IgoUgo

Taipei Journals

Thanksgiving in Taiwan

A November 2007 trip to Taipei by BytheBai

Deja Vu Hotel Room Photo - Taipei, Taiwan More Photos
Quote: You'd be surprised how much you can pack into a long weekend in Taiwan.

Deja Vu Hotel

Hotel

Deja Vu Hotel Room Photo - Taipei, Taiwan
Quote:
The Deja Vu Hotel is one of the many "love" hotels that you can find spotted throughout Taipei. The location was great–only a 5-minute walk from one of the central metro stations and in an area with tons of eating spots a short walk away. The rooms came with a hot breakfast, which was adequate, but not great. Along with my group, I saw about five different rooms. None had a view of anything but the side of other buildings and most had a musty smell. Even so, the price, $60 per night, was well worth the location, and some of the rooms did have a kitsch appeal.What does it mean to stay in a love hotel? Basically, it meant that the rooms had one double bed and a huge bathroom with a see-through p...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on January 19, 2007

Grand Formosa Taroko

Hotel

The View from Grand Formosa Photo - Hualien, Taiwan
Quote:
The Grand Formosa is a gorgeous hotel complex. The staff dresses in aboriginal clothes and look a little like Native Americans as they rush to the door to greet you and usher you to your room. It is a luxury hotel and the prices per room reflect that, but I found a great seasonal special on their website—a package deal that included a delicious buffet dinner with a wide variety of dishes from the indigenous peoples of Taiwan (my personal favorites: steamed day lily blossoms and a purple-colored betel nut soup), as well as breakfast. The special I found was a summer special, but it was autumn when we went, so I suspect you can get deals like that year-round. It worked out to about $120 for two people i...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 19, 2007

National Palace Museum

Attraction

National Museum Photo - National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Quote:
With all of the treasures of China taken from the mainland when the leaders fled, the National Palace Museum was one of my favorite stops on our tour of Taiwan. There were several pieces that everyone seemed to marvel over – a piece of jade carved to resemble cabbage, another rock said to look like a piece of pork, huge collections of impressive miniatures (my favorite was a set of ivory balls – nearly 20, I think, carved inside each other). They were interesting to look over but the ceramics really stole the show for me! Gorgeous examples of celadon made for the emperors of olden days. I am not very familiar with Chinese history or art, but I was still able to marvel over some of their pieces. Even t...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 27, 2007

National Palace Museum
221 Chih-shan Rd. Sec 2
Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei 101

Attraction

Quote:
Taipei 101 is not only the world’s tallest building, it’s also an upscale shopping mall. The walk from the Taipei City Hall metro station, which is about a 6 block hike, gives you an adequate opportunity to marvel over its height – and sure enough, it’s really, really tall. We were able to glimpse it from other parts of the city, but the view walking up to was the best. Before we went to Taiwan, I saw a special on television about the construction of the building – supposedly it was structured to look like a piece of bamboo and it is slightly pliable in order to be able to withstand wind and tremors. Once we got into the building, we balked at the price to ride the elevator to the top – it was...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on January 27, 2007

Taipei 101
3/f 45 Shi Fu Road
Taipei, Taiwan ADD G3/F
+886 (2) 8101-8777

Longshan Temple

Best Of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
With massive incense urns pouring forth aromatic clouds of smoke and large groups of praying and chanting devotees, a visit to this temple felt like a sensual, mystical experience. The area around the temple is bustling with traffic and a nearby night market, so after crossing the busy street in front of the temple, we were met by monks who seemed to be selling something. At once upon entering the temple, we were handed sticks of incense and we followed the throngs of people who lit their incense sticks, placed them in the bowls and put their hands together in prayer while bowing to the golden idols.The temple itself was gorgeous, with dragons and other creatures carved into the rooftop arches...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on January 27, 2007

Longshan Temple
No. 211, Guangzhou St.
Taipei, Taiwan

About the Writer

BytheBai

BytheBai
Brunswick, Georgia

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