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Adaptor: My hotel had UK plugs so no need for an adaptor!

Flight time: The flight from Guilin was 2 hours (but was eventually delayed by another 2 hours as it was an evening flight!) 

Packing: Essentials - umbrella (to use as a sun shade), sun lotion, dressy clothes, sunglasses (think LA!), also sweaters or wraps for the fierce air conditioning in most hotels.

Getting around: There is great public transport in Shanghai, but I didn’t even use it because the taxis are so cheap here.

Shopping: Shanghai is a town for shopping, but when indulging in retail or actual therapy make sure that your credit cards are accepted.  Either make sure you have enough cash to pay your bill if your card doesn’t work, or ask if you can pay in advance.   Despite using my card in two other areas of The Peninsula Hotel, I had my card refused in the hair salon as I was desperately trying to get back to my hotel to check out - for which they could have charged me another night! 

The Guide: I couldn’t find a good guide for Shanghai so I pieced together information from magazines, Luxe Guide, Lonely Planet, and the internet.  As it is such a fast paced city, I’d recommend that to get the most out of Shanghai you take advice from the concierge in your hotel and every other hotel you pass through!  Most hotels also have good tourist maps with locations marked in English and Mandarin so you can point out wherever you want to go to your cab driver.