Taiwan F&E

[lsbb13]

Gervynne,

I just came back from Taiwan last week..and i stayed in Riverview..(Mine was gp tour).The hotel is considered 4 star...walking distance to XMD..about 10mins...but the room is relatively small....


As for Rainbow..it's a 3 star hotel....in the middle of XMD...very accessible...but seems like the hotel quite small......but a lot of forumers..used that hotel....seems not bad...one night about SGD $100 only.....You can consider if you are on budget.....
Riverview is almost double.....

To All..who wishes to buy Taiwan snacks back..

1) Muah chee & Guo dong - There's one shop in Chiufen selling..name Ah xin shop....

2) Tai yang bin - many brands ...

3) Pineapple Su - many brands....

Hoped it helps...

 

[whiteveil]

yes....their mei zi guo dong (at chiufen), pineapple su (http://www.taiwan-vigor.com.tw/) are simply great!!! always need to tabao so many back for everyone!!

 

[ty_ogl]

hi
i m also planning a trip to TW in june or july, but havent book anything yet.. cos still scouting for the best n the cheapest.. look at what i found, pls comment.. Thankz


JetStarAsia- Tix - $202 (including TaX) / pax
hotel in TW- www.hotelmoon.com.tw - SGD 50/room/nite (the cheapest so far i haf found.

Can anyone advise mi ..

thanks
annie

 

[makiyo]

Hi PPgroom,

Long time no see..

What a coincidence.. I'll be going on a 8 days tour to Taiwan with my hubby on this Wednesday..

Which tour agency did u book with? How much is it?

 

[idono]

Hi Annie,

Ur $202 is only one way rite?

 

[pierced22]

Hello Annie, i'm gg in june too. i got the jetstar tics for $410/pax return lei.so ur price is considered much cheaper if itz return too.
hotel wise, havent found anything but mostly heard about rainbow etc the pop ones.

 

[pierced22]

anyone here knows where's the best rate for changing taiwan NT??

 

[mist]

hi all,

wanna check is July a good time to go taiwan??? cos dun know got typhoon during that time anot... anyone knows?

 

[idono]

july is ok, typhoon season starts from late Aug usually.

 

[sharky]

Hi Annie,

The road where the hotel is is what they call the red light district. Not the whole stretch though. Not so sure about the stretch the hotel is located at. Just thought you might like to know.

 

[ppgroom]

Hey Makiyo!! such coincidence!!

I took up CHan Bros. Cost about $1600 for 2 pax.

You leh?

 

[makiyo]

Hi PPgroom,

Wow!! Your package is cheaper leh... Our package is from Focal Travel $1800 incl. airport tax... Aiyoyo we need to check-in at 6am but we're still packing at this hour...

 

[lsbb13]

Hi PPgroom...

Your package so cheap? Mine from Ananda...we booked at Natas..cost about $1090 (include airport tax and it's SQ flight) ...can you elaborate more ? Ours is only 7Ds.....Your 8Ds?

So good.......

 

[mist]

hi idono,

thanks for the info... cos i read from somewhere, it say starting from July to september, there will be typhoons. that's why we dare not plan anything... hehe

 

[joying]

hi,

can I check if it is safe for a lady to shop around Taipei alone?

Thanks!

 

[wyy]

i planning to go during National Day (8 Aug) is it ok?

WIll there be any typhoon? cos i am taking no pay leave leh.

 

[adelene]

JOYINg,
Yap! it is safe for lady to shop ard Taipei.

YY,
National day period have typhoon. have to try your luck.

 

[idono]

shop around taipei alone? the usual rules applies if u visit any other cities around the world.

 

[wyy]

Blue Ginger,so when is the best time to go?

 

[cho]

Hi

everyone, booked to go Taipei next Sun..
was tinking of getting a digital camera there from Guang Hwa St/building.

Anyone knows if it's cheaper there?
I'm just concerned that coz they are smaller shops they may not have international warranty or accept credit cards.

Any advice anyone?

 

[idono]

No, Digital Cam is cheaper here. Taiwan hv 10% GST + import tax

 

[cho]

wow.. ok, thanks for e advice, Idono!

Btw, are there any sales in early Jun? gg there next Sun for 6Days.. 2nd time there.. but din manage to go many places during my 1st visit.

Anyone has suggestions?
Also, we can dress like how we dress in SG?
i heard e temp is ard 20+..?

thanks!

 

[pierced22]

Hi would like to ask if u brought extra Sin $ to change over in Taiwan? or would US $ have a better raate?

 

[idono]

In taiwan, only banks & hotels u can change currencies. Hotel rates are as you know, not so good, best if u change in Singapore b4 u go over. At most change back if "over-change", still get better rates than changing over there.

Some places in TWN may accept US$.
Temperature is expected to be slightly cooler than Singapore rite now. Dressing is like in SG, but for ladies, do note tht most of their gals tend to be more "conservative", ie, they dun usually wear spaggatti straps on the street etc.

