Review of Number 9, by Brian Johnston

In a world where boutique hotels trumpet their existence and list themselves on every website, Number 9 is almost exclusively known by word of mouth. And what is it, exactly? Not a hotel, almost a guesthouse, mostly just a family home that happens to welcome guests from foreign parts.

The facilities

Even finding it can be a challenge, but an incredibly charming experience. Wander down a back lane of salmon-coloured apartments where washing hangs, old men read newspapers and ladies scrub their vegetables: Old Shanghai at its best, and a real delight in a city of mushrooming skyscrapers. Find a large wooden door and ring the bell. When it opens, you'll find yourself in a garden surrounded by high walls and presided over by a 1930s Art Deco mansion.

Guardian stone animals peer at you from the foliage. The ground floor of the houses comprises common areas with wooden tables, temple guardians and knickknacks in a dusty jumble. The clutter is more flea market than antique, with a hippy edge seldom seen in China, but very charming. There's nothing formulaic about this place: think of it as a family home, and an eccentric one at that.

The rooms

There are only five guestrooms at Number 9: two singles, two doubles and a penthouse suite. What you get in each is something of a charming lottery: a DVD or CD player might come your way, and there is a delightful little study attached to one room. Everyone gets wireless internet access, and toiletries are also supplied, with the smell of the soap said to evoke Old Shanghai. (At a guess, Old Shanghai didn't smell that pleasant, but fear not: the soap is very nice.) What rooms lack in the amenities of a large hotel they more than make up for with individuality and quiet.

The best room, hands down, is the penthouse, which is perched right at the top of the house and comes with a bedroom, bathroom, TV room and both a large terrace and small balcony. There's also a kitchenette