Travel Taiwan’s north and stay at luxury hotels & dine in (Michelin) gourmet spots:

While my last post went into general considerations to make when planning a Taiwan trip, this one is about a concrete one-week itinerary. When my husband and I toured beautiful Formosa – as it was called by its discoverers – , we actually had 17 days at our disposal (for the whole island). Yet, you can shorten the journey to one week (north only). This still allows you to see the island’s three major highlights – Taipei, Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake. And my one-week proposal is about a Taiwan trip in style, meaning staying in luxury hotels and dining in (Michelin) gourmet restaurants (if available).

Before coming to the details of the three individual stops, here my Google Map of this one-week Taiwan trip.

Overview on my Google Map of a 1-week Taiwan itinerary

No Taiwan trip is complete without exploring its capital of Taipei. While I put it as first destination on my Google Map, you can of course also do it at the end of the journey. The second stop is on the Island’s northeast, at the Taroko Gorge near the seaside town of Hualien. Then you travel inland to Sun Moon Lake in the foothills of the Central Mountain Range before returning to Taipei.

I start with a short description of the respective place. Then I let you know what to do here in a few sentences. Last but not least, I go briefly into a high-end hotel and some nearby (Michelin) fine dining spots.

A 1-week Taiwan round trip with three stops in style

1. Taipei (Songshan District, near the city center, 3 nights)

About

Taipei is a must for every Taiwan traveler. You find here a fascinating mix of Chinese, Japanese, indigenous and western influences. And although it is a deeply urban place, nature is never too far away. So, it is the ideal starting and/or ending point for your island exploring.

When it comes to activities, Taipei 101 for a view of the city and the Elephant Mountain for a view of Taipei 101 are musts for first timers to Taipei. Also the political Taipei around the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall has to be on every traveler’s agenda.

Further things to do are the Dihua Old Street,

The Dalongdong Baoan Temple

and the nearby Confucius Temple.

Hotel: Mandarin Oriental Taipei

Before setting off on our Taiwan round trip, we lodged at the Mandarin Oriental in the Songshan District. This business district (financial industry) is an okay location for exploring Taipei, however not the most ideal one. Most sights are in the following districts: Zhongzheng, Wanhua, Datong, Xinyi and Da’an. And Songshan is slightly too far north and east compared to the before mentioned ones. Yet, you are close to a MRT station and once on the subway, you get everywhere quickly enough.

As to the hotel, it is opulent indeed. While being a newly built complex (opened in 2014 together with THE ARCADE, a shopping center), it is reminiscent of Medieval European architecture in an eclectic style.

The 303 guest rooms are more spacious than at its competitors. They are classically furnished with contemporary touches and boast generous marbled bathrooms.

And you get a fabulous breakfast at Café Un Deux Trois, a modern buffet style restaurant. Service is as excellent as you might expect it with this prestigious hotel group. And rates are affordable enough, in contrast to many other MO hotels in Europe.

Restaurants: Holt & Hosu

UPDATE: Restaurant Holt’s website is no longer available

We did not have dinner at Mandarin Oriental Taipei – except some small bites in the M.O. Bar after a late arrival on our first day in Taiwan (which were good).

Instead we had decided on two Michelin listed restaurants in the adjacent neighborhood.

Holt is a one-star Michelin restaurant offering exquisite contemporary European food. On our evening, they still served creations by Canadian chef Jeffery Downs, although he had already left for good in the direction of his home country. We were told that they are now in a rebranding process.

The tasting menu we got (3,980 TWD / 112 SFR/US$) was one of the trip’s highlight food wise delivering very high quality.

While Holt was really great yet very European, we were keen on trying food prepared in a more Taiwanese way. So, we had opted for Hosu, a modern Taiwanese dining spot, which is Michelin listed. And we were delighted by this cute little place whose name means “Good Island”. They served a tasting menu (2,880 TWD / 81 SFR/US$) that surprised at every turn.

2. Taroko Gorge (northeast, 2-3 days)

Currently largely closed due to earthquake in April 2024!

About

Taroko Gorge is one of Taiwan’s top scenic attractions. It is a steep valley created by the Liwu river and makes part of the Taroko National Park. The first 18 km/11 mi of Highway 8, coming from Taiwan’s east coast, are what is known as Taroko Gorge. The thing to do here are hikes of various lengths. Usually one full day is enough to get quite a good insight. My husband and I stayed three nights here, and this right inside the gorge.

As to actual things to do, be advised that usually one or more sights or trails are closed (it is a geologically active site). So, check what is open before you go. We did the following activities (on one full day): Swallow Grotto (short walk), Buluowan Suspension Bridge (crossing the bridge only), Eternal Spring Shrine Trial (closed, you could only walk to the first Shrine), Baiyang Trail to Water Curtain Cave (we did not go in, one and a half hour),

Lushui Trail (only a short part, closed after Small Cave).

The second day, we made a day trip to the Hualien area and a bit more in the south direction. It lead us along the east coast to Qixingtan Beach, Qizingtan (quaint seaside town), Baqi Viewpoint (nice),

Jiqi Beach, Fengbin Skywalk (closed) and Xin She Rice Terraces. Then we returned inland via the towns of Guangfu, Fenglin and Shoufeng. Here we made a side trip to Liyu Lake before going back to the Taroko Gorge.

Hotel: Silks Place Taroko

Closed until mid 2024 due to earthquake in April 2024!