 

[cho]

Noted. Thanks Idono!

pierced: as far as i know there are no money changers in Taipei.. (except for hotels & their rates, as Idono mentioned, are not so good)

would advise u change more n bring atm card along..
even banks there do not accept SGD.. only USD, JPY and HKD..

 

[pierced22]

Thanks idono and cho, will take note so prob try to bring as much there and only US$ for changing over there.

 

[lomantik]

Actually they do have money changers but you must go to the banks, fill up a form and change your money. They do accept SGD.

 

[adelene]

Hi YY,

I seldom visit the thread if you need quick responses, you may call, sms or email me.
To me, it is fine to visit Taiwan during August. If you do not enjoy summer heat (Summer from Jul-Sep), go there during the rest of the season. They are equally nice and the weather is cooling.

Hi pierced,
Would advise you to change $$ in singapore. Bank can be crowded and they are closed during PH and weekends just like ours. US$ can only be exchanged either in bank, hotel or large shopping mall like Tower 101, SoGO, etc. It is quite inconvenient to do so and at the same time move ard. Small shops only accept local currency and credit card. Other alternatives are debit card or plus-card(actually it is your ATM card).Just use their ATM machines that have the signs to redraw $$ like you did in singapore. check with your bank regarding the surcharges incurred. BTW, these type of ATM usu can be found in big cities like Taipei, Kaoshiung, etc. Their rural cities don't have these type of ATM machines, only local ATM machines.

 

[pierced22]

thanks blue ginger for the tip. wanted to check since i be in taiwan for 2 wks and wanted to avoid bringin too much cash,
looks like i have to unless i use the atm.

 

[cho]

hi all,
would be visiting Taipei this sun, but i'm running short of places to visit!

Can anyone give me suggestions?

So far i have these places in mind:
Day 1
Morning
- Yang Ming shan (do i take a bus from beitou or jiantan? which is nearer?)
Noon
- Beitou for hot spring
Evening + Night
- Dan shui & Yu ren ma tou & night market ard MRT

Day 2
- Sun Yat Sun memorial Hall
- proceed to 101 building
- Taipei main station underground shopping
- shop ard tong hua St
- Yong Kang Street for dinner

Day 3
- Gong Guan MRT shopping
- Ximending shopping
- Shilin shopping + night market

Day 4-6
(stumped)
Probably visit jiufenpu or wufenpu or hualian
see Ferris wheel (anyone knows where it is?)


anyone can comment on my iternary? basically it's my 2nd time to tw.. (been there during New year tis yr.. but it's 1st time for my friend)

 

[racoon]

Day 1
You are going to Dan Shui night market? Nothing much over there. Probably can consider other places like shilin which is on the way back from Dan Shui. Unless you wanna have a more relax night for your first night.

The rest is OK.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[idono]

Cho,

Ur day 1 is not achievable. yang ming shan cannot be done in a morning. take bus from taipei train station is nearest. I'm not certain what bus goes from beitou or jiantan. Also, to go yang ming shan, must take bus as early as u can, suggest 7am. else u'll be jammed on the way up. And try to leave by 3pm else u'll be jammed on the way back. For ur day 1, when u say night mkt, are u refering to the dan shui night market?

for day 4-6, i think wht u need to do 1st is check up on taiwan's geography. the 3 places mention are not in the same region.

anyway, wht type of places u like visiting? maybe then i can suggest?

 

[cho]

thanks idono and racoon!
actually my purpose for e trip is shopping eat and sightseeing..

so far for places to visit, i've only tott abt 101 and sun yat sun n yu ren ma tou..

i'm staying near zhong zhan jr high sch station (muzha line last station)

fir yang ming shan i was told by a fren to take a bus from jiantan and it's about 30 mins?

but is there so much to do at yang ming shan? we intend to stay for abt an hr.. there's juz a park there rite?

any suggestion on what other areas are good for sightseeing n cheap shopping?

 

[cho]

how about wulai? heard it's not bad.. but i'm not sure if it's possible to tour within a day

 

[cho]

hualien to see the Taroko Gauge?

more interested to see e natural sights and shopping.. =)

 

[idono]

heh heh. Yes, its is call a "national park" - yang ming shan. A national park in most countries are not like parks in Singapore . To properly travel yang ming shan, I reckon it'll be 2 full days. But most pple will just take 1 day and just do sightseeing of the popular areas. YMS have an internal bus service to get to all the various areas.

The trip to YMS itself is not long, its the traffic that is the problem. Go early and come down early. You wont regret

Wulai have a waterfall and drink tea..haha. its not a location with lots of things to do other than relax. so few hours is more than sufficient.

In taipei area, u can also visit JiuFen. Very popular, takes 1/2 a day, abt ~1.5h journey by train+bus. a lot of nice little sourvenirs in JiuFen. Most SGians like it.

