Taipei
Arrived at the W Taipei about 70 minutes after leaving the airport. Nice looking entry lobby on the ground floor. I was then directed to the check in desk, which was upstairs on the 10th floor (I think?) Check in was swift and was given keys to room 2506, which was a Wonderful Room with two oversized twin beds. Very nice and comfortable.
Ground Floor Lobby
Sky Lobby
Front Desk
Elevator bank with digital artwork monitor
Hallways
Room 2506
Sink looks nice, functional, didn't drain well
Love at first sight
We dropped our bags, freshened up, and headed out into the city. Made our way to Shilin Night Market which is a feast for the senses. Really enjoyed walking around and exploring.
Walked out of the hotel and turned right into New York...can't get away from it...
Taipei City Hall MRT Station - Blue Line. The MRT is super easy to navigate, very clean, all signs are in English and overall was a great way to get around.
Walking to Shilin
Grilled quail eggs
Stopped for some minced pork over rice
Shrimp fishing
"Octopus Burned"
Dumplings
Stinky tofu. Tried it, not for me.
Roast suckling pig
Egg custard cake
I feel like I didn't really hit the night market as hard as I wanted to. I was running on a few hours sleep after a 16 hour flight and was feeling zombie like. Next time!
Made our way to the gym the next morning, which was a good sized and equipped nicely.
Nice views of 101 from the gym
We then decided to try breakfast at the Kitchen Table, which is the main restaurant in the hotel. They serve buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast was good, not great. Wide variety of selection but somewhat bland across the board.
Large mall across from the W
Headed out towards Huashan 1914 Creative Park, which is part art exhibit, part converted warehouses for trade shows, clothing stores and other crafts. Pretty cool little spot with a hip vibe. Good coffee to be found at Alleycats restaurant.
Hopped in a cab and headed over to the National Palace Museum. Quite the collection of 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts, most of it smuggled out of Beijing.
Jadeite Cabbage
Headed from the museum to get lunch at Yong-Kang Beef Noodle. Hands down some of the best food I've had. So much flavor in everything. A great and cheap meal.
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The menu had pictures and English, so that makes life easy.
Strolled for a bit to digest lunch and picked up some bubble tea on the way.
Great looking residential building
Couple of drinks at the W bar before jet lag kicked in
On Sunday we stopped by Din Tai Fung. I believe this is the original location, they have expanded upwards. Food was solid. Dumpling skin was the perfect texture and consistency.
Picked up some pineapple cakes at Sunmery Bakery, which is across from DTF and walked off the meal with a long, leisurely stroll back to the W. It was lightly raining but not too hot/humid.
Checked out of the W the next morning and had a ride over to TSA Songshan Airport, which is about a 15 minute ride from the W. Much more convenient than TPE and for my flight to HND, I was able to find availability on JL J class using Alaska points. I thought the W was a great stay for a few nights. I didn't ask much of them so can't comment on the service, but overall a nice place and convenient location.
Lobby had coffee and muffins out early in the morning
Check out was quick and I was downstairs in minutes and in a new 7 series BMW to the airport
Overall a very quick 2.5 days in Taipei. I really enjoyed the city and would not hesitate to visit again. The food, the ease of getting around and the general level of comfort I experienced while visiting, lends itself to being on my list of places to visit again.
Next up: JL J to HND, Andaz Tokyo and more