From morning tai chi on the Bund to late-night jazz at the Peace Hotel, this Shanghai travel guide covers the city’s rhythm, food, and quiet glamour.
Travel Notes
9 September 2025
Drinking Tea in China’s Oldest Teahouse
There are certain places in Tongli where time folds in on itself, and Nanyuan Teahouse is one of them. Built in 1898 and still pouring tea more than a century later, it sits at the meeting of two canals, shaded…
9 September 2025
Exploring Tuisi Garden in Tongli Ancient Town
I visited Tuisi Garden first thing in the morning, slipping through the gates just after they opened. For nearly an hour, I had it almost entirely to myself. The light was soft, the air cool, and the sound of birdsong…
9 September 2025
Staying at Jianyuan Guesthouse in Tongli
Tucked inside the stone lanes of Tongli’s old town is a guesthouse that feels as if it belongs to the canals themselves — Jianyuan Guesthouse (简园客栈). I booked it last-minute, after discovering many of the more sought-after guesthouses were already…
Tongli is one of the ancient water towns that edge the Yangtze Delta — a tangle of stone lanes worn smooth by centuries, canals arched with graceful bridges, and houses that lean so close to the water you can imagine…
Set on the shores of Jinji Lake, Tonino Lamborghini Suzhou blends modern luxury with nods to the city’s classical gardens. With spacious rooms, a central courtyard anchored by the “Lambo Tree,” and Suzhou flavors served at the breakfast buffet, it’s a refined lakeside retreat that feels both cosmopolitan and connected to place.
Suzhou is a city that lingers. Willow trees bend over quiet canals, pavilions mirror themselves in still water, and teahouses serve the same green leaves once favored by poets. Close enough to Shanghai for a quick escape yet rooted in its own rhythm, it moves between centuries with ease — silk markets and stone bridges by day, hidden bars and lantern-lit canals by night. This guide is everything you need to slow down and see Suzhou at its most timeless.
Summertime in Traverse City is for sticky cherry juice fingers, a waffle cone full of Moomers melting in your hand while you make it to the beach, and rosé that disappears from the glass before it ever gets warm. I’ve…
1 July 2025
A Weekend Guide to Nevada City
Discover where to eat, hike, swim, and stay in Nevada City – a curated weekend guide to this Sierra foothill gem, from steakhouse dinners to river swims.
12 April 2025
Staying at Flamingo Cat Ba – A Scenic Stay Above Lan Ha Bay on Vietnam’s Northern Coast
Tucked between limestone cliffs and the quiet waters of Lan Ha Bay, Flamingo Cat Ba is a surreal, semi-finished luxury resort that offers panoramic views, Japanese baths, and an unexpectedly peaceful stay on Vietnam’s northern coast.
