One of my favorite hotels in the world is the Waldorf-Astoria in Shanghai. I rarely think a hotel is flawless but this one was for me. It is for those that thrive on Shanghai's futuristic excitement but want a taste of its legacy. The Long Bar (open since 1911) is one of the world's great hotel bars.

The hotel is housed within two buildings, one historic (The Waldorf Club) and one new (The Waldorf Tower, where I stayed, has amazing views of Pudong on the other side of the river). The historic building (where the Long Bar is) was previously The Shanghai Club, the most exclusive club when Shanghai was the "Paris of the East" in the 20s and 30s. Because of the two buildings, there are two lobbies. I thought this would be confusing, but it seamlessly melds the past and future in a beautiful way. More of my photos can be found here.