The decadent glamour of 1920s Shanghai is brought back to life in this 18 room boutique hotel. Each of the individually-designed suites are made gorgeously dark and clubby with period antiques. Tuscan terracotta tiles and Spanish arches point towards casa, but the feel is more old Chinoiserie. Suitably, it is set within the maze of small alleyways beyond a shikumen stone gate. In contrast to the rest of Shanghai that chokes on big city adrenalin, inside Lapis Casa you can sleep and play in relative car-free quiet. Many of the rooms that range from 409 square feet (38 square metres) to 840 square feet (78 square metres) also build the peace with views across to Huai Hai Park. With experienced restaurateurs as owners, there are also two restaurants within the hotel - Tenya which serves delicate Japanese or Bellagio shifting more robust Taiwanese.