Grand Sheraton Hotel - Five Star, Near Shandao Temple MRT Station @ Taipei [Taiwan]

Our last accommodation for our Taiwan tour package was in the capital city of Taipei and befitting its status, we were allocated a five-star hotel; Grand Sheraton Hotel, and it's for two nights! 

Retro bubble lifts; which kind of reminded me of luxurious hotels in the 90s where such concept was popular, essentially to wow guests as they took to the lifts to their rooms. 

This hotel wasn't that old though as it was opened in 2005, and renovated in 2018. Total number of rooms stands at 688, although it didn't feel that the hotel was full on the last two nights of 2024, when we were there.

Room 573 - the assigned room for both my dad and I. 

Pretty spacious room although not much deviation from a typical five-star business hotel. Sometimes I can understand why people prefer non-conventional offerings as they would likely be memorable. I am okay with normal, so long bed is comfortable, room is clean and there are things like 3-pin power sockets. 

In many aspects, a lower star hotel has more impetus to stand out. For example, some hotels would provide free snacks for guests to snack on, or even free soft drinks! Not typically the case for five star hotels unless you are staying in club rooms.

Five-star hotels have better toilets though! Aside from bathtub, I am so glad to see a Japanese bidet, where my ass would be pampered with a water wash after every big business. This should be the norm for any five-star hotels! 

My room faced the National Police Agency, Ministry of the Interior. I am guessing security in the area would be very good although some will argue that the safest place might be the most dangerous. Oh well, to each his or her own.

I didn't manage to check out the pool as it was closed due to the winter season. The gym was a godsend with all the eating I had for the past few days. I didn't take any photographs as it had many corners and walls, and also appeared to be quite popular with guests.

View from the bubble lifts - the ground floor would be the resident restaurant for our daily buffet breakfast and it was a hive of activity every morning, with the bustle quietening down after breakfast hours. 

Dining area was much bigger but you don't have to find a table yourself as the friendly service staff would help you to secure one for you. If you wish to have quieter space, get one facing the the main road.

Food for your reference. Variety was quite wide and while I wasn't keen to have breakfast given that there were so many breakfast offerings outside the hotel; my dad is the kind who die-die wants to eat hotel breakfast if it is for free, and he will literally stuff himself so that he can save money. 

So, I had to accompany him and took the opportunity to try the food. My verdict; the taste didn't impress, unlike the unforgettable breakfast I had at Lakeshore Hotel in Hsinchu. Whatever the case, it's a win for me since I would have more tummy space for other food outside the hotel. 

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Address

No. 12, Section 1, Zhongxiao E Rd, 

Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100

(near Shandao Temple MRT Station)

Website

https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/tpest-sheraton-grand-taipei-hotel/overview/?

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Shifen Old Street @ Taiwan

As the tour bus cruised towards our next destination, the view of the soaring lanterns in the sky gave hints that we shall be reaching Shifen Old Street very soon! 

Time to alight and make our way over, on foot.

Sad stories of two different sky lanterns; one was at the start of the journey whereas the other had deflated and stuck, somewhat awkwardly, on top of the building. 

First scene to hit up upon reaching the old street; the display of laundry racks that had red paper clipped to the edges. They were waiting for the one business that's literally the lifeline for this street. 

Release of the sky lanterns - a popular activity in Shifen which was to originate in the mid 1800s, when the area had a lot of bandits, and villages will light to sky lanterns as a sign for other to come when the course was clear. 

The area was also known for its mass lantern release on the 15th day of the 1st lunar month! Bet that will be impressive even though I can imagine the massive crowd when it happens. Not to mention the terrible traffic when everything ends. 

Aside from the release of sky lanterns, many visitors would also buy memorabilias of sky lanterns for friends and family back home. Nowadays, the styles were better, with LED lights, cute little characters etc, and higher pricing at NT$150 (about S$6.00).

We are tourists; and release of sky lantern was an included activity as part of our tour package! Penning down our wishes on the lantern that was co-shared with another family. Please click here for more photos!  

After which was free and easy time! Someone was playing with fireworks and this piqued my interest as Singapore is strict with fireworks, and most Singaporeans would take the opportunity to play with them when we are overseas.

Only thing is that they are not cheap and I am stingy! Sometimes, I think I don't know how to enjoy life, preferring to watch on videos or watch others play as I don't wish to spend my hard-earned money. 

Introducing my dad to the The Ice Cream Peanut Popiah! So familiar to us, yet so remotely different. Nevertheless, you wouldn't regret trying it! 

Street view; I bet I can spend much longer time if I were on free and easy but in this case, tour packages mean we have limited time that wouldn't be spent excessively on window shopping. 

Shifen is part of the Pingxi district of which there's a train line that runs along the a passage with buildings on both sides. Put it this way, it's similar to Hanoi Train Street, but wider, and seemingly less of a danger. 

Train station and the platform.

Checking out the Jingan Suspension Bridge; not that old of a bridge at less than a hundred years ago, but lent a lot of charm to the area. And it's pretty  with its shades of white and blue! 

Of course, the one thing that you can find a lot at the old street would be the lanterns; different colors infer different auspicious meanings! There's actually a sustainable version which is more expensive at double the pricing; you may read here for more info.

Going up a smaller lane, away from the crowd, in seek of a lunch venue! 

As I didn't research beforehand, I just randomly chose a somewhat decent one so long it wasn't empty. And hence, our meal at Shifen Beef Noodle Restaurant (十分牛肉麵), which turned out to be disappointing. 

This angle accurately presented the crowd at Shifen. It was indeed that busy and I wondered where the tourists all came from as the roads weren't filled with tour buses and it was like all the people just miraculously just appeared! 

To stand out from the competitors, this shop also offered free polaroids to those who bought a sky lantern with them. And aside from multi colored option, there's a unique 8-colored lantern that cost NT$350.

Fireworks again! 

Frankly, fireworks in the daytime are waste of money. 

Random photographs.

What rises will descend and that's the plight for many sky lanterns. So what happens when they make their way down to land? With the blessing of the wind, some will travel far. Some, however, will eventually land on trees, on top of buildings, on power lines, resulting in fires, and ultimately contributing to unsightly waste. 

So, should we continue to support such unsustainable activity? As a tourist, it's a question I often ask myself although I don't really have an answer to, especially when the activity is a tourist must-do. 

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Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers