Staying at the Capella Shanghai Hotel feels like stepping into a time capsule!

Many people have given high praise to the Capella Shanghai Hotel, so just how good is it? With this question in mind, we specially chose this long-renowned hotel during our trip to Shanghai in early June this year. The Capella Shanghai Hotel is located in the Xuhui Historical and Cultural Preservation Area, at 480 Jianguo West Road, Jianye Li, within the ancient Shikumen architectural complex. The Shikumen, first appearing in 1860, is a distinctive Shanghai architectural style that blends the essence of Eastern and Western design. The Capella Hotel, nestled within this area, includes 55 Shikumen villas and is the only pure villa city resort hotel in Shanghai. We chose the Shikumen Garden Twin Villa. The villa’s red brick exterior walls are covered with green plants, as if counting the years together with the mottled sunlight. The room is spacious, covering 110 square meters. The villa has five floors: the first floor is the living room, the second floor is the tea and entertainment room, the third floor is the bedroom, the fourth floor is the bathroom, and the fifth floor rooftop is a terrace overlooking the Shikumen scenery. Walking into the living room feels like stepping into a different era! The room’s facilities look antique but are all from excellent modern brands, deliberately designed to create an old yet luxurious visual effect. Although the hotel is located in a bustling area, it is very quiet, as if allowing you to quietly converse with the ancient times here! On the coffee table in the first-floor living room, a welcome card handwritten by the hotel manager was already waiting for guests. The small gifts for guests included Shanghai’s famous White Rabbit milk candy and surprisingly, comic books of "Havoc in Heaven" and "Journey to the West"! Additionally, the hotel offers exclusive library privileges, including drinks, snacks, and beer; morning and evening rituals featuring the historic Shanghai newspaper "Shen Bao," coffee, Chinese tea, and dim sum; as well as free ironing and laundry for five pieces of clothing. The breakfast variety is extensive and very delicious. Besides the usual high-end hotel Western and Chinese dishes, there are many local Shanghai specialties such as wontons and xiaolongbao. The drinks are also excellent; we specially ordered red wine and champagne. For lunch, we chose to dine at the hotel’s Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire French restaurant. Founded by the French culinary genius Pierre Gagnaire, it quickly earned a Michelin star and two Black Pearl diamonds. After tasting the food, we sincerely felt it was truly impressive! The hotel’s service absolutely justifies the high room rates! From check-in onwards, every experience was excellent! This includes the doormen, luggage staff, housekeeping, restaurant, and bar... Special mention goes to staff member Shao Bochen (Ethen Shao) and the bartender Ethen at the hotel’s Le Bar. Their professional, patient, polite, and enthusiastic service gave us a wonderful stay and left us with unforgettable memories! In short, the stay at Capella Shanghai was fantastic! Here, while enjoying excellent service and accommodation dining experiences, it truly feels like stepping into ancient times! Here, you can seek the old dreams of Shanghai’s past and also feel the pulse of the modern metropolis! It’s worth returning to again and again, to get lost and wander in the intertwined space-time of past, present, and future... Capella Shanghai Hotel truly lives up to its reputation! I believe we will come back here again! Capella Shanghai Jianye Li Hotel Capella Shanghai Jianye Li Hotel · Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire Xuhui District · Shanghai