Taipei, differently

BEEN THERE, done that. Three times in Taiwan -- from Taipei to Tainan -- draw out the conceited indifference of the jaded tripper in yet another one.

Perfunctory, but for the company of friends, if not some sense of courtesy to the inviting company then that we joined Philippines AirAsia’s maiden Clark-Taipei flight Thursday last week. Expecting no more than the tried, tested and tired package of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, National Palace Museum, the night market, Dalongdong Baoan Temple, and Taipei 101. Fitting perfectly, if tightly, as it is in the one full day set for us in the city.

Landing at Taoyuan airport at 7:30 p.m., trudging through immigration and customs, getting bags at the carousel – all the usual, punctuated only by the free portable wifi from Unite Traveler. Not much to do but check in at the Suz & Catorze boutique hotel for the night.

And waking up to a most pleasant view of the Tamsui River meandering through the city, its reed banks teeming with birds – and not a bit of plastic waste as far as the eye can see. The skyline of Taipei – minus iconic Taipei 101 though – forming as backdrop. That spectacular panorama through the floor-to-ceiling glass panels of Room 10-C.

No buffet breakfast at Suz and Catorze’s 17th floor as-yet-unnamed restaurant, but fine dining at 7 in the morning – crisp green salads, pumpkin soup, omelet, sausage and bacon, sauteed veggies, croissant, coffee, the freshest apple juice, and a bowl of fruits.

For a hotel that just had its soft opening last June and yet to “officially function,” Suz & Catorze is already impacting its luxurious mark. If only for the Hermes amenities, down duvets and pillows, Simmons beautyrest mattress, Samsung 49” curved 4K UHD tv, Balmuda the Pot electric kettle, drip bag coffee and TWG teabags in all its superior-to-the ordinary guest rooms.

Same as before – to the Generalissimo memorial to watch the changing of the guard, walk through contemporary Chinese history, marvel at the Cadillac limo the Filipino Chinese community gifted Chiang that he used but once, do the reglementary selfie and we-fie.  

But a sense of the different-from-the-usual dawned upon me once our group of Pampanga, Pangasinan and Baguio mediamen, and Phil AirAsia brass led by CEO Capt. Dexter Comendador with his wife and daughter boarded the Benz Vito and VW Caravelle vans of Tripool Taxi, Taiwan’s fast-rising Uber-like transport company, to whisk us to Yilan, an hour from the capital city.

Lunch – most sumptuous – at The Westin Yilan Resort – of Peking duck, roasted pork in wine, myriad vegetable and chicken dishes, sea food galore, sushi and sashimi, fresh fruits, cakes of all kinds – triple yummy all, and ice cream to die for.

In food alone, The Westin already makes a resort destination of its own, and then some more – hot spring tubs and baths and Bulgari amenities in every well-appointed rooms and suites fully deserving of presidential status; onsen and massage spas, in an all-so-Zen setting. So tempted to sit on that sculpted rock bench by the sand garden off the hotel lobby to “om-ah-hum…”

The spiritual bended to the spirituous at the Kavalan Whisky Distillery – producer of the best single malt whiskey in the World Whiskies Awards of 2015 and 2016, beating Scotland and Ireland in their own invented concoctions, so to speak.

A walk through the distilling process – starting off with the recharring of the kegs – and ending at the distillery’s well-stocked bar and Business Mirror’s Ashley Manabat was like Count Vlad in his own blood bank, toasts after shots, shots after toasts, kampai!

A brief stop at the National Center of Traditional Arts is a travel in time to marvel at old Taiwanese crafts of dough figurines, glassmaking, woodwork, handmade soaps, papermaking.

Dinner at Guan Xing Century Resort Hotel with dizzying array of mouth-watering dishes and the black chicken soup as the piece de resistance.

The hotel is located right in the heart of the Jiaoxi Hot Springs, “unique in all of Taiwan’s hot springs for its geographical location on plain ground” where others are usually up in the mountains. And dubbed the “beauty hot springs” for its transparent and odorless qualities – more than enough attractions to draw both foreign and domestic tourists, alike.

At the nearby uniquely named Just Sleep hotel I… slept. Alas too tired to try the hot spring tub in my room.

Japanese-inspired and in modern industrial style, Just Sleep is a family destination with its own kid zones – where tots can give vent to their creative drives in art, in play. The hotel was practically a kid’s world that morning of Saturday we were there.

On the way back to Taipei, one more hotel to see – and feast in – Helong Faddism Hotel offering Balinese-style rooms and villas, with hot spring tubs too. The food is great, but the soup of whole chicken – crowned head, feet and all – is just too outre for my taste. He, he. 

    

Nonetheless, culinary delights and invigorating hot springs make the signature mark of all hotels in Yilan. As well as the core and context of our Taiwan story this time. Our last stop at Taipei 101 no more than its denouement.

Been there, done that? Fourth time in Taiwan, on a maiden tour. Yeah, this one’s different, pleasantly.

(Phil AirAsia’s Clark-Taipei flights are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays)