Taiwan 2013 (Part 1) - Grand Hotel

For some strange reason, I felt weird typing "2013" on the title. ><

Anyway, so here's my post on Taiwan, finally! I'm sorry I've been so lazy to post this update. I think most of you wanna see pictures so, I'll try not to make it so wordy. I will try. OK? :D

After a bit of trouble in the airport about my "rescheduled" ticket, I flew to Taiwan, eager to get my short vacation started.

The hotel we stayed in was around 40 minutes away from the airport. It was pretty nice, very oriental. It's really "grand" as the name of the hotel suggests. However, most taxi drivers can't understand us when we say Grand Hotel although it's quite an iconic building. I think they have a specific Chinese name for it.>< One taxi driver said something that I don't really remember anymore. lol

Here are some pics of the hotel:

Lanterns~

Red pillars~

View upon entering the hotel~

Ceiling detail~

Excuse me for the lame captions and I'm sorry about the blurred pics...I got shaky hands. TT_TT

But as you can see, everything is so pretty! <3

In Agoda, there was no mention of bath tub, so that was a pleasant surprise! I love soaking in bath tubs. Maybe some of you are unaware, but bath tubs are not popular in the Philippines since we have quite a temperate weather. We were also provided with free internet access in our room. I think internet is free only because we stayed in a Prestige room, otherwise, you have to pay a substantial amount. The internet wasn't really fast either. Haha. :P

Looking down from the veranda of our room, you can see this~

Room ceiling detail~

Fruits we never got to touch. :P

Beds~

Toiletries~

We came in to a half-used toilet paper. I'm not sure if it's a good thing though. I mean, yep they sure are saving resources that way but~~~ >_<

Moving on... The view, ah the view! It was so pretty! I always love a good scenery, especially at night. :)

So friggin' enthralling, ain't it?!

It's interesting to note that they have antibacterial fluid near the entrance of the hotel and ground floor elevators. I think that's really good because we have disease everywhere and having them nearby promotes better sanitary practices.

When it comes to service, I thought all of the staff were courteous. We left a small amount of money for tip in the room but no one touched it, it was where it was after we came back from exploring Taipei. I guess they don't accept tips? But it also suggests they are very trustworthy.

They have a shuttle bus that goes to the nearest station every 15-20 minutes. I think it's very convenient. The hotel is also quite nearby Shilin~ It's a night market. I will post about it some other time!

Overall, I'm happy to have stayed in this hotel! It's really quite different from the other hotels that I've stayed in--the interiors really stand out. I also really loved the night view!

Anyway, this is it for now, see you next time! ^^

Part 1 - Grand Hotel
Part 2 - Taipei 1
Part 3 - Taipei 2
Part 4 - Shilin Night Market
Part 5 - Jiufen