Hotel Review: Royal Garden Hotel Shanghai (near Shanghai Disneyland)
Hotel Review: Royal Garden Hotel Shanghai (near Shanghai Disneyland)
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT: THIS IS A HOTEL.
This could have easily passed off as a historical site but Royal Garden Hotel Shanghai is really a hotel. Just 20 minutes away by car from Shanghai Disneyland and 16 from Pudong International Airport, Royal Garden Hotel is a 5-star establishment made up of 20-odd buildings with various courtyards and beautiful gardens.
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I’d admit I booked this hotel purely based on the aesthetics. I mean, look at this:
Wouldn’t you?
I was only going to be in Shanghai for two days to visit my sister, who was there for exchange, and one day would be spent entirely in Disneyland so I wasn’t too fussy about staying near the city centre. The booking cost us SGD370 (~USD280) for two nights and you can book it via Trip.com. For the price, you can get a decent, typical 3- or 4-star business hotel in the Bund. But we’re here for the experience, yea?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Trip.com. I may get a commission if you purchase through my links but they are at no cost to you.
First impressions of Royal Garden Hotel Shanghai
The hotel premise is huge! We took a good ten minutes to locate the lobby which strangely isn’t near the entrance. If it wasn’t for the beautiful compound which provided some scenery as we locate the lobby, we would have been pretty frustrated with the lack of signage.
Once we located the lobby, the extravagance and grandeur of the hotel blew us away. An almost wall-to-ceiling jade mural with expensive-looking artifacts adorned the sprawling marbled lobby. This definitely gave us a good feeling about our stay.
Comfy beds and spacious bathrooms
We got checked in pretty quickly and headed to our deluxe king room with a garden view. And yes, you get lifts even though it may look like there is only the staircase.
The luxurious theme was consistent in the rooms. The 40-square metre room was spacious and elegantly finished in earthy tones with gold accents. The furniture and decor were rather understated with only a standout peony painting in hues of red and pink. Beds and pillows were super comfortable as well.A teal armchair and ottoman laid next to the windows which overlooked the courtyard. Curtains were double-layered, one sheer and one for blackout and I especially liked it when the morning sun shone into the room.
The bathroom was also roomy and I liked how brightly lit it was. There was a mini television in front of the bathtub if you needed entertainment during your bath time.
A picturesque Jiangnan town complex
The hotel premise is a sight in itself. We took a good 30-minute walk around to explore the grounds and there were just so many beautiful spots.
The only complaint is the lack of comprehensible signage. The signs usually just state the name of the hall/building (think somewhere along the lines of Bright Majestic Hall etc) that do not give hints of the building’s function. We didn’t really know which were the buildings we could enter so we pretty much just walked around and admired the architecture from the outside.
They also provide a site plan with running routes around the grounds, as an alternative to the treadmill in their gym.
Great hotel facilities, especially for families
While its proximity to the airport and expo center attracts corporate bookings, Royal Garden also proves to be an excellent choice for families seeking to spend more time staying in. They have an Olympic-sized indoor pool, a well-equipped gym, and also a children’s play area.
The equipment and facilities look rather new, clean, and well-maintained.
Absent service, adequate breakfast
The aesthetics and comfort of the accommodation provide sufficient value for the price so I was hardly irked by the absent service throughout our stay. Though for people who are more particular, this could potentially be a deal breaker. I mean, the service wasn’t bad, it was just almost non-existent. The service at the check-in counters was transactional but hardly warm and welcoming. When we went about the hotel, there was not so much as a greeting or a smile from the rare staff we meet too.
Breakfast was at a separate building from our room’s and I didn’t recall being informed that on check-in. We took a while to locate the restaurant to have our breakfast buffet. There was a good selection of food and the quality was decent but I did expect more from a hotel like this.
Near Shanghai Disneyland and Pudong Airport
Even the lamppost are consistent with their style.The hotel is pretty out of the way, which explains why you can get such a luxurious room at this price. However, the nearest train station is East Huaxia Rd station on Line 2 which is a super convenient line as it also serves Lujiazui, the financial district of the city and the Bund. This metro line can also bring you to Pudong International Airport.
Shanghai Disneyland, though near, is not easily accessible by the metro as the station is on a different subway line. We opted to hail a private car via DiDi, which is China’s version of Uber and Grab. It took us about 20 minutes, including waiting time and some navigation blunders by the driver.
Overall thoughts
The Royal Garden Hotel is a great accommodation overall and is pretty well-maintained. Despite its location, the hotel makes up in its facilities and would be suitable for families with kids who are mainly visiting Shanghai Disneyland and don’t care much to explore the cities. The hotel would also be a good choice for local residents as a staycation or a base to explore the theme park. These points, together with the luxe furnishing, sprawling premise, and reasonable prices, compensate for the lack of service and location.
