Taiwan’s Top Five

A Franco-Chinese Palace

Like no other destination hotel, Palais de Chine Hotel is the only five-star luxury hotel in Taiwan to combine Chinese culture with French aesthetics and art in its facade and interior design. As the flagship hotel of Taiwan-based L’Hotel de Chine Group, Palais de Chine Hotel is distinctive with its Parisian theme, ornate interiors and antique pieces. Cleverly blending opulent, yet modern designs from China and Paris in a compelling cultural manner, this 5-star hotel provokes both the mind and senses. However, the most important aspect may be the hotel’s culinary efforts, as both French and Chinese cultures attach great importance to food and the customs surrounding it.

Palais de Chine Hotel’s themed dining includes exquisite Chinese and Western restaurants, an elegant French-style teahouse and a bar, surprising guests with innovation on traditional flavors. La Rotisserie is famed for its best-in-town grilled steak and lobster. Delicate Cantonese fare here features seafood and dim-sum made from fresh local ingredients, for which it has received many awards. 6 spacious private rooms are offered to cater to any luxurious and elegant function with a stunning view of Taipei west. The signature grill restaurant Le Palais has open space and a show kitchen, where guests can enjoy fine dining menus with a selected wine list. Buffet breakfast and semi-buffet set menu are also served.

Le Thé is a European themed tea salon, offering a selection of premier tea and Palais de Chine’s signature afternoon tea served daily. Guests can also enjoy small bites and all-day dining cuisine with chic presentation. Le Bar, an avant-garde cocktail safari and Moroccan-style tent house, is a comfy den for pre-dinner drinks or late night relaxation. Guests will be pleased by the hotel’s signature martinis, creative cocktails and a wide collection of Champagne and Whisky.

Yet another renowned service the hotel provides is its butlers. Professional and strict training programs are “exported” from The International Butler Academy based the Netherlands to the hotel’s staff, who provide guests with one-stop service and respond to all guests’ requests within 24 hours.

No.3,Section 1,Chengde Road,Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: 886 2 2181 9999

Fine Arts Meet Fine Foods

Originating in Paris – the City of Fashion, the meaning behind Le Méridien Taipei’s Chinese name is quite interesting. The word “Hanshe”, meaning a humble house, has been used by Chinese people in the past as a self-depreciatory expression to refer to their own home. This gives the five-star hotel a sort of Chinese element, though superficially, as the heart of the style is elegant and romantically French. Located in the dynamic CBD area, the hotel has managed to retain all of its charm, while still remaining trendy, cultured, and rather low-key. Not only is it an ideal place to stay for travelers, but a wonderful starting point from which they can explore the city of Taipei.

Rather than a humble living place, Le Méridien Taipei is in fact an artistic hotel, full of atmosphere, with modern minimalist architecture and ingeniously novel interior design. Nearly 700 pieces of contemporary art are integrated into the creative space of the hotel, letting the spirit of art melt into every inch of the space. “Light and Shadow” has been chosen as the theme for the selection of the works, introducing the guests to discover the beauty of art. While here, one may discover several unexpected pieces – they may be magnificent or plain, elaborate or simple, elegant or amusing, serious or humorous, laughable or thought-provoking, but whatever the style, the encounter will truly be memorable. With works by artists from Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, the U.S., Britain and Belgium, the hotel is trying to create a unique discovery journey and a new life perspective.

The hotel’s famous Signature Breakfasts and Eye Openers, created, like all the other Le Méridien hotels, by innovative and avant-garde three-star Michelin Chef Jean- Georges Vongerichten, features 6 classic yet newly-improved dishes and 7 drinks for an enchanting start to each guest’s day. The all-day restaurant Latest Recipe serves an impressive choice of international and local flavors including pizza, sizzling steaks and handmade noodles, all made-to-order, providing diners a gorgeous gastric and visual feast. When night falls, come to the stylish and sophisticated Quube lounge to enjoy Taipei’s night scene and abandon yourself to relaxing music and great wines. Ernesto Lechthaler, an Italian master mixologist, uses only one type of base liquor to create various brand-new and healthy cocktails by adding seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables.

