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Long Weekend in Taipei and Tokyo via BR J, JL J/F, W Taipei & Andaz Tokyo

Long Weekend in Taipei and Tokyo via BR J, JL J/F, W Taipei & Andaz Tokyo

Old Nov 27, 2017, 9:49 am
  #1  
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 343
Long Weekend in Taipei and Tokyo via BR J, JL J/F, W Taipei & Andaz Tokyo

Somehow my wife let me go on a boys trip to Asia. Granted, it was with her father and two brothers, but still, this was quite extraordinary. She's at home with our 1.4 year old, changing diapers and doing bath time and I'm out crushing beers and eating boxes of uni in some random Tokyo salaryman den. She's a saint and I am very lucky.


Was able to book this whole trip on a variety of point redemptions, including LifeMiles, Alaska, SPG, and Hyatt. We would fly BR J direct from JFK to TPE, spend 3 nights there in the W Taipei, fly JL J from TSA to HND and stay 2 nights at the Andaz Tokyo and then fly JL F from HND to JFK, all in time to be home for Thanksgiving. This should be fun.



Thursday November 16
EVA Air Flight 29
JFK to TPE
Departs 12:45pm
Arrives 5:55pm

We were meeting my father in-law and older brother in-law in TPE, so myself and the younger BIL met up at my place for breakfast, drove 20 minutes to JFK and parked in long-term parking and hopped the AirTrain to Terminal 1. First time at Terminal 1 and it's kind of a dump. Crowded, hot, terrible lounges (will get to that soon) and just overall feels like the almost 20 years old terminal it is.

View from the bridge connecting the AirTrain to Terminal 1


No line at Royal Laurel check in. Was greeting by a nice contract agent and quickly checked in. We were traveling light and with only carry-ons.






Terminal 1



Followed the signs to Airline Lounges. We were invited to use the Alitalia lounge, which I've heard was bad, but this was a joke. Apparently BR uses the Lufthansa lounge for the evening departure, BR31, not sure if it's much better but it could not be worse.



I thought i'd see if the Air France lounge would grant access to Priority Pass members, look promising as we approached, and then we saw two signs that they were not accepting Priority Pass members, amongst other programs.





Headed over to the Michaelangelo Lounge. Michaelangelo would be rolling over if he knew about the state of affairs here.



The one plus was that this place was empty.









The food spread, lol.



Cheese plate.






About as clean as Manafort.
]


Grabbed a quick Pellegrino and made my way out to gate 5, where I met up with my wife's brother. It just so happened that my brother's brother in-law was also on our flight, as he was flying to TPE and on to mainland China for a R&D trip, so we grabbed a beer and chatted for a few.

Caught a nice Saudia 777 pulling in from the bar, which seemed a bit ironic.



Gate 5



Noticed a long line queuing up for RL boarding, so I joined the gate lice on it and waited about 10 minutes to board





Fairly clear instructions on where to stand.






Flying a 3.5 yo 777 today to TPE in just under 16 hours.



First time flying in a reverse herringbone seat. While it is fairly comfortable, it's a bit narrow for my size and the default position was a killer on my lower back.
Also, not sure what got into me this trip, but didn't take the best pictures of the cabin and seats on any of my flights, sorry.










Legroom is great, but felt a bit narrow, with my left knee butting up against the shell. Maybe I'm just manspreading a bit too much.
BTW, the I've worn Nike my whole life, but these Adidas NMD's may be the most comfortable sneaker out there.



Waiting at the seat was a pair of noise cancelling headphones, Rimowa amenity kit, duvet and mattress pad. PDB of orange juice, water, sparkling water was offered. No champagne pro-actively offered, but I did see a few glasses making their way in and out of the galley, which I thought was interesting. I was fine to wait till up in the air for some Krug.




Pajamas were offered shortly thereafter. I took a large (the largest they have) and the pants barely fit and the top was way too snug.








Nothing special in the kit, just the basics



Drink and food menus were distributed. I think EVA Air has one of the most beautiful and unique menu designs out there. I had heard good things about the EVA Air catering and it did not disappoint. I appreciate the fact that they serve Krug in J class and also have a preorder feature online. I booked the stir fry lobster.










Solid spirits line up with the Taiwanese Kavalan Single Malt leading the pack







a la SFO777, Showtime, EVA Air style



Amuse bouche. I sort of feel like an amuse douche saying that.



The menu design carries over into the tablecloth design, which I also found to be quite attractive.







Tasty garlic bread. Nice salt/pepper shakers.


EVA Air silverware, along with a side of mint floss.


Tuna starter, fairly bland.


Great butternut squash soup, quite seasonal.


Salad with a cucumber cream dressing. The lovely FAs found cucumber to be quite a tongue twister and we laughed together as they sort of gave up after the 4th or 5th try. I applaud their courage. I don't speak a lick of Mandarin and can only imagine how difficult it is.



Main course of stir fry lobster with noodles and bok choy. It was excellent and had a fair amount of meat.





After dinner, the cheese and dessert cart made a pass. I had my head turned for a second and when I looked again, they had served me everything imaginable from the cart. I can get used to this.






