Hotel Hopping: Taiwan 2015

One of the things that I always look forward to the most while travelling, is the lodging. Staying in a good lodging is so important to me, I mean after a tiring day travelling, you would want to be greeted with a clean, comfortable and welcoming place to rest for the many nights throughout your trip. 

During my 1-week Taiwan trip back in May this year, I checked-in to a total of 4 hotels at 4 different locations which I think is pretty insane. But, I wouldn't know when I might have another chance to come back to Taiwan again so I might as well try to explore as many parts of it as I can. 

1.

Energy Home Vacation Village

No. 9-1-1, Rongguang Lane, 546 Renai, Taiwan

The first place we checked in was Energy Home Vacation Village which is located at Cingjing. Our stay there was filled with relentless rains which was such a pity, as we were missing out on the luscious green scenery that Cingjing is known for having. Lucky we were only there for 1 night, otherwise I wouldn't know how to cope with the depressing rain. It cost us about S$180 for a family room including breakfast which isn't that bad as their rooms were huge with two-storeys which felt more like a home rather than a hotel room.

Location wise, its pretty accessible to nearby convenience stores and eateries which is about 5 minutes walk away. But with the rain, it felt like 10 minutes as there is no shelters whatsoever. Even walking to our rooms from the reception area was quite a drag. Lets just say it isn't a shelter-friendly place.

The pathway from the main road to our lodging

An outside look 

The view (which was absolutely nothing but haze)

Upstairs balcony (never got the chance to chill outside due to the rain)

2.

Harbor Resort Hotel

No. 11, Mingsheng Street, 555 Yuchi, Taiwan

Next, we headed to Sun Moon Lake. Unfortunately, we brought the rain with us but it wasn't as bad as Cingjing as there were at least some moments where the rain had stopped. It was a huge change compared to our previous lodging as we now had to sleep in a more smaller space. It is also much cheaper and cost about S$140 including breakfast per night. What I like about this place is that the ferry is just located directly outside of our hotel which was really convenient. One of the main reasons we wanted to book this hotel was to catch a glimpse of the sunrise from our hotel rooms, but apparently due to the rain, it was just to cloudy. 

If I had to criticise something, it would have to be the toilet. Well, its not that there is a problem inside the toilet but more about the outside. Although the toilet door and window is made with fogged glass, it still does not provide enough privacy. If you happen to be totally naked in the toilet, people can actually see your naked silhouette from outside the toilet. The only way is to avoid it is to stand as far away from the toilet door and window as possible but its so difficult especially if you want to use the sink cus its just beside the window. To end off, if you are finding a place to share a hotel room with some friends of the opposite gender, then this place may not be for you guys.

3.

53 Hotel

No.27, Zhongshan Rd, Central District, Taichung, Taiwan

Next, we went to Taichung which is like our stopover place for a night before we head to Taiwan and checked in at 53 Hotel. Out of all the hotels, this has got to be the best one yet and what's even better is that it is the cheapest! It's about S$110 per night however, it does not include breakfast. But fret not, there is loads of convenience stores and bakeries nearby to fill your tummy. 

Another great thing about this place is that it provides free washer and dryer service. As it was raining like crazy the past few days, we never actually got the chance to dry out our clothes properly. It does not occur to me that I will be using the hotel facilities during my stay cus usually I don't think it is important. But, it has become something that was extremely helpful and made our stay there really comfortable. 

The room was spacious and clean. Service was great and the staff there were all smiles. The hotel felt like a smaller version of a 4-star modern hotel. I have absolutely no complains with my stay there and would totally recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a place to stay at Taichung. If I could, I wish I had stayed there much longer.

Oh and did I mention, you can also use their gym for free too!

4.

Ulysses Hotel

No.28, Huayin St., Taipei Main Station, Taipei, Taiwan 104

Finally, our last destination, Taipei! We stayed at Ulysses Hotel for the remaining 4 days of our trip and damn, its hard re-adjusting after our awesome stay at 53 Hotel. Our first impression of this hotel is that it is ridiculously pinkish red, and just from the colour you may have an idea of what kind of hotel it is. 