Le Méridien Taipei is also situated in the midst of many must-see attractions, like National Palace Museum, Yangmingshan National Park and Lungshan Temple, making it the perfect destination for anyone’s trip to Taiwan.

38 Songren Road, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: 886 2 6622 8000

Treasure of Taiwan

“Of all the hotels in Taiwan, The Grand Hotel best represents traditional Chinese arts, architecture and cuisine,” writes Mr. Jiang Bingkun, a former member of the Board of Directors of Straits Exchange Foundation, in an article for The Grand Hotel’s 60th anniversary. Worldwide, there are few hotels which have as many historic and cultural stories as The Grand Hotel, which was created by Ms. Soong Mei-ling in 1952. Since then, the hotel has entertained and accommodated numerous celebrities, political VIPs, superstars and legendary figures, and staged many historic events, witnessing the change of times and 60 years’ social development. In 1967, the hotel was crowned as one of the top ten hotels in the world by Fortune magazine.

With Yangming Mountain at the back and facing Keelung River at the front, the Grand Hotel offers an amazing view of the city of Taipei. Much like a classical Chinesestyle palace, its majestic appearance easily makes it the most attractive landmark in the city. With both its exterior and interior being decorated with traditional Chinese colors, patterns and other details, the hotel can be hailed as a contemporary masterpiece of national architectural culture. The only thing that can match the impressive qualities of the antique building style and decoration is the top-quality service. The hotel’s 487 guest rooms and suites, each adorned with Chinese elements but in different style, are all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and professional services to provide guests the ultimate experience.

But of course, no hotel would warrant such high praise without excellent gourmet foods, and the Grand Hotel boasts several special delicacies that one cannot find elsewhere. With paintings of pine trees and cranes (in Chinese culture, both of these images are symbols of good fortune) on the wall, Grand Garden Restaurant serves over 100 Chinese, Japanese and Western buffet dishes. However, its signature dish is the seemingly simple Yuanshan Beef Noodle, which boasts distinctively tasty broth and extremely tender beef. The noodle was a favorite of Mr. Chen Yunlin, former Chairman of Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits. Now many tourists from home and abroad visit the restaurant only to taste “Chen Yunlin’s Beef Noodle Set Meal”. Yuan-Yuan, a simple and elegant dining space, features Shanghai desserts which are extremely popular among foodies. For those who have been away from home for quite a long time in particular, the desserts are a special delight. Red Bean Sand Cake, a must-taste item made according to Ms. Soong Mei-ling’s personal recipe, is particularly famous. Golden Dragon Restaurant, voted as first place out of Taipei’s best restaurants by American Express’s members, boasts fine foods cooked by state banquet chefs, with Roasted Duck in Stove as its most recommended dish. The restaurant also offers one of the best views of Taipei. The gilded dragon on the front gate fountain, which serves as the restaurant’s spiritual symbol, dates back to over a century ago.

The Grand Hotel, Taipei is indeed a treasure of Taiwan, and to miss it when visiting would truly be a pity.

No. 1, Sec. 4, Zhongshan N. Road., Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: 886 2 2886 8888

A Thousand Times is Far from Enough

Whether as a private residence of top politicians or the paramount resort hotel worldwide, The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake has gone through countless dramatic and fascinating legends in the last century. However, one thing never changed: The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake is always in the spotlight, drawing people’s fixed attention.

Lai Zhengyi, CEO of Shining Group, dreamed of building a world-scale hotel by Sun Moon Lake when he was still a little boy, and finally it came true after he bought the century-old property at the cost of NT$270,000,000, stunning the public at the time. It then took over 5 years for awardwinning Australian architect Kerry Hill to finish the restoration and transformation of this building. On March 3, 2002, The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake was officially unveiled. Themed on minimalism and Zen, the hotel uses materials including wood, stone, glass and steel. Hill alleged that the design (Ongoing Style) of The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake would never be out of date but rather become a testimony to architectural values with time, which for all purposes has already been proved. For Hill, perhaps it was just another successful case in his career, but the opening of the resort was like opening a brand new page in architecture in the area.

