[zanetti]

Can anyone give any advice in terms of what area to stay in in Beijing and Shanghai, or even any specific hotels that you can recommend?

Proximity to good nightlife is main thing to take into consideration as well as general vibe of the area

thanks!

[OSL]

Beijing: in the Sanlitun area, preferably somewhere near "Gong Ti Bei Men". I assume you are going to go partying and are looking for trendy spots. GTBM is "workers stadium" and it is literally a stadium. There are three clubs there that people frequent call Mix, Vics, and Latte. Mix and Vics are across the street from each other, you can't miss them. Latte is a bit further in and if you ask around you can find it easily. I don't know as much about Beijing as Shanghai.

Shanghai: French Concession, Xintiandi. Stay out of Pudong, that is new developments for business and 40 something yuppies with little kids. Hardly the sort of place you want to be hanging out. Places worth noting: Muse, Muse II, Bar Rouge, Horizen, Mint...I used to like Guandii but they totally changed that place. Depends on your scene - Muse and Mint are set up like lounges but are uber loud and it's hard to hear people. Good turnout though. Mint has a shark tank that is pretty cool and a good view of the city. Bar Rouge and the other Bund clubs are solid because of the view and you will get a higher class, more laid back crowd. Quieter, too but pricey.

I can't recommend hotels because I've usually only been in stuations where I'm living/working/studying there.

[Veni Vidi Pimpi]

I have lived in both places and second the comments by youngmobileglobal. Over the last decade, traffic in both BJ and SH have gotten so bad I would recommend staying near where you go since it could take a while to get back in forth (even on the subway) if you don't. Now are far as which hotels I would ask, are you looking just for a place to crash, a nice place to bring to bring ladies home to, or a long-term gig?

If you just want to crash and live cheap, don't just look at the Western chains (which are nice) but at some Chinese discount chains like Jin Jiang Zhi Xing (锦江之星) which have small Holiday Inn time rooms but are clean and cheap. Desk staff doesn't always speak English though I think you can make it work.

Also in BJ, if you can also look at Chaoyang which is where the embassies are and is near Wangfujing which is a nice mall/night market. If you want to see some Koreans and Karoke bars then Wudaokou is also nice. Typically though, the West side of BJ has the least foreigners and cool stuff to do.

[zanetti]

cheers for the input guys!

@ VVP - i'm gonna spend a week in each city and normally stay in mid range to 4 star hotels; so a nice, luxurious hotel close to the nightlife action would be ideal

[redneckpunk]

for cheap drinks in Shanghai hit the Eager Beaver, it's near Dong Ping Lu and Henshan Lu area, other bars and restaurants are around (good Turkish restaurant there), there is a cheap place to stay across the street. Also across the street is Dragon Club, the place is solid, doesn't get going til about 3 or 4 am but it fills up with the type of people that are still partying til sunset. I never went to Windows or windows 2 or 3 or however many there are but they used to have cheap drinks, backpackers and teachers and probably some skanks local or western (so i was told, just never made it there). If Pudong is yuppy how is Xintiandi not yuppy?

[OSL]

Dragon club is the shit.

I went to windows and windows 2 (Windows 1 no longer there). That place was also a great after hours spot and yes, lots of easy chicks.

Pudong is yuppies living with their kids and grandmothers in wide tree lined boulevards with no social life whatsoever to speak of.

Xintiandi is a trendy multipurpose shopping area within a stone's throw of clubs, bars, restaurants, etc.

[redneckpunk]

When was the last time you went to Pudong? Not quite as bad as it used to be, more nightlife than a few years ago, but as you stated not where you want to stay unless your conducting business there or want to be a little closer to the airport.
If you like live music JZ Club has good jazz music