TAIPEI’S NEW BOUTIQUE HOTELS ARE DISHING UP STYLE AND SERVICE AT GREAT PRICES AND INTERESTING WAYS. ESTHER PHUA HAS THE SCOOP. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOSEPH GOH OF SHINE CREATIVE WORKS
If you google “Taipei hotels” on your computer, you’ll be floored by the 435,000 results that come up. It’s evident the cosmopolitan capital of Taiwan leaves you spoilt for choice when it comes to hotel accommodations. However, if you’re looking for rooms that offer style and character as opposed to just luxury, opt to stay at one of the city’s new boutique hotels. These hotels tend to be smaller than the big chains, with under 100 rooms and frequently, no food and beverage services – but that’s not a problem since the city is a foodie’s heaven! Furnished like cozy homes, these boutique establishments feature designer furniture, installation artwork, and special lighting. Here are some up-and-coming places that are giving the big hotels a run for their money.
HOTEL 73
Located near the Jianguo holiday flower market and the Shihda night market, Hotel 73’s overall vibe is young and cutting edge. The boutique hotel is famous for white, black and red-hued rooms with funky designs that feature pop-art graphic designs of whirlpools, fish, aliens, trees and flowers on the walls and ceiling. An art installation with light bulbs comes alive at night in the lobby, like an art gallery with its display of graffiti-like pieces. For all the novelty of these unique rooms, they are modest where space is concerned. Travel light – the smallest rooms will feel cramped if you bring in lots of luggage, but the bathrooms are still reasonably spacious. From here, board bus number 20 to get to Ximending, Taipei’s very own version of Tokyo’s Harajuku shopping area.
Price range: TWD3,000 (PHP5,066.50) for a standard double room to TWD4,500 (PHP6,514.20) for a superior room Contact: 73 Sec 2, Sinyi Road, tel: +886 (2) 2341 5757, email: service@hotel73.com, www.hotel73.com
AMBIENCE
White is the color scheme of choice at Ambience, where you will find immaculate ivory granite interiors accented by soft cream-colored walls. Located at the tip of the road junction, this 60-room four-star hotel has spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, plush white carpets, white tables, Philippe Starck chairs and Ferrucio Laviani lamps. In the evenings, the special ceiling and column lights give the hotel its characteristic avante-garde style, and the lobby is illuminated only by flickering candles. Ask for a room on the 05 stack – it will have a glass bathroom with bathtub where you can soak in bubbles while sipping champagne. If that isn’t pampering enough, the rooms come with Botanicus aromatherapy bath and body products. Price Range: TW$2,760 (PHP4,016) for a standard room to TW$17,000 (PHP24,737) for the suite Contact: 64 Sec 1, Chang-An, East Road, tel: +886 (2) 2541 0077, www.ambiencehotel.com.tw
DANDY HOTEL
If you love all things vintage, Dandy is where you ought to stay. This hotel was remodelled from the old Prince Hotel of the 1960s, and has four corner suites that feature the installation artworks of various modern artists. Each of the hotel’s four floors is unique with a different color and theme. Step out onto the balconies which still retain the older hotel’s curved, wrought-iron railings, and gaze outside the large French windows. All 30 rooms are decked in light, natural tones and fitted with oatmeal-colored carpets, mint green touches on doors, tables and pillows, nice firm beds, and vintage accessories that add character. The fire-proof, heat-insulated building material and auto temperature sensor add a layer of safety, comfort and peace of mind – proof that Dandy isn’t just about good looks. A washing machine and tumble-dryer offers you DIY laundering. Finally, shopping areas like the Taipei 101, the Shin Kong Mitsubishi department store, the Eslite bookstore and the famous Shihlin night market are also all just minutes away.