According to general standards of hospitality, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake had 400 guest rooms; but in fact, it features only 96 thoughtfully planned rooms. As a result, every guest room here enjoys a luxuriously large amount of space and gorgeous lake view, while public areas including restaurants and the open-air pool are roomy and comfortable. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing in the hotel, you can remain always in touch with the lake and hills – because if one can’t get away from the crowded buildings and suffocating crowds even on holiday, how would it be possible to relax and enjoy oneself?

The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake is lavish in the most modest ways; one must be very attentive to discover the many luxurious features of the resort. For example, precious Myanmar teaks are generously used here, in the stairs, sliding doors, floors (even in the bathrooms), etc; while the colors of the ceramic tiles in the open-air pool were specifically designed to coordinate with the sky and lake. A thousand visits may not be enough to discover all the fabulous little details here.

Don’t expect anything resplendent or extravagant in The Lalu, Sun Moon Lake – people coming here are meant to empty themselves, enjoy a “noble vacuity”, listen to the “speech” between nature and architecture, and be touched by the silence. As long as you stay at the hotel, all five of your senses will be awakened and refreshed by an experience totally different from ever before in an almost imperceptible way – after all, isn’t what resorts are meant to offer?

No.142, Zhongxing Road, Shuishe Village, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Tel: 886 49 285 6888

Discover Earth’s Natural Hot Springs

Situated at the north peninsula of the lake, Fleur de Chine Hotel creates an aesthetic atmosphere by integrating nature and simplicity with its surroundings. As the first natural hot spring five-star resort hotel in the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, Fleur de Chine Hotel is a renowned tranquil escape with a distinctive structural style, committed to comforting exhausted souls from bustling metropolises with a crystal clear spring dubbed “The Beauty Spring.” The average temperature of the spring is 45ºC-55ºC, and PH value is 8.6. To make the best use of it, the hotel launched many programs themed around the hot spring, including Water World, Mountain Mist Spring and Qi Shiseido Salon and SPA.

Every corner of the hotel is infused with the beautiful landscape of Sun Moon Lake, allowing guests to lie peacefully in the bosom of nature all year round, enjoying the rich changing sceneries of the area. The sweet smell of the forest and the metamorphosing colors of Sun Moon Lake filter through the glass panels of Water World, infusing an aura of pure freshness, and filling the indoors with joy and laughter in every moment. Water World is separated into 5 main theme areas: the hot spring spa area, hydrotherapy area, children’s pool area, swimming pool and the sunbathing platform, providing guests with diverse choices of water fun.

With the swaying breeze, an intoxicating fragrance emitting from the cypress water slides and the steam rising from the hot spring amalgamating in the misty air, one can immerse in the hot spring pool to relax and admire the scenery on the horizon cast by the sunset glow. The Mountain Mist Spring is separated into men’s and ladies hot spring pools, with a square-shaped pool, rounded pool and cold spring pool. There is also a marble hot spring tub offered in every guest room as an alternative for more privacy.

Popular Japanese cosmetics brand Shiseido has now launched a spa service in the hotel for the first time. With the aesthetics of “Qi,” a combination of Oriental meridian and acupuncture therapies, and Western massage, an original “inhalation diversion” course is created. Enjoy a royal pamper and replenish the body, mind and soul with calm and comfort in the natural hot spring. For all of these features, Fleur de Chine Hotel was honored as the 2012 “Best Luxury Spa Hotel” in Asia from 2012 World Luxury Hotel Awards.

No.23, Zhongzheng Road, Sun Moon Lake, Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
Tel: 886 49 285 6788

Source by /lifestylecn.com.