As announced, the hotel is located within the Taroko Gorge. Precisely, it is in Tianxiang, a small village at the top of the gorge, about one hour from Hualien City. If you value the best possible situation for exploring the Taroko Gorge, then you are right here. The property used to be an official government guest house under the regime of president Chiang Kai-shek. In 2010, it opened after a renovation as Silks Place Taroko.

While the hotel’s exteriors are not necessarily a feast for the eyes, its interiors are nice, kept in a contemporary style. The 160 rooms are split over two floors, the Retreat Floor and Resort Floor. The former are more luxurious and offer access to the top floor Retreat Lounge where complimentary snacks and drinks are served all day.

As a Retreat Floor guest, you can have breakfast at either the Wellesley Buffet or the Retreat Lounge (served on a tray). For dinner, you can choose between the mentioned Wellesley Buffet or the Chinese Restaurant. Details to both of them follow in the next section.

Restaurants: Mei Yuan & Wellesley Buffet (both at Hotel Silks Place Resort)

As to the food at Hotel Silks Place Taroko, it was not the best we experienced on our Taiwan trip yet still decent enough. We had opted to be on half board and had to choose where we wanted to have dinner twice. As we do not like buffet restaurants, we went to the Chinese restaurant Mei Yuan on two evenings. And we had Shabu Shabu Hot Pot both times, yet we did not mind. This because it was prepared with good quality ingredients (which are boiled in a pot with soup in front of you).

When it comes to the Wellesley Buffet, we were quite a bit underwhelmed by the experience. Again, the quality of food was high and there was a wide range of culinary options. And the staff ensured that the buffet was kept immaculately.

Yet, it was like being in a bee house, with guests buzzing around and voices overlapping in every direction. It was not like something I expected from a five-star property.

3. Sun Moon Lake (center, 2-3 days)

About

Sun Moon Lake, at the foothills of the Central Mountain Range, is the island’s largest body of water. It is at an altitude of 762 m/2,500 ft and a hugely popular destination. And it is indeed a beautiful scenic view.

There are two lakeside towns, Shuishe village (more touristy) and Ita Thao (home of the Thao aboriginal tribe).

If you wonder what to do here, you can go boating, hiking, cycling and stand-up paddle boarding. However, swimming is not allowed (except at the annual mass swim). As to sights, visit the Wenwu Temple (view from the grounds above it towards the lake is splendid),

walk up to Ci En Pagoda (climb up to the top of it for the view) and go to the Antique Assam Tea Farm (self-guided tour, café & shop).

In case you have two full days in Sun Moon Lake as we had, consider a day trip to the Alishan High Mountain tea fields. Here Taiwan’s most famous tea (Oolong) grows. A good place to spend  a day is the small mountain village of Shizhuo. You can make the most beautiful hikes on the Shizhuo Trails System,

buy tea at the Lin Yuan Tea Factory (oldest tea grower in the area) and make a side trip to another village, Fenqihu (old street).

Hotel: The Lalu Sun Moon Lake

This is yet a former official government guest house of president Chiang Kai-shek. After extensive renovations, it was opened as a luxury hotel in 2002. And this is quite a property! It occupies a peninsula next to the Shuishe village. The hotel spans three buildings that blend harmoniously with the surrounding forested hillside. You have fantastic lake views from almost everywhere at the hotel. It is of a timeless Zen-like design.

All the 96 rooms except some stand-alone villas face the lake

and are exceptionally roomy.

Breakfast is served in the Oriental Brasserie and consists of a huge buffet with a diverse food offer, although it is not so geared towards western tastes. In terms of dining, five restaurants are at your disposal, although some only cater for room guests and member. Find out more about how it is dining at their two flagship dining-spots below.

Restaurants: The Lake View Chinese Restaurant, The Japanese Restaurant (both at The Lala) & KEN CAN by Ken Chan (at Hotel Fleur de Chine)

Both, the Lake View Chinese Restaurant and The Japanese Restaurant, were not as good as I had hoped for. While both offered good food, other aspects were not that satisfying. As far as the Chinese place (à la carte) is concerned, neither the banquet hall-like setting nor the service – we were poorly advised – were persuasive.

However, the Japanese spot (set menu at 3,600 TWD / 101 SFR/US$ with U.S. beef fillet) has an attractive setting (no view). When it comes to service, it was not much better than its Chinese counterpart (not many explanations to the food).

The good news in the Sun Moon Lake area is that there is an excellent gourmet restaurant around at the competitor hotel of Fleur de Chine. It is about KEN CAN by Ken Chan.

It is the second spot of this three-star Michelin chef at Hotel Palais de Chine in Taipei. If you are a foodie and have only one evening in the area, then dine here! We were delighted by the creative Cantonese set menu (3,980 TWD / 112 SFR/US$) as well as the courteous and informative service.

Looking back and ahead on my Taiwan journey

While this post went into a one-week itinerary of a Taiwan trip in style, the next is dedicated to a two-week one. Whereas the former only goes to the island’s north – yet covers the country’s three major highlights – , the second brings you to whole Taiwan. This longer journey has the same stops as the before mentioned Taiwan one-week itinerary plus three more. I started my reporting on this island with some considerations to make when planning a luxury trip to this island (my post). Two more blogposts to follow will highlight my personal highlights in terms of high-end lodging and (Michelin) fine dining restaurants.

Date of stay: April 2024

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