Price range: TW$3,200 (PHP4,647.40) for a standard room. An elite twin room costs TW$4,500 (PHP6,518.31) Contact: 70 Tianjin Street, tel: 886 (2) 2541 5788, www.dandyhotel.com.tw
REEDON BOUTIQUE HOTEL
If you’re into theme rooms, then Reedon – all the way up north of the city at Zhishan station – is for you. Situated just behind the MRT station, the 41-room hotel takes its design cue from a mix of medieval European castles and
East Asian-flavored interiors. The opulent period influences are evident in all five theme rooms, which feature fabric wallpaper, elaborate drapes, floor-to-ceiling wall murals, lots of mirrors, European chinoiserie, matching carpets and smoky lighting. Choose from the Classic, Royal, Imperial, Passion and Victoria rooms. You also get the modern perks that weren’t available to King Arthur and his court, namely DIY laundry services and free Wi-Fi service at the business center.
The Reedon is seven stations away from the
Taipei station, and very close to the Shihlin night market. Just five stations away is the thermal hot springs town called Beitou.
Price range: TW$3,000 (PHP5,066.50) for suite to TW$4,600 (PHP4,356.42) for a plush royal suite Contact: 106 Fuguo Road, tel: +886 (2) 2836 8833, www.reedon-hotel.com Clockwise from top left: One of the elegant themed suites, the hotel’s facade, an ornate mirror decor for the room, and art along the hallway.
LES SUITES DA-AN
If you don’t need to be in the business area, book a room at the nine-storey Les Suites Da-An instead near the Zhongxiao Fuxing station. You may be tempted to spend entire evenings lounging in the very relaxed lobby area on the ground floor where you can pick up a book from the library, have a cuppa and just spend a quiet evening. The 59 rooms range from 30km2 to 55km2 in size, each trendily designed and comfortablly equipped with firm, bouncy beds, an iPod speaker, a tea set and Molton Brown toiletries. In the morning, the suburban bustle starts as early as 7am and you can find a lot of local food sold along the streets surrounding your hotel as well as at many makeshift shopping stalls. From here, you can take the train two stations along the blue line to reach the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.
Price range: TW$7,000 (PHP10,191) for standard room to TW$16,500 (PHP23,885) for a VIP room Contact: 135 Sec 1, Da-An Road, tel: +886 (2) 8773 3668, email: rsvn.da@ suitetpe.com
LES SUITES CHING CHENG
Located near the Nanking East MTR in the heart of the business district, this sister hotel of Les Suites Da-An has 84 minimalist-designed rooms and a dimly-lit lobby with workstations where you can check email and surf the net. You will find a mobile phone in each room – an extension of your room phone – which means all incoming local calls are free! Grab a freshly-brewed latte from the 24-hour café, which serves an impressive breakfast spread – a chef will cook you an omelet just the way you like it. Price range: TW$8,000 (PHP11,647) for standard room to TW$15,000 (PHP21,874) for a deluxe suite Contact: 12 Ching Cheng Street, tel: +886 (2) 8712 7589, email: rsvn. cc@suitetpe.com
THE TANGO TAIPEI NANSHI HOTEL
Three minutes away from the Zhongshan MRT station, the hotel provides easy access to many food and shopping options. But you may want to just stay in. The rooms have very inviting beds, fluffy pillows and a sloth’s dream gadget – a remote control that adjusts lights, turns on music, draws the curtains and switches on the TV. Sip complimentary high-grown tea in exquisite, handmade clay tea sets.
Bathroom freaks will be thrilled by a Jacuzzi tub powered with a nano bubble hot spring function, a shower that uses a six-jet massage tub and the luxe TOTO electronic toilet that washes and dries you with a touch keypad.
Some rooms even have a small garden so you can enjoy an al fresco breakfast beneath a lovely glass roof.
Price range: TW$4,600 (PHP6,659) for a superior studio to TW$6,400 (PHP9,265) for a suite Contact: 3 Nanjing West Road, tel: +886 (2) 2567 9999, email: rsvn.ns@tango.com, www.tango-hotels.com
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