[Taipei] Traveling Abroad with My Mother in Her 60s #2 (Staying at The Grand Hotel, a Gorgeous and Magnificent Hotel)

For us, traveling with parents is a rare event, and the idea of doing it with both sides of the family together meant it might never happen again, so we decided to take the plunge and book this place. (The group consisted of me, my husband, my mother, and my mother-in-law.)

The Grand Hotel!!!

A 5-star hotel in Taiwan.
The impact of the exterior is incredible.

Although I wrote that we took the plunge, the price was actually more affordable than I expected.

[Cost]

One night starting from 2025/12/11
Main Building Superior Side View Room (Twin) x 2 rooms (room only)
Totalapprox. ¥53,000, so it was a little over ¥13,000 per person.
Rooms without windows were a bit cheaper, but since we were there, we decided to get rooms with balconies.

Since it was December, a giant Christmas tree greeted us when we went inside.
Seeing it in person, the lobby was truly impressive (my vocabulary is failing me...).

After taking some time for photos, we checked in and headed to our rooms.

The elevator was all gold, and my mother was so excited.

The room was surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
It didn't feel brand new, but I had no complaints at all.

The view from the balcony is lovely.

It is a side-view room, so it faces sideways.
Probably towards the Shilin Night Market.

Actually, during our stay, the weather forecast was for clouds or rain the whole time, so I was really glad it was sunny at least for this moment.

Breakfast

I debated whether to eat out, but since we were here, we decided to have the hotel's breakfast buffet.
It was about 4,000 yen per person (at first I thought it was a bit expensive, but I'm glad we went).

I often watch a certain Taiwanese food YouTuber's channel, and in the video where they stayed at this hotel, they criticized the breakfast, so I hesitated, wondering if it was worth 4,000 yen.

(I found out later that my mother-in-law is also a viewer of the same channel, and it seems she was already prepared for the fact that the breakfast might not be great.)

But, since we were here! (When traveling, I tend to loosen up and think, 'Well, we're here anyway...')

The result was.

I'm glad we went!

There was a relatively large variety of items, and it was fun to choose, thinking, 'What's this? What's that?' (sparkling eyes).

Admittedly, there were some flavors I wasn't used to, but I think it was a good experience because I could easily try various menu items. The Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice) wasn't too strong and was easy to eat.

Personally, I wasn't a fan of the seasoned white wood ear mushrooms, but my family said they were delicious, so I realized it really depends on the person. (I like wood ear mushrooms themselves.)

There were many items with unique spice flavors, but that's also part of what makes Taiwan unique, so it's fun.

(The shiitake mushroom shumai pictured in the center was exactly that. I thought, 'Shiitake mushroom shumai must be absolutely delicious!!' and grabbed one, but it was spicy!! ← I'm still a novice, so I'm not used to this flavor yet.)

I wanted to see more of the hotel's cafes, caves, and other areas, but our stay this time ended up being mostly just for sleeping. However, I'm glad my mother was able to fully enjoy the very luxurious lobby and the view from our room.

When I asked my mother later what the best part of the trip was, she said it was this hotel.

Since it was a bit far from the station and I was with my parent, we mostly traveled by Uber.
It doesn't seem impossible to walk to Shilin Night Market, but the return trip is uphill, so it might be tough...
It seems best to use the shuttle bus or an Uber.

And so, we were very satisfied with The Grand Hotel.
(We only stayed for one night, and stayed in Ximending for the other night.)