(There is even condoms provided in our hotel room....Ehem.. love hotel?) 

Apart from that, the hotel rooms weren't that bad and meets most of our needs and expectations. It was quite cramped for 4 people but their toilet is really spacious which is probably a little unnecessary. It is also slightly expensive as compared to 53 Hotel, which cost us about S$140 per night. However, being located just beside Taipei Main Bus Station and major shopping malls like Qsquare, it has made our stay there really convenient and not boring.  If you want to take the subway, it is only about a 10 minutes walk away from Taipei Main Station via their underground mall that has tons of shops to mingle and check out.

[REVIEW] UV Aqua White Cool Cleanser

Facial wash has always been a very important part of my skincare routine and simply can't afford to miss any time to wash my face at least twice a day. I seriously don't get how people don't even need to wash their face yet still have flawless skin.

When it comes to beauty products, I would always spend quite a long time deciding which is the right product for me. Which is why, promoters love to approach me and that's how I came across this product. To be honest, I would not have even considered getting this product at first cus it was completely unfamiliar to me. But I just thought hey, lets just give it a chance.

The UV Aqua White Cleansers are one of the many products from Follow Me. One 100ml tube cost $6.05 but they were having a promotion which was 2 for $9.35. So, I ended up buying one of each. Since I have oily and acne prone skin, I will only be reviewing the cool cleanser which is meant for normal to oily skin. If you have normal to dry skin, you can try getting their facial cleanser instead which is the one in white.

I've been using the cool cleanser for a couple of weeks now and so far, I'm pretty impressed with it. I wouldn't say it has completely reduced my acne and pimples but its more of just maintaining and preventing even further breakouts from happening. Upon application, it actually makes your skin feel moisturise instead of it feeling super dry which I really love. Not to mention, it smells exceptionally great! There is also a slight cooling sensation when applying, which makes your skin feel really fresh and lovely which is awesome, especially in the mornings when you just woke up from your sleep. You don't really need to squeeze a lot of the product to get a foam, so you can actually save more.

Overall, I would totally buy this product again. It is affordable, yet effective at the same time.  I think it could probably do with a little more advertising if it wants to get their name out there but other than that, it was a great find for me.

To check out more products from UV Aqua White, do visit them at:
Website: www.tohtonku.com.sg/UVaquawhite
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UVaquawhite
Instagram: www.instagram.com/UVaquawhite

Relive The Backtracks (2)

It's been a while since I last posted relive the backtracks. 

This time is going to be Gavin Degraw's Fire. 

I felt this song just goes well together, in the spirit of the Sea Games that just ended a week ago. When I first heard it last year, I initially thought it was a song for the Commonwealth Games cus it was released around the same time as the Games. But, it was just one of his many singles.

I honestly think this song has the potential to do really well as an official song for any worldwide sporting events such as the Olympics. Being one of the more recent songs, you would expect it to do well in terms of number of views. Reaching almost 4 million in less than a year is pretty decent but I think it deserves way more than that. What I really like about the song is that it has an awesome melody and beat that really pumps you up. Kinda like a great epic motivation song. 

Many may not know who Gavin Degraw is or you may have only heard his name before. But hes actually the voice behind the popular hit song back in 2003, "I Don't Want to Be". Check it out below!

After years of not hearing and keeping updated with such old time artists, it's really refreshing to listen back to other songs that they have made throughout the many years. Gavin Degraw has several other hidden gem songs as well but its a lot to list out. "Follow Through", "In Love with a Girl" and "Chariot" are some of my favourites from him, just to name a few. 

Halal Food Journeys (3): Taichung, Taiwan

If you have missed out on the previous HFJ in Taipei, click here

Apart from being in Taipei, I also went to Taichung to stay there for a night. I was really glad that there are quite a few halal restaurants there and from what I know so far, there are 3 of them. I only managed to went to 2 due to time constraints so here there are......

