I wanted to like this hotel but in the end I just couldn’t recommend it. Perhaps if we had the larger room with a washing machine inside it may have been different as this would have been more convenient.Well you have now answered a question for me. I have been looking at the Tokyu Stay hotels particularly those linked to Mercure. As we get older a longer stay in apartment type hotels is becoming more attractive. But what I had read didn't really seem good to me. your experience confirms a few of the worries I had. So this has been a very good TR from my point of view.
Well you have now answered a question for me. I have been looking at the Tokyu Stay hotels particularly those linked to Mercure. As we get older a longer stay in apartment type hotels is becoming more attractive. But what I had read didn't really seem good to me. your experience confirms a few of the worries I had. So this has been a very good TR from my point of view.
OT but I wish this service was available in Europe - sorry back to the TRAh I love Kanazawa! Going again next year - would be the 3rd visit.
Ta-q-bin is a must in Japan, makes your life so much easier. I often start using them in the airport on arrival ha ha.
OT but I wish this service was available in Europe - sorry back to the TR
I can still remember the sound all the suitcases, including ours, used to make going up and down those streets.Hell yeah, how many times I thought about it when dragging my case on the little cobbled streets in Spain...
Thanks Spruce, I take pleasure in writing it and am glad others also enjoy it.I am enjoying your trip report cdp88. I have visited Japan a few times, worked with them in several Joint Ventures, and golfed with them every month in China for a few years; I still maintain business and personal relationships today and yet I realise I still know very little about their culture.
Japan is a most fascinating country.
With thanks
Spruce
Taiwan HSR from Taichung to Taipei
At this point in our holiday it was time to visit the capital city Taipei. We have been here many times so we wouldn’t be visiting any of the main tourist sites but mainly catching up with friends and family.
The best way to travel is by High Speed Rail as it is so much faster than driving from Taichung (50 minutes compared to 2 hours plus depending on traffic).
The HSR is very similar to the Japanese train system and much of the equipment was supplied by Japanese companies. The Japanese built much of Taiwan’s rail system although the HSR is a much more recent addition. It is worth travelling on the other trains in Taiwan and seeing some of the original stations and other parts of the country. We have done this before and I would highly recommend it, particular the trip through the mountains in the North East and around to the East Coast.
Like Japan, the HSR offers standard and business class with standard having reserved and non-reserved seats. There is a food and drink cart that comes through although there are plenty of food options at the stations too.
For this trip I decided to take business class. A standard reserved seat is TWD700 and business TWD1250 for this trip from Taichung to Taipei. They serve you a complimentary drink and snack in business and the seat is larger with a foot rest and a different design to the standard carriage. There is nothing wrong with the standard seats and I usually travel in standard.
The train was quite full with nearly all seats in business taken. Shortly after boarding the attendants came to offer a choice of drink (oolong tea, coffee, water, juice or soft drink) and a snack (savoury fish snack mix or sweet potato biscuit sticks). The sweet potato sticks were surpassingly good and went very well with my oolong tea. They offer free wifi on the train although this was somewhat impacted by the number of tunnels we went through. The drinks cart comes through regularly and you can ask for refills. There are also more substantial items for sale.
The HSR route is not particularly scenic but it is a very comfortable and efficient way to travel North to South in Taiwan.
That’s great.I was one of the many expat Aussies involved in building parts of that line. Spent 2003-4 in Tapei, working on the section under the city. Brilliant experience.
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I was one of the many expat Aussies involved in building parts of that line. Spent 2003-4 in Tapei, working on the section under the city. Brilliant experience.
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Absolute guaranteed to be delivered and you have ZERO worries about the security of your luggage. Its a fantastic cost effective system only viable because all the Japanese locals need it and always use it.On arrival I was pleased to see our transferred luggage had arrived.
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Absolute guaranteed to be delivered and you have ZERO worries about the security of your luggage. Its a fantastic cost effective system only viable because all the Japanese locals need it and always use it.