooler air and fun activities that only the countryside can offer (page 23).

Simon Farrell
Publisher
simon@custom-media.com

My Favorite Places

Noriko Yamaguchi — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:46:50 +0000

Searching the world for that unique mountain resort, beach retreat, designer hotel or luxury lodge

Amankora
After centuries of self-imposed seclusion, the Kingdom of Bhutan started to welcome foreign tourists in 1972, since when the “Land of Illusion” has captivated adventurous travelers.

The proud Bhutanese people have been able to preserve their land, traditions and independence by modernizing gradually and continuing the Buddhist traditions they inherited from Tibet.

Aman Resorts, the first foreign company to operate in the nation, in 2004 opened a mountainside hotel, the Amankora (kora means pilgrimage). The open-plan rooms overlook the sacred Mt. Jomolhari and the Unesco World Heritage Site of Drugyal Dzong. Traditional Bhutanese wood-burning stoves (called bukhari) keep guests warm, and hot-stone baths are perfect for tired bodies.
www.amanresorts.com

One & Only Palmilla
The resort hotel One & Only Palmilla is located on Los Cabos (meaning the capes) at the end of the 1,600-km Baja California peninsula, the world’s longest promontory that is rich in pristine nature.

The hotel room designs include wrought iron work, sculptures, and traditional local crafts such as embroidery. On the terrace are large, comfy daybeds and powerful telescopes for spectacular whale- and sea lion-watching; sea kayaking is available for the more active guests.

Top U.S. chef Charlie Trotter, an advocate of raw food, has a world-renowned restaurant in Los Cabos, and one can even enjoy dinner in the nearby desert.
www.oneandonlyresorts.com

Nhow
The need to preserve Milan’s traditional buildings to protect its cityscape is an ongoing challenge. As you near the busy city center, where historic monuments and the cathedral stand in all their glory, the idea of erecting a new building seems totally inappropriate. Thus planners, architects, and designers have recently been creating extreme-design hotels, involving the preservation of ancient buildings while adding modern themes inside.

One such structure is Nhow, opened in 2007. The hotel is a former factory that was boldly renovated and is the center of Fuori Salone, a group of events held during the Salone del Mobile week throughout the city of Milan in April. The corridors and elevator halls on each floor were turned into modern art galleries that also serve as showrooms for furniture and other items that can be bought online.

Although the emphasis in designer hotels is not always on convenience in guestrooms and bathrooms, the Nhow features cozy and playful luxury touches and interesting lifestyle trends.
www.nhow-hotels.com

Grasmere
In New Zealand, a lodge—a private guesthouse or villa—is synonymous with luxury accommodations and a limited number of guest rooms. Grasmere, a modern timber lodge with four rooms is 90 minutes’ drive from Christchurch and boasts brilliant views of the famous Southern Alps. Guests can enjoy trekking, fishing in Lake Grasmere, and horseback riding. All guests eat together around a large dinner table, the lively conversation helped along by local wines such as Pegasus Bay from nearby Waipara. Although in recent years New Zealand has become famous for white wines, reds such as Pinot Noir remain popular. Far removed from the city’s hustle and bustle, you can’t help but appreciate Nature’s blessings at Grasmere.
www.grasmere.co.nz

Simon Berry

WIFM — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:29:29 +0000

Simon Berry is the chairman of the UK’s oldest wine merchant, Berry Bros. & Rudd that has operated from St. James’s Street, London for more than 310 years. Berry joined the company in 1977, after having worked in France for wine producers including Moët & Chandon in Champagne, Mouton-Rothschild in Bordeaux, and Prosper Maufoux in Burgundy.

Awarded the Wine & Spirit Education Trust Diploma in 1979 and the Diploma of the British Institute of Marketing in 1983, Berry is on the Council of the Wine & Spirits Trade Benevolent Society, while also being a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners and a member of the Académie du Champagne. In addition, he is the Clerk of the Royal Cellars and the holder of the Royal Warrant of Appointment as wine merchant to HRH the Prince of Wales.

