OLD STONES
In a good use for what might have otherwise remained an unpleasant scar on the Earth’s surface, the InterContinental Hotels and Resorts group built a fine hotel in an abandoned quarry near Shanghai. Two of the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland’s 19 floors are actually below water level in the artificial lake that now covers the quarry floor, while the two top floors peek over the lip of the 100m-high cliff. It’s a five-star property in one of the most expensive cities in the world, so expect prices to match. Still, it’s good to see such repurposing of the landscape in a country where industrial blight is widespread. www.ihg.com
●