GIVEN it's location and the fact that it connects the Bund with People's Square, Hankou Road has an interesting history and was formerly filled with glamor, scandal and the latest news. The area near where The Langham Yangtze Boutique Shanghai hotel now stands was once occupied by beauty salons where prostitutes would frequent before going to the old Yangtze Hotel to dance with the rich and famous. Further down the road was the heart of Chinese news publishing, where former local newspaper Shen Bao, known in English as Shanghai News, was based. The five-story Shen Bao Building is a neoclassical architecture built in 1918. With such prominent architectural styles, a stroll along this road today provides visitors with a taste of the surroundings that gave old Shanghai its famous reputation.

Ciao & Chuan Spa

At Ciao in The Langham Yangtze Boutique Shanghai, the chefs try to give you a taste of authentic Italian cuisine with the main focus on fusion Mediterranean food. The most recommended time to visit this cozy but posh eatery is during Sunday brunch when they offer Heritage Brunch (288 yuan/US$44.6 per person), with foods on the menu typically European and reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s.

Upon completion of your meal, you get the heritage experience with a guided tour of the hotel taking you back to Shanghai's golden era.

The building was touted as "the third-largest hotel in the Far East" by the renowned architect Li Pan in the 1930s and today it features lavish Art Deco-inspired interiors that maintain the classic, extravagant flair of old Shanghai.

The lobby, which was previously the dance floor, is warm and inviting, and the grand piano is situated in the same spot where famous Chinese singer and actress Zhou Xuan performed "Rose, Rose, I Love You," which later became a Billboard music chart hit in the United States.

Also hidden inside The Langham Yangtze Boutique, Chuan Spa promises to lure guests away from the frenetic rhythms of their daily lives - and it delivers on its pledge. The award-winning spa is themed around traditional Chinese medicine and the balancing of the five elements (metal, wood, fire, earth and water). Its range of services include traditional Chinese and other Asian-influenced massages, body scrubs, skin exfoliation, facials and other treatments designed to alleviate fatigue and exhaustion.

Kervan

Intending to bring you a modern interpretation of an authentic Turkish dining experience, this contemporary restaurant is the work of a Turkish man and his Chinese wife. Interestingly the photo of Istanbul in the restaurant shows the exact spot where he proposed to her. Glasses were brought over from the country to give the real feeling of drinking in Turkey, and the most recommended drinks are the tulip tea and the raki, or lion's milk, a fennel wine whose name is attributed to the fact that the drink changes color from clear to milky white after adding water and the perception that people become beasts after drinking it due to the high alcohol content. Kebabs are the most popular item on the menu but a new menu is being launched. Lunch sets are 40 to 50 yuan including a main dish and a salad, while drinks are half priced with the 50-yuan set. Average price per person for dinner is 120 to 150 yuan including soft drinks.

Opening hours: 11am-12pm

Address: 706 Hankou Rd

Tel: 6351-3309

Xin Wang

A popular casual Hong Kong eatery with locations all over Shanghai, this particular branch has a slight touch of elegance that the other joints lack. Particularly popular are the snacks and drinks such as the 15-yuan milk tea and the pineapple bun with butter (7 yuan) and char siu bun (6 yuan). The summer menu includes shaved ices, featuring popular pyramid shaved ice with mango, strawberry and red bean (32 yuan) or red bean with taro shaved ice (28 yuan). Try the crispy pork bun with fruit salad (20 yuan) and the typical Hong Kong meal of minced pork on instant noodles with vegetables, also 20 yuan. You can order any drink below 13 yuan to go with your set.

Opening hours: 7:30am-11:30pm

Address: 309 Hankou Rd

Tel: 6360-5008

Bund Garden Hotel

This hotel built in 1930 and designed by Palmer & Turner features heritage architecture in a Gothic revival style. With easy access to the city's famous river strip, the European-style building plus its garden setting is a pure paradise for tourists. Unlike the five-star hotels in the area, this boutique-style lodging features only eight guest rooms, with an atmosphere filled with a sense of elegance and intimacy.

Address: 200 Hankou Rd

Tel: 6329-8800

Guangdong Development Bank

At the corner of Sichuan Road M. and Hankou Road lies the elegant portico of the Guangdong Development Bank, formerly the old Joint Savings Society Bank (1928). It was designed by Ladislaus Hudec, known as the creator of many Art Deco masterpieces from Shanghai's past. The bank was built in 1926 and shows Hudec's signature innovative but elegant style. Dubbed "a heritage architecture building," this is a reinforced concrete structure with an English Georgian lobby complete with a white marble desk and classic small window openings. The archway is run-down but beautiful, and it is a classic example of the historical traces of Europeans in old Shanghai.

Address: 261 Sichuan Rd M.

The Bund Brewery

Enter The Bund Brewery and find yourself transported to beer heaven with a bartender and a few large beer barrels greeting you from behind the long bar. Currently celebrating its 17th anniversary, this drinking establishment also has a pool table for chilling with your friends and flatscreen TVs screening football matches that can be viewed from every angle in the bar. They pride themselves on their use of German technology to brew their own lager and dark beers. The most popular are their house beers, the Bundlander Lager and Bundlander Dark (both priced at 48 yuan for 300ml), both suitable choices for the summer. German, Italian and French foods are also served and they are particularly proud of their German roasted pork knuckle with sauerkraut (138 yuan) and the pan-fried Angus rib-eye steak (188 yuan). Happy hour is from 6pm to 9pm for free flowing beer at 128 yuan.

Opening hours: 11am-1:30am (bar), 11am-10pm (kitchen)

Address: 11 Hankou Rd

Tel: 6321-8447