You cannot help but be invigorated by the sights, sounds, smells and sheer atmosphere of the wonderful city of Shanghai. No matter how many times we have visited, we always feel a throb of excitement at being back in this extraordinary, exotic city.

And despite our late arrival the evening before we did feel re-invigorated that morning, especially enjoying our stay at the luxurious Sofitel Hyland Hotel right on the shopping hub of the famous Nanjing Dong Lu. The Sofitel was beautifully appointed and everything you would expect from a five star hotel. Whilst the decor was decidedly minimalist, we could not fault the outfitting of our room and the fabulous facilities of the Club Lounge.

We had treated ourselves to two night's accommodation on the hotel's very plush Club Floor and considered it was worth every cent. Located on the top floor of the hotel, the Club Lounge looks right out over central Shanghai to the fabulous skyscraper Pudong skyline with the stunning Oriental Pearl and Jin Mao Towers, and the frenetic Huangpu River. 

An elegant breakfast of cold meats and salads, smoked salmon and a wonderful presentation of breads, pastries and fruits was exactly what we needed as we sat back, drew in our breath and enjoyed every minute. Our trip was nearly over and this was a wonderful way to spend the last two days, relaxing in the luxurious surrounds of the hotel.

A group of very friendly Australian travellers was at a nearby table. We realised that we had not seen any Australians in the six weeks or so we had been away and were pleased to chat with them. We soon however became their breakfast entertainment, relating our adventures in Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan and through the Southern Silk Road of far west China. Our newly found friends gazed at us shaking their heads in disbelief, again confirming our assertions that few people in Australia have much of an idea about these rather off the beaten tourist track countries.

It was our Australian friends' first visit to Shanghai. They were enormously excited about the city and the art exhibition they had especially wanted to visit. "You must visit Pudong and those wonderful skyscrapers" they enthused. This was our fourth visit to Shanghai and while we love the place, that particular day we decided firmly that we were going nowhere. We were tired from our six week's travel and a day doing just nothing suited us perfectly. In fact we were rather relieved that it was pouring with rain so that we could easily make excuses to ourselves for our lack of activity.

After a morning of sitting in the lounge, drinking coffee and appreciating the luxury of reading English newspapers, we did eventually decide to do a short stroll around Nanjing Dong Lu. Giordano's is a bit of a favourite shop for us and we enjoyed a few hours wandering around the store and buying some of their great t-shirts. 

Nanjing Dong Lu - or East Nanjing Street - is the hub of serious Shanghai shopping and one of the world's busiest streets. Not surprisingly, it runs east-west from the famous Bund on the Huangpu River to Renmin Square. It is largely pedestrianised and is home to an endless number of designer and boutique clothing outlets. A shopper's delight.

On our last evening we decided to treat ourselves to a meal in one of the hotel restaurants. However.... Our first "mistake" was when we began our evening with drinks in the Club Lounge which are free of charge from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm. Our second "mistake" was to enjoy the exquisite canapes which were offered non-stop by the friendly lounge staff. Delicate dumplings, pot stickers, hot mini kebabs and a huge assortment of Chinese delicacies were simply delicious - and impossible to pass up. The lounge was not surprisingly full of hotel guests who also seemed to be enjoying themselves. By 9.00 pm we decided that we could not do justice to a full meal and settled for a shared room service meal. We had thoroughly enjoyed a lovely evening.

Despite an additional $AUS 40 per night, we found the Sofitel Hyland Hotel Club facilities to be more than worth the expense. The breakfasts were wonderful, the facilities including free Internet in the Club Lounge were excellent, the views were fabulous and although we had full intentions of having an evening meal, we found that the finger food and drinks were more than adequate - and very, very pleasant. Furthermore, the private check in on the Club Floor is very convenient. For us, it was very cost effective and we would highly recommend both the hotel and the Club Floor room booking.

We woke to another rainy day. A pity, as on a clear day the views from the top floor at breakfast would have been fantastic. We had organised a late check out as our evening flight to Sydney did not depart Shanghai until 8.20 pm. And so we had some time to take a walk around the city.

The day before we had been concerned that our stomachs may have let us down if we had embarked on any sort of long walk. But this day, we decided to walk to the Bund, the well known elevated promenade beside the Huangpu River and the recently renovated Peace Hotel. Our walk began rather slowly, stopping at numerous gorgeous clothing shops and yes, buying more clothes. Such is the luxury of being on your last day!

We had stayed at the famous Peace Hotel on our first visit to Shanghai in 2004. It was a wonderful experience. The old hotel, with its outrageous art deco architecture oozed of Shanghai's old history and the ghosts of its wealthy Jewish owner, the famous Victor Sassoon. Bell boys were dressed in 1930's outfits, iron grid elevators were still staffed by liveried operators and the wonderful foyers, the old ball rooms and restaurants had retained their old crazy decor. Others, like the Phoenix Restaurant were decked out with over the top garish Chinese decor with huge fiery dragons and large red clothed tables. Although desperately in need of renovation and refurbishment, the old hotel was buzzing, bustling and frenetic, bursting with life and character.

We found the newly renovated Peace Hotel to be disappointing. It was undeniably beautifully renovated but somehow all the old character had disappeared. The interior was dark and sombre, which was not helped by the fact there was virtually no-one in the hotel foyer area. I asked one of the staff if I could take some photographs and was pleased that I had done so, as I was told it was not allowed. I did however take the opportunity to use the toilets - which were rather fantastic.

We had walked the wonderful Bund many times before but sadly torrential rain put a swift end to our wanders. Reluctantly we headed back down Nanjing Dong Lu to our hotel which took us forever as there were so many shopping distractions. It was great fun.

We had enjoyed our last few days in Shanghai. It was a restful and thoroughly enjoyable way to end what was an incredible journey. It was not sad however to say goodbye to our beloved Shanghai. We had already decided to visit again in 2012 on our way back from what looks to be another set of adventures in northern Pakistan and India.