If u really hv time, can visit Yeliu too. Its all rock formations carved out by the Pacific Ocean. Scenic tourist will like this area too.

shopping is mainly those places u've mention. For myself, i actually prefer shopping in TaiChung.

yes, if u go hualien, dun miss taroko gouge. I hvnt been there myself though I've toured the western parts extensively. Dunno why i keep on missing eastern taiwan. maybe the journey too long..haha.

 

[cho]

wa.. haha.. but yeliu and wulai are they within taipei? reachable within hours? have to take railway there?

we're tinking of gg wufenpu.. heard there's some wholesale factory there.. hee..

yang ming shan: is it like our nature reserve where we gotta climb n walk v far? juz wanna see mountains or waterfalls etc..

 

[idono]

YMS is a mountain itself. U'll be actually walking on the mountain. Cant remember if there's waterfall there. But got lakes & grassland. U got to walk. But there's an internal bus to take u to various regions so that u dun hv to walk very long between the regions of interest.

 

[cho]

yep.. juz visited e YMS website.. amazing.. there's tis pl where u can see e entire taipei city.. whoa..

probably check out 1 of those day tours n we can devote 1 day to sight see, tink it's cheaper n faster than gg ourselves rite?
but most hotels have?

 

[idono]

Yes. For places like Yeliu, JiuFen, YMS, its easier to do it tht way and they usually bring u to places not frequent by public transport.

 

[cho]

Thanks so much Idono!

how about Guess Guess Guess show? i read earlier posts that you can book to watch e show live.. but anyone noes e email to email them?

 

[mikiko99]

Hi

Just come back from taiwan, have some taiwan money left ard 7500NT anyone interested to buy. Exhange rate 19.90:1

 

[ppgroom]

hi ladies,

sorry i mia, busy with work after the holiday lol

yeah, my package was $1800+ for 2 pax. I got mine during the NATAS fair. In fact, i paid $1000 deposit on the day itself.

Personally, i don;t quite enjoy the Taiwan, maybe it's a guy thing, i dunno. But my wife did enjoy it though.

Also, my tour guide's from Chan Brothers, and I dunno about the rest, but this tour seems like alot of 'sales' going on. Bring us to jade factory la, honey shop la, feng shui shop la... all trying to sell us stuffs... i feel it's a ripoff

I travelled with Chan Bros before to Japan, and there were none of such tactics... thus this tme round, very disappointed...

The places that I visited is almost the same as everyone else mentioned as above. We arrived in Taipei, travelled to Hua Lian, then to Tai Tong, over to Gao Xiong and finally all the way back up to Taipei. All in all, 7 days tour. Most of the time spent on coach travelling.

As for the night market, maybe it's cos of the rain, but the variety of food seems not as much as i'd expect to find...

 

[idono]

I can see why u didnt enjoy it. lots of time wasted on those touristy shops. Been in taiwan 1+ yrs and nvr visit those shops before... the only really good stuff is a porcelain maker in taoyuan. they make really beautiful stuff.

and 7 days for all those places?! how to cover them?

 

[cho]

i guess it's coz it's a tour trip?
i guess free and easy would be more fun coz u get to travel to where u like to visit? on a tour u often cant juz skip those sections which you dun enjoy, but u get to visit alot more places coz transport is provided. but time is usually rushed n u cant enjoy as long as you'd want to?

personally i njoy taiwan.. haha.. mayb it's a gal's thing? my bf only njoys it for e food there..

 

[ppgroom]

touristy shops is only 4 stops... of cos there are also scenary stops and 'wen quan' etc... but somehow i dun really enjoy it still haha

 

[cho]

oh..

haha.. next time ask ur wife to go wif her galfrens?

btw, anyone noes which place selling cheaper clothes/shoes/bags:

Shilin
Ximending
Wufenpu

any other places selling clothes/shoes/bags? gota plan e order of my visits.. bot tis pair of boots at shilin for NT700+ after bargaining and went XMD, saw e same pair at NT400+ (b4 bargain) wa.. sad..

 

[ppgroom]

I think Wufenpu is more of a wholesaler place, or as mentioned by the tour guide, he said if you don't buy in bulk, you are not gonna get much of a price difference.

The stuff at Ximending are not much cheaper too.

Do try the Ah Zong Mian Xian at Ximending

Edit: If you are buying anything more than 3, ask the shop owner for discounts!! sure can get one hehe

 

[adelene]

Never buy things from Ximending at all. Many are expensive or equivalent to Singapore price.

Wufenpu is so much cheaper. Can get a lot of thing with NT1000.

 

[wyy]

hey ppl...

me planning to go TW...then was thinking which is better ala carte / package....

I am planning to go F&E (8days 7 nights) staying at Rainbow Hotel from 5th Aug to 12th Aug 06.

Ala Carte Total cost per pax approx $950 which includes:
SIA flight + Stay in Rainbow (8D7N)

Package Total cost approx $800 which includes:
TigerAir + Stay in Raindow
[package pricing may varies]

please advise.