1.
Dumpling Restaurant *Halal*
No. 200, Section 1, Wenxin Rd, Nantun District

Majiang Noodles NT$60 (~S$2.50)

Spring Onion with Beef (Small) NT$150 (~$6.50)

Beef Dumplings 20pcs NT$120 (~$5.00)

Finally, a place that serves authentic Chinese cuisine. Their specialty is the dumplings and probably, the hot pot since every table has one. However, I did not try the hot pot as I wanted just a simple lunch and the price was wow. Their dumplings are all handmade. Once you enter the shop, you will be greeted with a person folding up dumplings at the entrance. I have to say their dumplings are seriously the best. Once you take a bite, it is just irresistible and highly addictive.

The rest of the dishes were also good. Another favourite of mine is the Majiang Noodles. It tasted like noodles mixed with rojak sauce which I absolutely love.

The service at this restaurant is highly commendable as well and the staff there were really friendly. Although they were very busy, they were still willing to take the time and help explain the dishes to us and respond to our every requests. Two thumbs up for this place! Totally highly recommended!

2.
Si Shih Lai Hand-Pulled Noodles 喜士來手工拉麵 *Halal*

No. 128, Wuyi St, Taichung City

台中市五義街128號

(04) 2206-9486

If you love noodles, this place is perfect! But, this is no ordinary noodle place as all their noodles are hand-pulled. They even have tons of different flavours with a choice of either thick or thin noodles to go with it. 

If I remember correctly, they may not have an English menu so it is highly recommended to bring along a friend who can read and speak Mandarin or you may have to decipher the characters yourself. We decided to take away the noodles and ate at the hotel. 

We order some spicy beef noodle and the other was seafood noodle. It comes with soup but I think it is meant to dip it in with the noodles or you can drink it on its own. I love the spicy beef noodles alot but it is too spicy for me. After a few mouthfuls, I simply cannot take it which is a shame cus I really like how tasty it was (should have ordered the one without spicy). The seafood noodles was ok but maybe a little bland. 

3.

Islamic Yellow Beef Dumplings Restaurant 清真館黃牛肉餃子館 *Halal*

台中市忠孝路165巷12號
No. 12, Lane 165, Jhongsiao Rd., Taichung City
TEL：（04）2285-6389

When I came here, it already was closed. Not particularly sure about the opening hours of this place or if it has closed down. Anyways this is just another place that serves halal food. You could give this place a try if you happen to visit them when its open.

That wraps up my HFJ in Taiwan. Personally, I prefer the food in Taichung rather than in Taipei. Hopefully, it has been helpful to some of you who are planning to have a trip to Taiwan soon and have an idea of how halal food is like there. Thanks for reading!

P.S Extra Tip:

 At some parts of Taiwan such as Sun Moon Lake, there is really no halal food choices. When faced with such situations, you can try eating at Mos Burger and have their seafood burgers if you are comfortable. The reason for Mos Burger is because they are located almost everywhere in Taiwan and most importantly, they do not sell any pork. This could be an alternative for you if halal food is not accessible and you are totally unprepared.

Halal Food Journeys (2): Taipei, Taiwan

I just came back from Taiwan like a week ago and I must say it was one crazy hot and wet trip. I think May is probably a very wrong time to go there. Some parts of Taiwan was raining non-stop while in other parts especially in Taipei, was scorching hot. On a side note, I was incredibly disappointed that there were some halal food restaurants in Taipei that has closed down. I seriously did not expect it because they were pretty well known and had quite a number of good reviews. I will talk about em at a later part of this post.

One very important thing to note about all these halal restaurants is their opening hours. They will open at around 11am - 2pm and 5pm - 930pm. This seems to apply to every one of these restaurant so make sure to plan your day properly so that you are able to eat on time.

1.

Bismilla Restaurant *Halal*

No. 40, Beining Rd

886 (02) 2577-9271

Bismilla was the first restaurant that I went to in Taipei. Unfortunately, I did not manage to take any photos of the food because I was literally too hungry at that time and forgotten to take photos. This restaurant serves up Thai food and I must say its pretty good. There is also another Halal Thai food restaurant called Yunus Halal Restaurant just a few shops away from it. However, sadly again, I forgot to take any photos at that restaurant so I can't do a seperate review for it.