Berry lectures widely at institutions including Oxford University and Eton College, and has written for international publications and contributed to television and radio shows. He lives in London with his wife, Lucy.

Personal style
I think I may have to ask my wife about that. Actually, I am quite English and conservative in my personal style. I tend to wear a classic British suit, but I also love new gadgets and technology so, overall, I am more of a mix of styles. I believe one can be traditional and innovative at the same time; it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Your inspiration
I have a love of the theater, so my passion for that comes through in many of my style choices. In the past year, I joined the board of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which has proved to be a fascinating stimulation. I think they asked me to join because they, too, are very traditional, but they want to understand how you can change without losing yourself, as we have done successfully at Berry’s.

Place to escape
I have a lovely house in Wiltshire, where I go most weekends to switch off—and to fail to catch fish! It is quite a new thing for us, but it is wonderful.

Favorite spot in Japan
My wife and I are passionate about Japan, especially Nara. To see something on that scale is outstanding. The hotel we stayed at was nothing special, but Nara itself was beautiful.

Then in Kyoto we stayed at the Tawaraya ryokan, which was really fantastic. The only problem was that I kept hitting my head on low ceilings. The ryokan was very traditional, but it had been owned by an American who had lived there for years.

Grooming routine
I don’t like to go to anyone for personal shaving; I had it on my wedding day and that was enough for me. However, a few months ago my wife surprised me with a visit to a new thing in London—“doctor fish” that nibble at your feet. It was astonishing. I am not sure that it will become a weekly thing, but I tell you my feet have never been so beautiful.

Dawn, a lovely lady at a wonderful business called Taylor of Old Bond Street—just around the corner from us at St James’s Street—cuts my hair. She is an Arsenal FC supporter so I can only go to her when that team isn’t doing too well otherwise she becomes insufferable! There is a wonderful story attached to the hair salon. About 15 years ago, before the advent of email, the owner, a Mr. Taylor, had entered into correspondence with a businessman from Japan who had indicated an interest in importing his goods from England. After about 18 months of communications, the Japanese gentleman came to London to meet Mr. Taylor and to sign the final contract. He arrived and was taken into the old-fashioned hair salon. After 20 minutes of being shown around the premises he asked politely, “Where are the clothes?” He had assumed, incorrectly, that Taylor was the same as “tailor.” But it ended well as he still went ahead and, instead, imported the shampoo that is still available in Tokyo.

Luxury you can’t do without
My iPad. I should be saying first-growth clarets, but I have to admit that I do love my iPad.

Feel most at home
St. James’s Street is my spiritual home and I have a very nice office there. After so many years, I think I may just stay there!

Best gift received
Apart from the fish experience? Actually I have been so very lucky with gifts—my wife is brilliant at working out what I want before I know I need it. For instance, about five years ago I mentioned in passing that I had always wanted a telescope. Six months later it was my birthday and she gave me one and, since then, I have become entirely obsessed with looking at the moon. I think it is fantastic that moon-viewing is taken so seriously in Japan.

Favorite website?
Apart from our own website I probably spend far too much time looking at forums of wine websites. Robert Parker’s one is very good and Jancis Robinson’s is fascinating. They are all so polite. There is another good one called the ukwineforum. If you want to find out what people are thinking and talking about concerning wine, forums are where you need to go. Sometimes it’s a bit like a soap opera and can be a bit of a shock when you actually meet the people in person!

Best meal
My absolute favorite meal is steak and kidney pudding. The best is at our local pub, called The Ship, in the village of Burcombe.

www.bbr.co.jp

Challenging Tradition

WIFM — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:12:33 +0000

Idiosyncratic and groundbreaking designer Yohji Yamamoto is exhibiting his work, made by Kyoto craftspeople, at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London until 10 July

Fabric, Yamamoto once said, “is everything.” This deep interest in textiles is at the heart of his approach to design. Yamamoto became internationally renowned in the early 1980s for challenging traditional notions of fashion by designing garments that seemed oversized, unfinished, played with ideas of gender or fabrics not normally used in fashionable attire such as felt or neoprene.

