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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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4542/...65722308_b.jpg 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 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4520/...2ef67a49_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4551/...62a13b0d_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4572/...cc1aec40_b.jpg Terminal 1 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/...03a6f2c7_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/...f7346625_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4529/...659aed9b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4558/...e457b921_b.jpg Headed over to the Michaelangelo Lounge. Michaelangelo would be rolling over if he knew about the state of affairs here. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/...9ef8a9fb_b.jpg The one plus was that this place was empty. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4575/...b12eaeb3_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4541/...ab6b821f_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/...58b10190_b.jpg The food spread, lol. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4543/...0d41fd41_b.jpg Cheese plate. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4524/...4bb18d44_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4534/...779ccbcb_b.jpg About as clean as Manafort. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/...b.jpg[/img] 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/...fe08a68c_b.jpg Gate 5 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/...bd4df46b_b.jpg Noticed a long line queuing up for RL boarding, so I joined the gate lice on it and waited about 10 minutes to board https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/...2408b1f4_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/...cb0ef9c7_b.jpg Fairly clear instructions on where to stand. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4559/...0f6dac0e_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4564/...bcaeeb10_b.jpg Flying a 3.5 yo 777 today to TPE in just under 16 hours. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4516/...ff2134ce_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4534/...6b4a1bcb_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4524/...695b0e1b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4577/...7db651d9_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/...3edc8e86_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/...7e137297_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4554/...a0598db6_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/...c4eaa40c_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/...b5a704f4_b.jpg Nothing special in the kit, just the basics https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/...18165c51_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4578/...8aeed895_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/...d55437a1_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/...aab91678_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/...920b050d_b.jpg Solid spirits line up with the Taiwanese Kavalan Single Malt leading the pack https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/...a8837a64_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4583/...fbc592aa_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4582/...336fce11_b.jpg a la SFO777, Showtime, EVA Air style https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4573/...da142f4e_b.jpg Amuse bouche. I sort of feel like an amuse douche saying that. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4541/...31464e55_b.jpg The menu design carries over into the tablecloth design, which I also found to be quite attractive. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4574/...1b843263_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/...d751da86_b.jpg Tasty garlic bread. Nice salt/pepper shakers. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4543/...6edf06f6_b.jpg EVA Air silverware, along with a side of mint floss. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4533/...46d0e70a_b.jpg Tuna starter, fairly bland. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4585/...8b4215f0_b.jpg Great butternut squash soup, quite seasonal. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4522/...17176de8_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4516/...14146518_b.jpg Main course of stir fry lobster with noodles and bok choy. It was excellent and had a fair amount of meat. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/...d88ae894_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/...60b08c9c_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4523/...d5c4c88c_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4581/...50afaa7e_b.jpg I really enjoyed the chocolate mousse cake. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4543/...aa892608_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/...661155aa_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4525/...7c82bddd_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/...fdb5e20e_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/...fb2f5772_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/...95a3bf1e_b.jpg Finished that and noticed we were taking the Polar route. Magical scenery, not so magical low light iPhone photography https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4572/...9ab2e18a_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4568/...ac2c00f1_b.jpg Little snack bar set up in the J mini cabin galley. The seaweed Lays were interesting. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4569/...b662f194_b.jpg Next was the noodles with minced pork. TASTY. This was a precursor to some of the Taipei cuisine I would sample. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4516/...f4c25510_b.jpg 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... https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4536/...334c9acb_b.jpg Views https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4582/...2d57791a_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4562/...75363805_b.jpg IFE was touchscreen and remote activated. Fairly responsive with a decent selection. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/...fb93f41a_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4545/...e0e79b38_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4570/...7b78a3f8_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4530/...f2d561b4_b.jpg[ https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/...27dd8e6f_b.jpg Up next: W Taipei, Taipei food and sites |
Looking forward to this.
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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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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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Originally Posted by injian
(Post 29107232)
Looking forward to this.
Originally Posted by 757
(Post 29107519)
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!
Originally Posted by chongl
(Post 29109448)
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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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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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 :)
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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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4535/...b5da924c_b.jpg Ground Floor Lobby https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4565/...90c3d129_b.jpg Sky Lobby https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/...a3b1ff18_b.jpg Front Desk https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4547/...221165e7_b.jpg Elevator bank with digital artwork monitor https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4585/...31c83233_b.jpg Hallways https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4517/...07425526_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4585/...e17820fe_b.jpg Room 2506 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4533/...ffd66336_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4531/...942941c2_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/...8f5cfe4d_b.jpg Sink looks nice, functional, didn't drain well https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4568/...dba5003b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/...9d532854_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4580/...5bc51b23_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4546/...86d50cdd_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4569/...8d2d211b_b.jpg Love at first sight https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/...2a2bda6b_b.jpg 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... https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/...c3578f12_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4579/...6a0096ef_b.jpg Walking to Shilin https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/...f34c4629_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/...531f11b6_b.jpg Grilled quail eggs https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4519/...ff32e29a_b.jpg Stopped for some minced pork over rice https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/...6ca09596_b.jpg Shrimp fishing https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4559/...717a6f03_b.jpg "Octopus Burned" https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4535/...a9530a58_b.jpg Dumplings https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/...4082575e_b.jpg Stinky tofu. Tried it, not for me. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4572/...a662be53_b.jpg Roast suckling pig https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4545/...6c1219c3_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4538/...5abafd83_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4517/...da7068cb_b.jpg Egg custard cake https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4573/...bf34a5ca_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4559/...d8871e3f_b.jpg Nice views of 101 from the gym https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4533/...41a464f8_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/...e7736439_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/...b7cbe5e7_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4577/...d5c9cb7c_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4539/...e1cc7141_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4575/...463e966b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4583/...d56f79cd_b.jpg Breakfast was good, not great. Wide variety of selection but somewhat bland across the board. Large mall across from the W https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4578/...49d13164_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4515/...b561f092_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4536/...c4616ac4_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4574/...314b3bae_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4584/...5ba8d8b4_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4553/...a299651e_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/...00591d55_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4541/...e76b479b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/...9eb82985_b.jpg Jadeite Cabbage https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4522/...c771bede_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/...3c6994ac_b.jpg Untitled by The menu had pictures and English, so that makes life easy. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4583/...894ba007_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/...1f543830_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4548/...c728da3b_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/...ff354f88_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4549/...4c11f0ab_b.jpg Strolled for a bit to digest lunch and picked up some bubble tea on the way. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/...570fe324_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4535/...3262c060_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4576/...255c4e99_b.jpg Great looking residential building https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4528/...54449698_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4532/...9b0e5bdd_b.jpg Couple of drinks at the W bar before jet lag kicked in https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/...f65422d4_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/...13080935_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4581/...44deb3d2_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4529/...eed6a467_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/...4458fcda_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4556/...08d2f4fa_b.jpg 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. https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/...b12706be_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4547/...387c87c3_b.jpg 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 https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4573/...b1d5c5ba_b.jpg Check out was quick and I was downstairs in minutes and in a new 7 series BMW to the airport https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4530/...43d21834_b.jpg https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4561/...4a198c3c_b.jpg 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 |
Originally Posted by GiantCow
(Post 29130657)
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.
Originally Posted by eeflyer
(Post 29131748)
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 :)
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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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Thanks.. too bad I didn't made it to DTF - but had great dumplings in Jiufen ;-)
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Originally Posted by benjahman
(Post 29132721)
Thank eeflyer It was a quick trip but I really enjoyed TPE. Definitely will go back.
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? |
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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Originally Posted by eeflyer
(Post 29134602)
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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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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