Asia - Taipei anyone?

If anybody can help, I would greatly appreciate it. I am going to Taipei on a mileage run, so I'll only be spending some 12 hours there.

Any recommendations for hotels--should I stay at the transit hotel or venture in to the city. From what I understand, it's a bit of a hike from CKS. I'll be there from about 9pm to 8am. Not a lot of time, I know...but any suggestions would be great.

Thanks.

The CKS Airport Hotel (there is only one) is pretty basic, but I guess it's OK to get a night's sleep on a mileage run. You're right that it's a bit of a hike into town, and like many Chinese cities Taipei tends to be fairly dead by about 10pm.

On the other hand if you feel you will be up to nightclubbing you could get a room at the well-known knocking shop the Lai-Lai Sheraton which has a nightclub in the basement which goes to about 3am, and you might get lucky http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif

(Well indeed you will get lucky if you are prepared to part with a little cash)

Is TPE on the water...can one access the waterfront near the airport area? I can easily spend my couple of hours there staring at the Pacific, South China Sea...whatever the case may be.

Despite my short time, is it recommended I go into Taipei and get a hotel there, or just stay at CVS Hotel since I won't be able to do anything in the city?

Also, I know zero Asian languages...just English, Spanish, and French.

And finally, what is the recommended hotel in TPE...cost not an issue. Location & authenticity preferred.

No, Taipei isn't on the water. It's about a 90-120 minute drive north to Geelung, which is the port town.

CKS (Chiang Kai Shek) Airport hotel is probably the best bet, particularly if you haven't got much sleep on the plane since you won't be up to much else anyway.

You will find some English spoken in Taipei (obviously no problem at the airport) but a rapidly decreasing amount as you go outside. A few of the airport taxi drivers have a useful amount of English, but not many. Note that if you do take a taxi from the airport you get charged what is on the meter plus 50%, but they are very safe and reliable and good quality. It will cost around 1200TWD (USD34) each way to the centre of town.

You can also get airport buses which are fairly easy to use. There are a few routes covering different hotels. There is a kiosk in the arrivals hall where you buy tickets (turn left and go to the end of the hall after you come out of customs).

I'm not sure what "authenticity" means in a hotel. I quite like the Lai-Lai Sheraton despite what I said above because it does have a bit of local feel and isn't just a generic international hotel like the Hyatt, Westin, etc. However, it is quite a bit older and a bit threadbare in places.

On the other hand, for the main late night bar and nightclub area you probably want the Intercontinental Hotel which is right in the middle of it. The hotel itself is fine, but nothing particualrly Chinese about it.

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 10-20-2002).]

dupe

[This message has been edited by UNITED959 (edited 10-22-2002).]

Christep:

Thanks for your many suggestions and tips. They are appreciated.

I will be staying at the Sheraton Lai-Lai...and I *hope* to walk around the city until I crash from exhaustion. I presume it's a safe place near the hotel...anything I should be cautious of?

I'm also having the address written in Chinese for the taxi driver...about how long is the trip, time-wise?

Also, anything you recommend seeing during that time of night...please let me know.

Thanks!

Yes - most of Greater China is pretty safe for foreigners, but use common sense as you would anywhere.

I have found that every taxi driver in Taipei understand the words "Lai-Lai fandien" (= Lai-Lai hotel - my transliteration of the Chinese may not be the standard one, wbut speak it like that in "English" and the will know what you mean)

If you show them written Chinese, make sure it is the traditional form, not the simpliefied form that is used on the mainland.

The trip from the airport will probably take about 35 mins late in the evening. You will also have to pay the toll fee in addition to the meter+50%.

The biggest thing to go see round the Lai-Lai is the CKS memorial, which is a huge mausoleum for Chiang Kai-Shek and a surrounding park which contains a pair of large and nicely decorated buildings in the traditional style - one of which is a theatre and the other a concert hall. This is all illuminated into the evening but I fear it may be off by the time you get there - maybe someone with very current knowledge of Taipei (I haven't been there for a year or so though I was going there weekly before that) could advise on what time the lights go off.

In any case probably best to just drop you bags when you get to the hotel and get down there straight away - the concierge will be able to give you a basic map and tell you the route, but it is basically turn right out of the front door of the hotel, go to the first junction, turn right again and keep walking straight for about 10 mins until you reach the wall of the park which will be very obvious.

After that you probably want to retrace your steps and go back up northwards towards the bar area around Lin Shen N. Road.

Another possibility would be the "Snake Market" (aka Snake Alley, aka Hwahsi Tourist Night Market) which used to be quite gruesome in places, but I read that it has been substantially cleaned up in the last year or two so it might be quite boring now. It only really gets going at 7pm, so it will certainly still be going up to about 11pm I guess, maybe later. You'd need to take a taxi to get there from the hotel.

Hope that helps a bit.