Check-In: Le Sun Chine

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Location: Le Sun Chine sits secluded and silent at the end of an anonymous alleyway that spurs off of Huashan Lu opposite the Radisson Plaza Xingguo.

Now Booking: Only 17 rooms. Standard in each: a massive hi-def LCD television with a satellite connection, a ridiculously comfortable king-size bed, and a work area with complimentary Wi-Fi for those in town on business. Bathrooms all feature a freestanding tub as well as a rain shower and twin vanities. A mini-bar is stocked with complimentary juices, beer, and soft drinks. Rooms are graded from “superior” to “deluxe.” Then there are a few suites with balconies big enough to hold a dinner party for six. Depending on size, you can expect to pay anywhere between 1,880 and 5,000rmb + 15% per night.

Background: Built in 1932, this four-storey villa was once owned by the illustrious Sun family. Dr. Sun Yatsen himself even spent some time here. That fact alone likely rescued the place from the wrecking ball; the Shanghai municipal government officially recognizes the property as a heritage architecture site. When owners Chen Le and Sebastian Sun (hence the name) purchased the property, a boutique hotel seemed the obvious choice and they quietly opened it just over a year ago. This is the fourth hotel in China to earn a much-coveted membership in Relais & Chateaux group, which is no small feat -- it’s an elite and exclusive affiliation of luxury hotels and restaurants around the world. If the name still doesn’t sound familiar to you, perhaps some of the names associated with it will: Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and Per Se, Jean Georges New York flagship, and Daniel Boulud’s eponymous eatery are all members.

Atmosphere: Hotels that earn the Relais & Chateaux stamp of approval are expected to provide an experience unique from the big luxury chains, and you’ll get that here, delivered with plenty of concession-era nostalgia. The place is old Shanghai to the hilt. Interior designer Julian Coombs has built a faithful recreation of an old taipan’s mansion, and the first thing you’ll see when you walk in is a lavish salon-style lobby and reading room with plush velvet sofas and assorted antiques and bric-a-brac. Guest rooms are decorated and furnished with a classicist European sensibility: walls papered with elegant floral patterns, herringbone hardwood floors, chaise lounges, Chippendale cabinets, and loads of chinoiserie thrown in for good measure. Other little accents like green-shaded desk lamps and reproduction phonographs converted to play CDs further add to an atmosphere of antiquity. Furthermore, no two rooms in the building are the same. Each takes on one of four color schemes -- red, blue, gold, and chestnut -- and is named, appropriately, after one of the streets of old Shanghai, back when they had French and English names. Colonial chic.

Food and Beverage: On the second floor, Lilac Family Cuisine offers updated Shanghai classics in traditional private banquet-style setting. Think reinventions of dishes like Shanghai-style smoked fish, drunken chicken, and Swiss steak. Tasting menus are anywhere between 300 and 500rmb + 15% per person.

Downstairs in the lobby there is Salon de Salon, a champagne bar and showcase for Champagne Salon, which is widely regarded as one of the world’s best bubblies. Le Sun Chine has exclusive distribution rights on the juice, so you won’t find it anywhere else in town.

Another plus: a choice of continental or Chinese breakfast is complimentary and served in your room.

Amenities: It’s a small operation, so amenities may not be as extensive as what you’d find at one of the big brand name luxury hotels around town. But again, they make up for it with that personal touch. There is a tiny spa featuring four private rooms -- two singles, two doubles -- each with its own steam room, sauna, and Jacuzzi. Services available include your standard garden variety of traditional Chinese massage, body scrubs, facials, and the like. Downstairs from that is a gorgeous indoor 20-meter lap pool encrusted with tiles of Mediterranean blue. A gym is still in the works.

Who's Staying: Moneyed patrons who seek peace, quiet, and, most importantly, privacy, all of which Le Sun Chine has in spades.