Five Victorian-based personal travel managers (PTMs) recently took part in TravelManagers’ exclusive famil to Shanghai, and quickly discovered that visitors who focus purely on business during their stay, miss out on so much more on offer in this exciting city.
Margherita Cilauro, Daniel Price, Jeremy Ferguson (representative from Brunswick West), Luke Vaughan (representative from Kooyong), Frances Cochrane (representative from Mooroolbark) and Marlene Lane (representing TravelManagers’ national partnership office) found the city captivating, and say they are much better placed to guide clients after their first hand experience. Price, representative from Windsor, said Shanghai surprised all five first-time visitors, who found the locals to be friendly and helpful, and the city safe, easy to get around and paradise for shoppers.
“I was impressed by the number of trees in the downtown area and how clean and organised everything is, it is truly a holiday destination for anyone – solo travellers, families or honeymooners.”
The Amazing Race: PTMs Daniel Price and Fran Cochrane made a formidable team in the famil’s day-long ‘Amazing Race’- discover Shanghai activity at the entrance to the city’s Ocean Aquarium
The seven-night famil included plenty of time to explore the city, including a full day mystery Amazing Race-style activity and a free day to enjoy shopping on Nanjing Road or soak up the views during a walk along the Bund.
Lane was fascinated by the different styles of architecture and many unique modern buildings that make up the city skyline.
“At night, it was even more amazing. We had dinner at the Radisson Blu Shanghai New World hotel’s restaurant, Epicure on 45, and as the restaurant revolved it revealed an incredible light show. The following night we saw the same show from another angle, as we took a 45-minute cruise along the river.”
Epicure 45 restaurant. Front Daniel Price, from left to right Luke Vaughan, local guide, local Radisson Blu host, Kathryn Quigley, Jeremy Ferguson, Mark Mulville, Fran Cochrane, Marlene Lane and Margherita Cilauro
However, the group’s time was not spent solely in Shanghai. On the Go Tours hosted the participants on a day trip which gave them the opportunity to experience a very different side of China, and included a visit to the village of Tongli, just one and a half hours’ drive from the city. This ancient village, which is sometimes described as ‘the Venice of the East’, is criss-crossed by 15 small river lanes that are spanned by 49 stone bridges in a variety of styles.
Cilauro, representative for Pascoe Vale South, said the authenticity of the village – across shops, restaurants and gardens, temples, houses and gardens, gave the group an insight into village life in China hundreds of years ago.
The famil was escorted by Kathryn Quigley from Carlson Rezidor Hotels and Mark Mulville of Malaysian Airlines, with the participants appreciating the opportunity to experience both Malaysian’s business and economy class products.
“Business class obviously offers you amazing personalised service and comfort that is truly fantastic. You can put your feet up and enjoy a chair-massage whilst you watch a movie, or lie flat for a good sleep,” said Cilauro.
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