Other works revealed Yamamoto’s unusual pattern cutting, knowledge of fashion history and sense of humour. His work is characterized by a frequent and skilful use of black, a color he describes as “modest and arrogant at the same time”.

This retrospective, experienced through a series of site-specific installations throughout the V&A and beyond, includes Yamamoto’s menswear for the first time.

The core of the exhibition, which is conceived as a series of installations throughout the museum, is located in one of the V&A’s temporary exhibition courts. Looking back at a career spanning almost 40 years, this space highlights some of the main features of Yamamoto’s work.

Each one of the fabrics used in his collections are made to his specifications by different craftspeople in and around Kyoto. This important aspect of Yamamoto’s design process is key to why all of the garments on show are on open display. Visitors are invited to walk among them and inspect the intricacies of the fabrics up close. Some of the mannequins are arranged in groups that act as subtle pointers to a certain theme in Yamamoto’s work such as layering or androgyny.

The main exhibition space also features a mixedmedia timeline showing a mixture of excerpts from his fashion shows, films and performances, graphic material and select photographs, which help contextualize his wider creative output. Yamamoto has also worked with a number of collaborators in different fields. In particular, his work with famous fashion photographers such as Nick Knight, Paolo Roversi and Craig McDean has resulted in often iconic fashion imagery. Some of the catalogues that feature these images have been reproduced in collaboration with Canon UK Ltd for visitors to look through and see the images, but also appreciate the art direction and graphic design.

Pacific Melting Pot

Robert Gilhooly — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 09:37:43 +0000

Melting Pot Saipan’s unique blend of history, cuisine and culture just three hours from Tokyo

Toshi Yamaguchi is signaling frantically to a place somewhere behind me that, at a glance, is just an expanse of cobalt blue interrupted by air bubbles rising exuberantly from my diving regulator. Then something emerges from behind a mound of coral—a large, disc-like object with a long tail cruising through the water like a hybrid of the Star Ship Enterprise and Thunderbird 4.

It seems blissfully unaware of the two gawping humans nearby, so I tentatively set off in pursuit of what transpires to be a spotted eagle ray. For a few seconds, while admiring this beautifully marked, elegant relative of the shark, I have the unexpected pleasure of swimming alongside.

Until, that is, the 3-m creature turns its bill-like head toward me and hits the accelerator pedal, plowing through a shoal of butterfly fish and disappearing behind a steep-sided wall of colorful coral and anemones, today the playground of a handful of clown fish.

I was already in awe of these waters before I met the ray, and not just because of the vibrant array of marine life. According to my dive computer the water temperature is 28 C, remarkable considering we are not so far from the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the world’s oceans that, at its most cavernous point, could accommodate Mt. Everest with a couple of kilometers to spare.

What’s more, Toshi Yamaguchi, my instructor from Mariana Sports Club Inc., later estimates visibility to be around 55yd, adding that the average is about double that in these waters. The waters he refers to are those surrounding the Micronesian island of Saipan, the de facto capital and largest of the 14 tropical islands that make up the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Formed by underwater volcanoes, Saipan features some of the chain’s oldest and most diverse coral reefs, including artificial ones comprising WWII military hardware, such as U.S. tanks and Japanese warships lost in 1944, during the Battle of Saipan.

It’s this diversity that has attracted to Saipan diving enthusiasts from around the world over the past 40 years, especially since the CNMI joined the U.S. in 1986, when tourism there had reached its zenith. Although the golden era of tourism in Saipan has tapered off somewhat since the Asian economic crisis of 1997, the island still has two major draws for Japan-based leisure-seekers: it’s just a three-hour flight from Narita International Airport; and it boasts balmy temperatures of around 29 C during Japan’s midwinter chill.

Despite its small size—14m by 5m—the island’s strategic position in the Pacific Ocean meant it was annexed at various times over the past four centuries by Spain, Germany and Japan, although it was first settled more than 3,500 years ago by the Chomorro people.

Yet, it is the North American influence that is most prominent today. In addition to malls and fast food chains, English with an American twang often can be heard, though an estimated 20% of the population speaks a modern-day version of the Chomorro language, filled with Spanish and Japanese loan words.

