Hyatt on the Bund

There's no better place to embrace Shanghai's glamorous past and high-tech future than from these twin towers on the northern section of the Bund. The 31st-floor Vue bar offers postcard-perfect views of the Bund's grand neoclassical facades across the Huangpu River all the way to the futuristic phantasmagoria of Pudong. Rooms fall decidedly more in the Pudong aesthetic with clean-lined work desks and platform beds that jut organically from the contours of the walls. Natural elements (the bamboo-lined, rock-bottomed river bisecting the lobby, trios of seasonal fruit in each room) and whimsical elements (a fringe lamp here, a trio of mod globes there) complement the pared-down aesthetic well. Book ahead for dinner at the popular Xindalu, our favorite of the four restaurants. Try the meltingly-rich Peking Duck cooked in a purpose-built oven.