Out of the two places, it is an extremely tough fight and I just can't simply choose which is better. Yunus has a better restaurant ambience compared to Bismilla but in terms of price, Bismilla is slightly cheaper.
Still, I think both of these restaurants are worth a visit.

2.

Somewhere in Wulai.. *Not Recommended*

While I was on my way to Wulai Falls, I came across several shops and this place. The reason why I did not put the restaurant name or address is because I seriously do not think it is worth it. If Wulai is one of the places in Taiwan that you intend on visiting, then you might encounter this place on your way there. However if its not, then I strongly do not think you should come all the way there for the food. 

I do not think the food is terrible but I would say, just mediocre. What totally ticks me off about this place was the restaurant owner. He kinda has a bad attitude and you can also sense a little vibe coming from the locals that he wasn't very liked by them. When asked how long he has been in Taiwan, he said 6 months. Well, good luck with that. I don't think this place would last long. I was quite doubtful about the authencity of the halal sign as well. 

Therefore, this place is a huge no-no for me.

3.

Kunming Islamic Restaurant *Halal*

No. 6, Lane 81, Fuhsing N. Rd

886 (02) 2751 6776

Omelette NT$150 (~S$6.50)

Chili Prawn NT$260 (~S$11)

Fried Fish with Spicy Sauce NT$300 (~$13)

Bhindy (Lady's Finger) Arabian Style NT$230 (~$10)

Kung Pao Chicken NT$260 (~S$11)

Out of all the halal restaurants I've been in Taipei, this restaurant beats out the rest in terms of taste. For something as simple as an omelette, it is probably one of the best omelette I've ever tasted. In most of their dishes, they use a lot of red pepper, green pepper and whatnots to bring out its refined taste which is different.

Although I did not order chapati (because I just ate chapati earlier in the day at Wulai), I still think their chapatis are worth a try as most of the diners there had chapatis on their table. So it should be good right. Another recommendation to try is the Fried Fish with Spicy Sauce which also seems to be a popular choice among the diners there as well. The size of the fish is also a lot bigger as compared to fried fishes in other restaurants which makes it oh so satisfying.

One of the things I have to point out is that I find their briyani rice too expensive. I bought a plate of plain briyani rice which cost me NT$120 (~$5). Pretty extreme don't you think. Although the briyani rice tasted really good, I don't think its worth at all to spent around $5 for it, without any meat or toppings whatsoever. Well, probably its best to just settle with plain white rice which will only cost you NT$20 (~$0.90).

4.

Taipei Halal Bismillah Restaurant *Halal*

Taoyuan Airport, Terminal 1

Basement 1

Before departing from Taiwan, I decided to have my last meal at Taipei Halal Bismilla Restaurant. It is located in the basement food court at Terminal 1 and serves up mostly Mediterranean fusion food. (As usual, hungry me forgot to take photos of the food...) I'm really glad that my last meal in Taiwan ended up well. I like that the food is really simple yet tasty and at a pretty affordable price. 

Service may be a little slow as there is only one person taking care of the stall and doing the cooking. So, it may not be for those who are in a rush to catch a flight but if you are not, it will definitely be worth it to give this place a try.

Before & After

Here are the two places that I went to which has closed down. I was really disappointed especially with Enjoy Kitchen because it was a very popular burger place. Thank goodness there is Google Maps cus I almost thought I went to the wrong address or that my eyes are playing tricks on me. If you haven't notice you can actually turn back time using Google Maps. Pretty cool right? So all the photos below was taken from Google Maps. The before photos was from 2012. Its amazing how 3 years can change so much. 

If you happen to come across this post and planning to go to Taipei, make sure you take down this two places so that you won't have to waste so much time looking for them like I did.

Yuntai Muslim Food

4 Wenzho St., Da'an District

                                                 Before                                          After 

Enjoy Kitchen

No.2, Ln. 84, Sec.3, Roosevelt Rd, Da'an Distict

                                                  Before                                            After  

That's the end of my HFJ in Taipei but its not the end for Taiwan. I went to another part of Taiwan called Taichung . I did not want to add it in here or else this post will just be too long. It's gona be a short one cus I only spent like 1 night there. So, do look forward for the next HFJ in Taichung!