I really enjoyed the chocolate mousse cake.






Bottled water was handed out after the meal, which lasted about 1.5 hours. Mood lighting was turned on and I had my bed made up.






Slept for about 4.5 hours, which left another 9 or so left. Decided I should continue to eat and see what else EVA Air has to offer.

Ordered the burger. I had low expectations but this turned out to be amazing. The burger was juicy and good sized. I like that it was topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese and pickles. The fries were a bit soft but tasty.






Finished that and noticed we were taking the Polar route. Magical scenery, not so magical low light iPhone photography





Little snack bar set up in the J mini cabin galley. The seaweed Lays were interesting.


Next was the noodles with minced pork. TASTY. This was a precursor to some of the Taipei cuisine I would sample.



After a few more movies, it was time for breakfast/refresher course. I went with the Chinese option, which was not the right choice for me and my palate, but hey, when in Rome...


Views






IFE was touchscreen and remote activated. Fairly responsive with a decent selection.









Landed on time at TPE, which was about an 75 mins from Taipei proper. Arranged for the W to pick us up. A clean Porsche Cayenne was waiting. Hit the ATM and hopped in our ride.
[





Up next: W Taipei, Taipei food and sites
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Last edited by benjahman; Nov 27, 2017 at 10:19 am
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Old Nov 27, 2017, 7:10 pm
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Looking forward to this.
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Old Nov 27, 2017, 8:53 pm
  #3  
757
 
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Great report so far! Looking forward to the rest. I have not seen many reports about Eva Air before so good to read about their Business Class product and see your photos. Thank you for sharing!
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Old Nov 28, 2017, 9:31 am
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Looks like an awesome start. Hope you hit up the night markets at TPE and I can copy your itinerary for the future
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Old Nov 29, 2017, 9:07 pm
  #5  
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Originally Posted by injian
Looking forward to this.
Thanks injian, working on the rest of the report now, should have TPE up soon. Big fan of your reports.

Originally Posted by 757
Great report so far! Looking forward to the rest. I have not seen many reports about Eva Air before so good to read about their Business Class product and see your photos. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks 757, for the most part, I really liked EVAs hard and soft product and would not hesitate to fly them again.

Originally Posted by chongl
Looks like an awesome start. Hope you hit up the night markets at TPE and I can copy your itinerary for the future
Thanks chongl, working on getting the TPE parts up now. Night markets for sure, but I need more than 2.5 days there to really explore. I'm a big fan of your reports and hope to see one soon with your new addition.
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Old Dec 3, 2017, 6:17 pm
  #6  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 291
Looking forward to the rest of this trip report. Going to both Taipei and Tokyo in Feb (also flying BR and staying at the Andaz!) so looking for some ideas.
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 2:08 am
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Join Date: Dec 2016
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Great report so far and phenomenal timing as I may have a trip to TPE soon (although in Y, wish me luck)! I'm also looking forward to itinerary ideas
eeflyer is offline  
Old Dec 4, 2017, 9:03 am
  #8  
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Join Date: Nov 2008
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Taipei

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.


Untitled by


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
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Last edited by benjahman; Dec 4, 2017 at 9:32 am
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 9:24 am
  #9  
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Posts: 343
Originally Posted by GiantCow
Looking forward to the rest of this trip report. Going to both Taipei and Tokyo in Feb (also flying BR and staying at the Andaz!) so looking for some ideas.
Just posted most of Taipei. Will post TSA lounge shortly. Enjoy your trip GiantCow

Originally Posted by eeflyer
Great report so far and phenomenal timing as I may have a trip to TPE soon (although in Y, wish me luck)! I'm also looking forward to itinerary ideas
Thank eeflyer It was a quick trip but I really enjoyed TPE. Definitely will go back.
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 10:09 am
  #10  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
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Thanks for sharing, loved those shots of the night market. All the food you had looked amazing!
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 10:38 am
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Join Date: Oct 2015
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Thanks.. too bad I didn't made it to DTF - but had great dumplings in Jiufen ;-)
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 6:04 pm
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Join Date: Dec 2016
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Originally Posted by benjahman
Thank eeflyer It was a quick trip but I really enjoyed TPE. Definitely will go back.
The Taipei portion of the report was just as good, thanks again!

I noticed that you pointed out multiple times that signs and menus had english on them. Do you speak any Chinese, or did you get by easily enough with just English/pointing/etc?
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 8:11 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Looking forward to reading about your time in Tokyo, and at the Andaz there. I am heading there in Jan so will be interesting to see what you think.
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Old Dec 4, 2017, 11:41 pm
  #14  
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
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Originally Posted by eeflyer
I noticed that you pointed out multiple times that signs and menus had english on them. Do you speak any Chinese, or did you get by easily enough with just English/pointing/etc?
Understanding the 'finger counting' and finger pointing just works (esp. outside Taipeh where English gets more rare). I memorized a handful of hanzi signs for beef/pork/chicken/noodles/soup/rice, which helps - or you just play food roulette ;-)
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Old Dec 5, 2017, 8:13 am
  #15  
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
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Food looks great. The line outside the original DTF is shorter than I expected (unless you went at an off-peak hour).
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