China

In Shanghai we stayed entirely in Pudong, the skyscraper district across the river from the historic city center — mostly farmland a few decades ago, now one of the most photographed skylines in the world. Shangri-La Pudong was one of the first luxury hotels built there and is still enormous, 952 rooms across two wings, with a mostly French restaurant on the 36th floor that serves an edible flower pot — the soil, the flowers and the vegetables are all meant to be eaten. Four Seasons Shanghai has the 41st-floor infinity pool James Bond swims laps in during Skyfall, and we could see the Oriental Pearl TV Tower from our bed. The Kerry Hotel was the first place we had ever stayed that brews its own beer on site, and the duck pizza at that brewery was unexpected and fantastic.

In Beijing, The Opposite House sits in Sanlitun, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in a city defined by the contrast between old hutong alleys and new skyscrapers. Four Seasons Beijing put us right in the middle of that mix for five days of exploring the city. And the EAST Hotel skips the usual luxury formality entirely — staff in jeans and sneakers, no dress code at the restaurants — despite having 369 rooms.