/bɪ ə gʊd gɜ:l/ n. moniker of she who blogs here [also known as, bie]; adj. personal awesome advice to all female kiddos

meet the fam #thechennies

meet the fam #thechennies

,

舞衣新宿 (Mai Hotel)

We also stayed at Mai Hotel 舞衣新宿 during our Taipei leg. (Remember my criteria for choosing travel accommodation?) Initially, I was torn between this place and Nanking Little Mansion when sourcing for suitable accommodation on Asia Rooms - both hotels had really classy interiors and the rooms looked divine. Ultimately, we settled on Mai Hotel as it was more competitive price-wise and the location was easier to get to. I have to admit though that I busted our budget slightly on this one still, spending NT$5360 for 2 nights (around S$225) inclusive of breakfast. Nevertheless, we discovered it was totally worth it!

ZX and Bielet resting at one of the benches in the sleek white lobby.

Granted the tagline is rather cheesy, I liked the soothing colour combination of soft purple and pink against the white cabinetry and lamp. The rest of the room continued the mutual palette, with dusty gold and beige. I stepped into the room and instantly felt relaxed already (especially after we had walked about 7 minutes in the rain to reach the hotel from ZhongShan station as the hotel is not directly at the train station exit).

The glass tops of the table and TV console, coupled with the see through cupboard, just added to the illusion of space in this roomy nook. Aside - I yearn to have a transparent, see through wardrobe (not necessarily glass) like this. I liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike! For our future home!

Bielet disembarking from her seat in the backpack carrier (with help on Papa). Look! She's already excited looking at the humongous bed!

And when I say 'humongous', I mean it. The bed was expansive and oh, so comfortable! We sank in and couldn't move thereafter. The lightings are all soft, mood lightings as well so none of that harsh, clinical overhead lights that usually dominate rooms. Fancy! Check out Bielet lounging right in! ;)

As for the loo, it was also done up minimalist and with plenty of mirrors. This was my favourite bathroom of all our Taiwan hotels, replete with a generous four-suite facility. It's really smart that they managed to put all of it into a cosy space. And best of all, the shower consists of a rain-shower as well as a half showerhead aka at Bielet's level. So it was really easy for her to have her bath. 

As for breakfast, it is a small buffet spread with some Taiwanese porridge / ingredients / condiments and Western fare of bacon / eggs / sausages / bread / cereal. I thought it was quite a nice selection and thankfully, not the staid affair at TS Hotel. (Qualifier: Despite the meagre breakfast at TS Hotel, the rooms are reasonably priced and cosy while located a stone's throw away from Ximending and the local police joint. It is quite the hit with Singaporeans travelling to Taipei apparently.) The Mai Hotel restaurant is rather spacious but it lacked high chairs for Bielet so we just tucked her into her sack seat. Like the baby backpack carrier, the sack seat elicited peals of laughter from onlookers and coos of how cute Bielet looked in it. Score!

Compared to our accommodation on Day 1, this place is obviously more upmarket and probably targeted at travelling executives who would like something more out of the ordinary. And of course, it has a wardrobe and fridge. Hahaha

Our drinks getting chilled in the fridge. With convenience stores littering every street in Taipei, there are plenty of selections for drinks and snacks, so hotels don't stock up these at marked up prices. Not worth their buck. If you intend to get in drinks and snacks by the truckloads to your room, best bring your foldable or standby plastic bags with you so you don't have to pay for bags at their convenience stores.

All in all, we really enjoyed our stay at Mai Hotel. The service was excellent and even the restaurant ladies manning the counter and replenishing the food kept showering Bielet (and us) with attention. Thumbs up! For families travelling with loads of baggage and/or pram, it might not be a good idea to trudge through the streets from the train station. I'm not going to recommend taking a taxi either, as we took cabs twice and both times, the cab drivers got lost trying to drop us back at the hotel (incidentally on different days too). What the?! The first guy insisted that the lane didn't exist, while the second guy made a wrong turn and couldn't send us to the entrance because he was in the wrong direction of the one-way street. We just paid up and walked back. Make sure you know the exact way to get back, though, and you'll be fine!


0 comments:

Post a Comment

archives