Perhaps more reflective of the cultural melting pot that the island has become is the cuisine on offer. The colorful Thursday night market at Garapan brings together the best restaurants in town, serving Thai, Indian, Philippine, Chinese, Mexican and Japanese fare.

Meanwhile, 360, one of the island’s top restaurants, boasts a varied menu that somehow manages to fuse all of the above and is worth a visit just to admire the fabulous views afforded by this revolving restaurant on the top floor of one of the island’s highest buildings.

The Japanese influence is also conspicuous, especially in lively Garapan, Saipan’s shopping and entertainment hub. During Japan’s 30-year annexation of the island, Garapan was known as Little Tokyo and, although it was flattened during the war, it was revitalized in the 1980s, largely thanks to Japanese visitors who shopped for designer goods during the bubble years.

Historical attractions on the island also are largely Japan-themed. Sugar King Park is home to a Shinto shrine and bronze statue of Haruji “Sugar King” Matsue, inventor of the sugar cube and head of the Japanese company charged with developing Saipan’s sugar cane industry before the war. It also hosts a fast-corroding, red-and-black steam engine that was used to haul sugar cane from the fields to Matsue’s factory, which was destroyed during the war and today is the site of Mt. Carmel cathedral.

Other historical memorabilia have a more somber tone. In addition to a plethora of military hardware, both on land and underwater, there are numerous symbolic remnants of the war, during which time an estimated 50,000 civilians and Japanese soldiers lost their lives.

Perhaps the best known of these locations are Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff, where an estimated 20,000 Japanese and Okinawan residents leapt to their deaths on imperial orders, so as to avoid capture by the invading U.S. forces.

Much of the interior of the island is inhospitable mountainous jungle that is littered, it is said, with live ordnance. This may explain why most visitors stick to the lovely white-sand beaches on the western side of the island, making day trips to Managaha Island, which features Saipan’s best snorkeling, or Bird Island.

Located just across the cove from Bird Island is the Grotto, another snorkelers’ paradise frequently touted as being one of the globe’s top-three cavern dives.

This low, collapsed limestone cave is accessed by a 116-step stairwell that descends steeply to the edge of a cobalt blue pool, filled from the sea courtesy of three underwater tunnels.

After being guided on two peaceful beach dives, the prospect of jumping into what is essentially an underwater cave that is 22yd deep seems a little daunting and not recommended to the claustrophobic. What’s more, powerful water surges make it imperative that one be accompanied by an experienced guide.

Fortunately, Yamaguchi has dived at this site hundreds of times during his 18-year stay in Saipan and, confident in his judgement, I accompany him on a slow descent to the rocky bottom of the cave.

It’s a surreal experience: the darkness of the interior is punctuated by three glowing, opal-blue windows of light let in by the arch-shaped tunnels. As we exit through what seems to be the narrowest of the tunnels, a school of Soldierfish and Copper Sweepers rush by, toward a narrow coral-lined gully, the waves crashing above sending intermittent spots of light that make the fishes’ movements seem almost stroboscopic.

A trippy experience, but one that is almost trumped by my final underwater adventure in Saipan, is a voyage aboard a yellow submarine. The striking, yellow Deepstar takes visitors to the bottom of Tanapag Lagoon, taking in a U.S. fighter plane and the 407-ft Japanese freighter, Shoan Maru, which was torpedoed in 1944. Predictably enough, my fellow passengers, who are mostly Chinese, begin to sing a famous Beatles song, just as a reef shark cruises past my window. It all appears a bit fantastic but, on Saipan, reality seems a world away.

Resort:
Pacific Islands Club
www.picresorts.com/Saipan
Diving:
Mariana Sports Club
www.mscsaipan.com
Cuisine:
360 revolving restaurant
www.360saipan.com
History Tour:
Pacific Development Inc.
www.pdisaipan.com
Submarine:
www.submarine.co.mp

Escape City Heat for Country Cool!

WIFM — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:57:17 +0000

Family fun, staff bonding, outdoor education and adventure

Why not escape muggy Tokyo this summer for a refreshing and relaxing adventure vacation? Just three hours from Tokyo, at the foot of Nagano’s Northern Japan Alps is the Evergreen Outdoor Center in Hakuba, popular with foreigners and Japanese alike.

The green season here is a pleasant refuge from the stifling summer, with fresh mountain air, towering trees, colorful flowers, snow-fed rivers, and nearby crystal clear Lake Aoki.

For more than 10 years, Evergreen Outdoor Center’s half- and full-day eco-tours have offered canyoning, canoeing, mountain biking, hiking and climbing, as well as annual children’s summer camps particularly popular with the international community in Japan.

In July and August, Evergreen counselors warmly welcome children to their fun, safe and educational fi ve- to 12-day summer camp programs. Evergreen Director David Enright and his team of friendly, bilingual and knowledgeable professionals also arrange customized, two- and three-day team-building events for groups and corporations to help increase communication and camaraderie through fun and challenges.

www.evergreen-hakuba.com

WIFM`s Top 12 Apps for 2011

Catherine Shaw — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:34:41 +0000

With more than 300,000 iPhone applications at your fingertips, finding the best ones can be slightly daunting. The following is a focused selection of tried and tested favorites, in no particular order.

Zuti transforms travels around Tokyo thanks to its practical information on transport (times of trains, telephone numbers of airports, etc.) and an easy-touse subway map that shows the best route from one train station to another. Routes may be tailored to the quickest or fewest changes preferred.

Tokyo Art beat puts an end to scouring the papers for the most up-to-date art exhibitions around the capital. It has “most popular” and “nearby” listings—the latter handily searches for what’s on in close proximity to your current location—ideal for filling in a free hour or two. Alternatively, search by area or browse the site across a wide selection of arts from illustration and graphics to prints and photography. Useful information such as hours of operation, access and ticket prices are provided. MuPon is the perfect accompanying app offering money-saving digital coupons for a variety of Tokyo Art Beat’s shows.

The Analogue Digital Clock, created by Dutch designer Maarten Baas and popular with design aficionados, shows a virtual painter hand-painting the numbers in the clock as time passes. The fascinating performance is strangely absorbing.

Quakewatch is a reliable source of up-to-the-minute information on quakes around the world. Information is divided into the latest, biggest and closest.

Gift List mixes good manners with technology with a handy reminder of who gave you what present and whether you’ve written the thank you note. It is handily linked to your iPhone contacts listing and an image can be attached as the perfect reminder of that pink sweater your aunt lovingly knitted for your last birthday. It even offers a convenient quick link to email with key gift details already included.

I love Travel Packing creates a new packing list for various destinations including a handy “to do” checklist (from photocopying documents to recharging batteries) and an “essentials” packing list (from toiletries to medical/health items).

Japan Gets Jive Motion

Julian Ryall — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:09:33 +0000

Sexy new blend of salsa and swing is great for health, beginners and confidence With a shimmy of the hips and a fancy piece of footwork, the new move is mastered and the student looks delighted at her performance. Around the dance fl oor, a round of spontaneous applause breaks out after other couples also achieve the steps they have been practicing under the careful tutelage of Justin Hollingworth.

But just as they have built up a rapport with that partner, the ladies are moved to their right to find a new partner and Hollingworth embarks upon teaching them the next move.

It is a Thursday night in a Tokyo event-space-cum-bar and the Jive Motion event is getting into its swing. “Modern jive has become a huge dance phenomenon in the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and other places, including southern Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong,” said 46-year-old Hollingworth, who is originally from Enfield in North London and first came to Japan in 1989.

“My ambition is to bring this movement to Japan and, when people think of modern jive, I want them to think of Jive Motion,” he said.

The first Jive Motion event in Japan was held in January, at Superdeluxe in Roppongi, with three hour session, they performed a mixture of modern jive moves, incorporating elements of salsa, swing and ballroom, such as tango and jive, all set to a diverse selection of music.

From a raised stage at the front of the venue, Hollingworth demonstrates the moves with his partner, walking through the steps from a standing start. Initially, the moves are straightforward turns with an occasional shimmy of the feet, but gradually they become more complex. Hollingworth makes sure that the moves are repeated until his dancers have got them down pat.

Jive Motion classes teach the 20 core, beginner moves before those who feel confi dent enough advance to more technical versions. At each session, dancers usually practice four of the basic moves, meaning that after just five or six sessions, anyone will have mastered the beginner steps.

“The beauty of it is that anyone can do it, whether you’re 16 or 66,” he said.

“There are three basic reasons that so many people—many of whom were not previously dancers— are attracted,” he said. “Firstly, you can dance to any music that has a four-four beat; secondly, it’s very easy because there is no complicated footwork.

“That means you can make progress very quickly and look good soon after starting to learn,” he said. “Compare that to ballroom dancing, where it will probably take a year for a couple to get one song looking good.

“And thirdly, modern jive is very accessible as you can just turn up without any special clothes or shoes,” he added. “And because everyone changes partners throughout the evening, learning with a variety of dancers, you make progress much quicker.”

Hollingworth started dancing during a spell in London in 2000, where the biggest name in the modern jive revolution is Ceroc, which holds events for around 50,000 people at dozens of venues across Britain every week.

“A lot of foreigners here know what this is about, but most Japanese don’t know about pair dancing or modern jive,” Hollingworth said. “I want this to become more mainstream in Japanese society, rather than mostly be for the expat crowd. We’re starting in Tokyo, but I want to get out to all the major cities across the country in the future.”

As the dancers at Superdeluxe improved and grew in confidence, they became noticeably more relaxed and, consequently, better at the moves.

“We are hoping this will spread by word of mouth,” Hollingworth said. “But I can guarantee that, if you come along with a group of friends, you will have a good time and you will all be dancing by the end of the evening.”

www.jivemotion.jp

Shanghai Surprise

Catherine Shaw — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 07:05:04 +0000

Historic Bund sees incredible revival

After decades of neglect, Shanghai— renowned as the “Paris of the East” during its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—is experiencing a dramatic revival. At the center of the quest by the bustling metropolis to be one of the world’s greatest cities is the Bund, a mile-long embanked riverfront, lined with grand stone-fronted neo-classical and beaux art buildings.

These architectural tributes to the international banks and trading companies that once vied for the most grandiose headquarters along the waterfront have become the most striking symbols of modernday Shanghai, thanks to a revival largely led by unprecedented investment on the part of the private and public sectors at the time of the 2010 World Expo.

Salon De Ville

The embankment, which forms the centerpiece of Shanghai’s $45bn urban makeover, saw a $700-mn, three-year facelift, as part of which traffic lanes were diverted underground, allowing landscaped public plazas to be created. Anticipating a resurgence of international travel to the city, many of the waterfront’s most distinctive buildings also enjoyed a facelift (some changes more authentic than others) that brought to the area new hotels, chic restaurants and bars, art galleries and stylish boutiques. Here are WIFM’s best new places to stay and dine.

History, celebrities and modern chic In its heyday, the original 12-story Cathay Hotel— popular in the 1930s and 1940s, and also known as the Peace Hotel during the 1950s—was one of the most luxurious hotels in the Far East. It was owned by Sir Victor Sassoon, whose wild parties in the Cathay Ballroom are still the stuff of legends. A favorite of Charlie Chaplin and Noël Coward (who wrote Private Lives in the Cathay Suite), the hotel recently underwent restoration for three years, emerging as the Fairmont Peace Hotel.

Local expert Spencer Dodington in Shanghai

Happily, although modern indulgences such as flatscreen televisions, Bose iPod docking stations and wireless internet access have been added, the original art deco style has been retained. At the hotel’s entrance, look out for the original stained glass rotunda that had been covered over for decades.

The Sassoon Presidential Suite, which occupies the entire 10th floor penthouse, offers spectacular views of the Huangpu River and vast marble bathrooms complete with claw-foot baths. The hotel’s famous Jazz Club, an institution for decades, remains one of the city’s most popular places.

