Surreal Hotel Experience in Taipei
City
Get
ready for my Taiwan Travels series
as it is going to be an amazing journey of culture, food and travels. My 8D7Ns
itinerary to Taiwan includes Taipei, New
Taipei, Hualien and Yilan. From
the moment I landed in Taiwan to the moment I left, I was still in awe of how
amazing the country is, how passionate the people are and how delicious the
food can be.
We
landed in the late afternoon after a four flight with Eva Air, Taiwan’s 5-star airline, at Taoyuan International Airport
in Taipei and made our way to check into our first hotel of the trip.
Now
we were told that we would be staying at Hotel
Proverbs Taipei and dining at a really awesome restaurant that evening in
the hotel. Still, that never prepared me for what’s to come when I reached the
hotel.
Hotel Proverbs Taipei, located in Taipei’s cool and
historical Da’an District. Said to be overlooking Lugongzhen Park, the hotel is
very strategic in its location as Da’an street has quite a character from its
densely filled apartments to the small unique shoplets, convenient stores and
street food stalls that seems to run 24/7. It is also easily accessible as
there are plenty of public transportation and MRT station nearby.
The
42-room hotel is a composition of modern swanky charm with contemporary
elegance. Another masterpiece by award-wining architect and designer Ray Chen,
the hotel boasted of a farm to table grill TK
Seafood & Steak Restaurant, an award winning whisky East End Bar and a delicious L’idiot Bakery. Under the Gloria Hotel
Group, the hotel has other sister hotels such as Hotel Quote and Gloria
Residence in Taiwan too.
The
lobby is located at the 3rd floor of the hotel which the concierge at the
ground floor will guide you to the check-in. The moment one enters the hotel, the
first sight you’ll see is L’idiot Bakery.
Would be hard to miss this as the bakery, though dimly lite, has beautiful
baked goods to reel your senses in. The concierge is discreetly set on the side
while the hotel’s upmarket TK Seafood & Steak is located on the right side
of the entrance.
A
quick checked-in and I headed up to my room, located on the 9th floor of the
building. As soon as the elevator opened, I was greeted by a swanky copper
paneled corridor, lite by warm lightings, leading to the rooms. With a traditional
key and card in hand, I stood outside my room door. It was at this precise
moment that had me at Hello!
There’s
no key hole at the door… ok so by now I was literally scratching my head, what
should I actually do?
It
took me a good 10 minutes before I finally figured out that a copper piece hid
the key hole discreetly just below the door handle. I honestly had to laugh at
myself at that moment. We are so used to using the electronic card system that
we were beginning to forget how it was before… or maybe it was just simply me
being me and my 'duh' moment…
Thanks
to the designer of the hotel, it’s quite obvious that he has an amusing streak
in him to see how guests would figure out the retro hidden lock!
I
walked into my Urban Room and stood
at the hallway, impressed at how cool my room looked.
The
space in Urban Room is cleverly
sectioned into three spaces. One enters the living room, filled with a
contemporary mix of swanky velvet covered sofa to LED TV displaying my name,
open hanging closet, and a work space. The whole room was set with wood panels
with a glass wall at the end to elevate the spaciousness of the room.
A
soft dim glow exudes comfort and warmth in the room, lite by modern lamps in
various spaces.
Room
facilities include safe-deposit box, Satelite TV, complimentary wireless
internet, mini bar filled with beverages and goodies as well as a Yamaha Sound
Bar digital stereo system.
I
walked in further only to be greeted by this beautiful King bed flanked by a vintage
designed chandelier.
The
side table by the bed has this contemporary box that controls the room
lightings. I liked how the designer injected vintage with modern fixings as it
gives the room a very unique and personalized character unlike any other hotels I
have stayed.
At
sight was also a modern luxurious bath tub set against a marbled wall. The
bathroom went modern from tiled walls to modern silver fixtures. Plush fluffy
bathrobe, soft tissues, a full-set of bathroom amenities, luxury bath salts,
body lotion, soap and hair products won brownie points from me.
