HotelChatter

We walked over to the hotel along the Bund promenade that follows the Huangpu river. The Indigo sits just south of the famous stretch of colonial buildings that face the skyscrapers of Pudong across the water. The location offers stellar views of the river and the skyline, sometimes even from the bathtub.

The first thing you'll see entering the hotel is that bicycle spray-painted canary yellow and the curving wall of wood arching back to the reception desks. To the right, past a red rickshaw is a living wall and two small lions guarding the entrance to the elevator vestibule. A roped-off display had dozens of bottles with Chinese figurines in them.

Up on the sixth floor is the hotel's all-day living room/restaurant, Quay. There are several cosy seating areas spread across the floor, including cute loveseats with complimentary computers, as well as a meeting room. Shelves with books, art, and tables with board games, chess, and magazines bring a more homey feel to it. We had lunch relaxing on a corner sofa looking out on the unfortunately grey-skied city; while we snagged one picture of the empty restaurant as we arrived (we were early), it was buzzing in no time with a mix of locals, trendy business types, and 30-something tourists.

The funky design extends to the restrooms; turn right at the sign and you step into a circular hallway with black, high-gloss walls. Doors to individual cubicles are hidden panels, which leads to a little confusion in near darkness if they're all closed.

If you want to hit up Hotel Indigo later during the day, you can head to Char Bar & Grill on the top floor for dinner, followed by cocktails on the outdoor terrace overlooking the city. Retiring to that same view from your Bund River view room will set you back about $300 this Saturday.