Mr & Mrs Smith

The Waterhouse at South Bund

Shanghai, China

A cool antidote to all that shiny Shanghai modernity, bijou hotel The Waterhouse at South Bund transforms a crumbling 1930s factory and former army HQ in the historic Shiliupu dockyards into gritty-glam designer digs. The jagged industrial framework is offset by sleek architectural adaptations, a cutting-edge contemporary furniture collection and on-trend dining and lounging spaces overlooking the Huangpu River.

Need to know

• Rooms 19, including 11 suites.
• Rates Double rooms from $195.53 (CNY1,200), excluding tax at 15 per cent.
  The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency (CNY1,200) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
• More details Rates include breakfast.
• Facilities Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: flatscreen TV, iPod dock, complimentary non-alcoholic minibar, unlimited local phone calls, Illy espresso machine, bedside touch-panel controls, freestanding bath tubs and terraces in some rooms.
• Check-out Midday, although flexible subject to availability and an extra half-day room charge until 6pm. Check-in, 2pm.
• Children It’s not the best spot for little ones, although complimentary baby cots are available as are extra beds for older kids for CNY500 a child a night.
• Also Throw a party with a thousand of your closest friends at the Waterhouse’s enormous, peak-roofed event space in the adjacent warehouse. Film director Wong Kar Wai and fashion label Shanghai Tang have already held glam bashes here.

Food and drink at The Waterhouse at South Bund

• Hotel restaurant The Waterhouse’s rustic, 60-seat dining room has serious culinary cred. Table No. 1 is the first independent restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton after leaving Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in London. Former Maze executive chef Scott Melvin helms the kitchen, turning out mod-Euro crowd-pleasers designed to share. Be sure to book ahead.
• Dress code Effortlessly edgy to go with the repurposed grey-brick floors, bare wood communal tables and ultra cool vibe.
• Top table If you’d like some privacy, book one of the tables for two that line the plate-glass windows looking out to the laneway. From there you can watch the motley passing parade in this low-gloss neighbourhood. There are also two private dining rooms.
• Last orders 10.30pm, although the bars keep on keeping on until 1am.
• Room service Apart from Table No. 1 there are lots of great restaurants in the vicinity, so get dressed and go out, you lazy things.
• Hotel bar When weather permits, climb up to the artfully rusted rooftop for unobstructed river views and classy cocktails at the Roof at Waterhouse. Alfresco tables, a well-stocked bar and flower garden provide a top setting to sip China-inspired tipples, such as the potent Shanghai Iced Tea or the Myth of the Orient made with lime, chilli and a dash of soy sauce. In colder months, you can relax in one of the designer chairs in the sunken Lobby Bar. Here on a bleisure (business/leisure) trip? Hook up with clients in style in the small meeting room that steps down to an alfresco cocktail deck.

The Waterhouse at South Bund 1-3 Maojiyuan Road, Zhongshan Road South, Huangpu District, Shanghai, 200011