No
expense spared, the bathroom even comes with a TOTO Washlets toilet. To spare your curiosity on why I was so
intrigue with a TOTO Washlet, we’re talking about state-of-the-art electronic
bidet from Japan. The whole experience from heated seat to automatic toilet lid
and blue LED lighting inside of the bowl as well as bidet funtions are truly a
pampering experience!
There
is also a shower room with rain shower head with solid water pressure and
excellent temperature controlled water system.
Needless
to say, I didn’t hesitate to use the bathroom to get a good soak after my
flight journey…
I
went down for dinner at TK Seafood &
Steak but that’s another story to come…
After
dinner, I took a stroll along Da’an street with a friend, stopping at
convenient stores and a yum cha session at one of the street stalls, picking on
stinky tofu with a Taiwanese bubble tea. When in Taiwan, do as what locals do
is simply a must!
Before
I know it, slumberland was beckoning after supper. My bed was absolutely a pleasure
to sleep in. The firmness was just right, the pillows were plush and soft while my duvet was sateen smooth…
Woke
up early, excited as a bird on the wee hours of a Saturday morning, I went down to the ground floor to be greeted by this lovely sight of the hotel and a
friendly smile from the staff.
The
hotel building stands out, stark contrast against the charm of the street,
especially in the morning where the street is empty on a weekend morning. I
like it. Its old-world charm meets new life on the streets of Da’an…
Strolling
into TK Seafood & Steak for
breakfast, we pre-ordered our breakfast the evening before since we were
planning to leave early to catch a train. The restaurant echoed a different
vibe in daylights compared to our evening before. Nevertheless, it was still beautifully
grand with all the opulent chandeliers and mirrors.
The
open kitchen had lush aromas wafting through the air of the restaurants, waking
up my senses to fresh baked goods and our American breakfast sizzling on the
griddle.
Immediately
a paddle of fresh baked bread and croissants were placed on our table. Nothing
like luscious pastries and beautiful breads for breakfast…
Breakfast
menu may be short list but the choices were sufficient, covering all classic
favorites of many from American to English and even Chinese.
I
opted for Two Sunny Side Eggs with
Sausage, Salty Pork Belly and Potato Hash. What a power-up breakfast to
kick start my day in Taiwan….
Did
I mentioned that I travel with a few others for this trip? As they all slowly
trickled in, I couldn’t resist taking photos of their breakfast too… a
photographer’s habit when she sees such beautiful food at sight…
Two Scrambled Eggs with Sausage, Salty
Pork Belly, Potato Hash
French Toast with Honey Butter,
Seasonal Fruits, Maple Syrup
Egg Benedict, Ham, Baby Greens, Honey
Mustard Dressing
Guangdong Porridge, Aging Egg, Braised
Pork Jaw
After
breakfast, we checked-out and peeked into the East End Bar on the same floor as the lobby. Gorgeous with mirror
ceiling, modern bar and a wall filled with exquisite liquors, East End Bar is
listed under Asia’s 50 Best Bars to
visit.
A
beautiful hotel to stay in when one is in Taipei city, Hotel Proverbs Taipei is a premium hotel that is worth every penny
paid. Even in TripAdvisor, hotel
guests were raving about the excellent service and hotel facilities this place
had.
My
only gripe, I didn’t get to see the amazing rooftop swimming pool or hang out
at East End Bar (because it was too
crowded on a Friday evening). I heard the whisky selection is amazing at this
bar!
I
guess that would be a good excuse to return to Hotel Proverbs Taipei…
We
took a train from Taipei to Ruisui station in Hualien so stay tune for more
adventures in Taiwan…
HOTEL
PROVERBS Taipei
56, Sec.1, Da'an Road,
Da'an Dist.,
Taipei City 106, Taiwan
TEL： +886 2 2711 1118
FAX： +886 2 2711 1117
Website: www.hotel-proverbs.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HotelProverbs
*This trip was made
possible by Taiwan Tourism together
with First Class Magazine and Eva Air. However, all stories and
comments in my posts are purely derived from my own experiences through the
trip.
Taiwan
Travel Series
Hotel Proverbs Taipei
Thanks
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