A city's past comes alive in style

All those years I spent in Shanghai, I had always wished to stay at the Ruijin Hotel, even if it were only for a few nights. But regrettably, I could never find an excuse to do that.

This time in Shanghai, I decided to make the splash, and indulge in a spell of nostalgia that is like opiate to the weary minds of men my age. I believe that the majority of the guests chose to stay at the Ruijin not because of its opulence or facilities, which are only adequate, but rather for its historical ambience, which it has in spade.

Unlike those old grand hotels of Asia, such as the Peninsula, or better known as the Pen, in Hong Kong, the Raffles in Singapore or the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Ruijin was built by Benjamin Morris, a swashbuckling British merchant, in the early 20th century as his family residence in the form of an English manor house in a lush green compound in the center of the city.