A Westin Bund Center Family Staycation is Super Fun-Packed

By Ned Kelly, January 29, 2021

We love the Westin Brunch. You love the Westin Brunch – you vote it Best Hotel Brunch at the That's Shanghai Food & Drink Awards pretty much every year. That said, there is a whole lot more to the The Westin Bund Center Shanghai, and one of those things is their Westin Family Upgrade Room Package (fear not, though – you can stay on for the extra experience of the brunch too!)

With Chinese New Year and the Spring Festival on the horizon – and the government warning people not to travel due to new COVID-19 outbreaks – now is the perfect time to take advantage of all that is on offer closer to home. And the Westin's Family Room Package is a guaranteed good time for all ages.

The rubber ducks made bathtime lots of fun

The fun starts from check in, with gifts of a Westin Family Travel Journal and Local Activity Guide waiting in the room, along with a set of coloring pencils that came in handy all weekend (and are still being used at back at home). Both booklets are full of engaging activities for kids and plenty of pages to jot down their adventures. A variety of interactive games in the Travel Journal are designed to encourage children to explore their environment, embark on adventures and learn and master new skills during their stay.

A Westin Family Travel Journal and Local Activity Guide awaiting kids in the room

The Local Activity Guide, meanwhile, provides comprehensive information of kids-friendly attractions and places around the hotel, helping families plan their trips more efficiently – the magnificent Bund waterfront, 400-year-old classical Chinese Yu garden and popular Nanjing Road pedestrian shopping street are all just a short stroll away.

Everything a junior masterchef requires

Learning how to make pizza with Chef Federico takes serious concentration

Our stay was on a Saturday, and that's not just because we wanted to enjoy that brunch the next day; every week a kid's pizza cooking class takes place in Michelin Plate awarded restaurant Prego, with Chef Federico and his team guiding their new recruits through the making of an authentic Italian pizza, including choosing their preferred toppings, and then watching it bake in the wood-fired pizza oven. This was one of the highlights of our weekend for sure.

Proudly serving up the finished product

That was just an afternoon snack, however, as after a little R&R in the room, we took advantage of our exclusive access to the Westin Club, which is included in the Westin Family Upgrade Package – evening cocktails here we come! That also gets you a personalized check-in and check-out, as well as the concierge service.

The Westin Club

If all that indulgence was not enough, we then headed back at Prego, where they offer a nutritious Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids, featuring a selection of Western and Asian dishes devised with the help of a group of doctors, dentists and dietitians dedicated to helping kids eat smart.

There is also a coloring game on the back of the menu to keep kids happy, allowing parents to dig in to all the delights you would expect from a Michelin Plate awarded restaurant – we indulged ourselves with the Wagyu beef and foie gras. The Westin also boasts The Crystal Garden Chinese restaurant for those looking for some local flavor.

Westin Eat Well Menu for Kids

Westin Hotels & Resorts has Six Pillars of Well-being: Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well, Play Well and Sleep Well. To ensure the latter, they offer a Sleep Well Menu, with dishes that contain essential elements that work together to prevent insomnia and reset sleep cycles.

We opted for a poached egg, asparagus and mushroom dish that did exactly that, as we sunk into the Westin's iconic and award-winning Heavenly Bed that is equipped in every guest room of Shanghai Westin; ten layers of luxury sleeping experience ensured we slept tight the whole night.

Another great thing about the Crown Studio room is that it can be divided into two rooms, so kids can visit the land of nod in their specially prepared beds while adults indulge in a movie and bottle of wine.

Crown Studio rooms feature a divider so kids can sleep while parents watch a movie

Breakfast is a buffet affair, with all the good stuff available. A brunch preview, if you will. We then hit the pool to practice swimming (kids) and burn off that breakfast to make room for brunch (adults). The Westin Workout fitness center is also home to a gym if that is the way you like to burn off the calories.

The pool is perfect for kids to play or parents to work off the foie gras

The time was now upon us – the legendary, award-winning Westin Brunch, which can be included if you opt for the Sunday Brunch Staycation Weekend Package (you also have the option of inviting a couple of friends to join you, and it would be just RMB250 a head – a rather remarkably good deal!).

Each Sunday, a two-floor food extravaganza takes place at the Heavenlies lounge, The Stage restaurant and Prego, including just about every food you can imagine, a wine buffet and ‘make-your-own’ cocktail bar.

Sip on free-flowing champagne and watch awe-inspiring acrobatic feats or interact with the balloon animal making clowns, all while listening to an astounding 14-piece string orchestra and live opera singer. This truly is one of Shanghai's must-try experiences. Leave with your stomach full and (fingers crossed) hands full of prizes from the brunch's lucky draw.

Clowns will make balloon animals for the kiddos