Next door is the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, the old Palace Hotel that once occupied the south building of the Peace Hotel and was famous for hosting important events, such as the International Opium Commission meeting in 1909 that was the first international conference to discuss the world’s narcotics problems.

The Swatch Art Peace Hotel is an intriguing mix, comprising a contemporary design center and seven modern art-inspired guest suites with interiors by Jouin Manku. The suites are set to redefine the meaning of luxury when they open later this year.

Long Bar

The hotel’s innovative concept blends retail, hotel and culture-related facilities with specially designed studio apartments and workshops where artists-in-residence can work, live and exhibit their creative talents. Each artist will leave a “trace” of their work that will become part of the hotel’s contemporary art collection.

But, when it comes to truly sophisticated décor, it is hard to beat the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund—widely acknowledged as one of the most authentic restorations along the waterfront. Opened in 1911 as the Shanghai Club, the city’s most exclusive gentlemen’s club enjoyed fame for its elegant English Renaissance headquarters and legendary 110-ft Long Bar. Now, with 269 rooms and suites—occupying a modern tower connected to an all-suite heritage building—the hotel is a glorious celebration of sumptuous European design with all the modern touches you would expect. The hotel also has one of the city’s best-informed concierge services.

Further down the Bund, the Waterhouse at South Bund is a highly inventive blend of boutique hotel and cutting-edge style. The original derelict industrial warehouse in the historic Shiliupu dockyard district was transformed into a stunning, modern, 19-room urban retreat by the Shanghai-based Neri & Hu Design and Research Office. Visit to indulge in the architect’s fresh take on blurring internal and external spaces, private and public areas. The three-story lobby is a fascinating mix of steel columns, exposed brick and original unfinished concrete, complete with a paper chandelier by Studio Job for Moooi.

Waldorf Astoria Club facade

Smorgasbord of stylish dining and drinking Although yet to be awarded Michelin stars, Shanghai is a veritable smorgasbord for gourmands. Again, the Bund is the place to go. Although there are plenty of wellknown restaurants, such as M on the Bund (for superb breakfasts) and Jean Georges (for fine French cuisine), the newest additions to the dining scene are set to shake things up.

The latest newcomer, located in the chic Swatch Art Peace Hotel, is appropriately named Shook! It embodies an international dining concept imported from Singapore and led by UK-born chef Kevin Cape, whose culinary skills were honed at London’s Connaught Hotel (under Michel Bourdin) and as executive chef with the Eastern & Oriental Express Luxury Train. Try the stirfried prawns and hot mayonnaise sprinkled with honeyglazed walnuts.

The restaurant’s wine cellar also offers oenophiles two rare vertical collections of Bordeaux’s most famous estates—Chateau Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem, with vintages from 1945 through 2008.

The building’s roof terrace garden is another mustsee for its panoramic views over the city and domed towers that house intimate restaurant dining spaces for romantic diners.

A few steps away, on the 6th floor at Bund 18 is Mr. and Mrs. Bund—an avant-garde French restaurant, run by Paul Pairet, that is as much a draw for peoplewatching as for its “consensual cuisine” (anything a guest wants) and smooth service. This is dining for the innovative: think fine French cuisine with a bold sense of fun. Don’t miss the jumbo tiger shrimp steamed in a glass jar with citrus, lemongrass and vanilla.

Waldorf Suite bedroom and reading area

The Waterhouse’s industrial-chic, gastro-bar Table No. 1 has already won a clutch of awards (including the Best Restaurant prize at the Travel + Leisure 2011 Annual Design Awards), and is the perfect place for busy shoppers with its express three-course set meal served in under one hour.

Meanwhile, the Waldorf Astoria’s Long Bar retains all of its original charm with classic martinis stylishly mixed at the table, a chic oyster bar and perfectly replicated Waldorf salad. Across the elegant foyer, Pelham’s serves up New York favorites and modern American cuisine (such as the Wagyu New York strip with chickpeas, red Swiss chard and chimichurri), while the hotel’s traditional afternoon tea, served in the elegant Salon de Ville, is a must on any itinerary for the addictive Red Velvet Cupcakes: the ideal treat after a long day’s shopping.