Though my visit to the hotel was a short one for about 5-6 hours but the stay was filled with moments that won't be complete without the spell bounding surroundings and the hospitality of the hotel and the cherry on the top being the world cuisine offered on the buffet.
This was the 1st place of attraction in the city before Taipei 101 was built and still frolics our senses.
My say..THUMBS UP! :)
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The hotel looks amazing and is a real tourist attraction. The lobby is magnificent however it is a bit dated inside with the rooms in need of refurbishment. Rooms on the inside of the hotel are dark with no wi does and that is a bit depressing.
The wifi is expensive and a cup of coffee is about €7.
However the breakfast buffet is excellent and it is amazing to stay in such a historic building.
Very well maintained and great service throughout. Beautifel view from our suite. It really is like stepping back in time just as another poster mentioned without looking "old".
The only thing I did not like was the 5 minute walk to the pool. I actually got lost trying to find it!
We stayed here for 2 nights and enjoyed the surreal Grand Hotel stay. The building is vast, and the lobby and communal areas look like a Chinese palace, it's a rare opportunity to stay in a place like this. We knew the rooms would not be modern, but that was part of the charm, it was like stepping back in time. The room was huge, and was clean and comfortable enough for our stay, but wasn't luxurious. Its a 5 minute taxi ride to Shilin night market, and not far from the centre when using the MRT. It's worth booking the limousine from the hotel in advance to pick you up from the airport, costs 15000 dollars for hotel car, 12000 for taxi so it's worth the extra to have the convenience of having the car ready and waiting. I would recommend this hotel if you want to stay in an iconic building and experience the culture and charm of this wonderful building.
I've stayed at this hotel twice now and while the view is really fantastic, and the common rooms of the hotel are also very beautiful, many of the rooms are very dated. The hotel is really stunning when you arrive and enter the lobby. I recommend sitting and just staring at the ceiling for a while. It is really amazing. When you check in, you get a very cool old-style heavy metal key to open your room, which I think is just a neat feature. The problem is that the rooms are a little old fashioned. The carpet looks kind of old and dirty and the bathrooms are VERY dated. One of my friends had a room with an updated bathroom, so I think they might be slowly updating them. The beds are pretty hard and a little uncomfortable. I think the best part of the rooms is the balcony. Rooms facing the front of the hotel have a balcony that overlooks Taipei, and it is one of the best views around. We stayed last year and I remember the breakfast being quite good, but when we stayed this year, it was significantly less appealing. There were fewer options and much of what they did have looked like it had been prepared days before. I usually really enjoy Asian hotel breakfasts, but this one unfortunately was not good. The last thing I'll mention is the location is a little inconvenient. It is pretty far from the city center. I would recommend staying there for 1-2 nights and then switching to a more modern hotel in the city center. It is a cool hotel and is worth trying once, especially if you've never been to Taipei before.
While the hotel has indeed a grand facade , not every room is grand. I stayed at this hotel for 3 nights. The first two were spent in a closet like space with no windows nor views!The hotel was running at full occupancy and I was given a room 911 ! Just next to the elevator and whenever there were people having a conversation while waiting for the elevator I could hear them loud CBS clear ! The room walls were that thin.
On the last night , not wanting to spend another night in a prison like cell room we decided to upgrade our rooms by forking out more cash!
The new rooms were so much different , one was heaven , the other hell.
Firstly it had a large balcony with an unobstructed view of northern Taipei city. Secondly the room size was palatial with lovely old 'Ming style ' Chinese furniture . The bathroom was very large compared with the 'closet room ' bathroom which had sad looking stained wallpaper in its bathroom.
The only saving grace are it's staff mainly the concierge and bell hop service staff who were cheerful and helpful.The location is out of the way and you will mostly need a cab to move around. If not , you would have to rely on the hotel shuttle to go to the nearest subway at yuanshan station.
Overall , unless I am not given a choice , I will probably not return to this hotel.
