Hotel: W Taipei Review
Welcome to your next hotel stay in Taipei! The W Taipei is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill hotel, it’s so much more with promises of a fun, quirky, and entertaining stay! Read this W Taipei hotel review find out more…
LOCATION
Centrally located in the Xinyi District, and a few steps away from the MRT City Hall Station, you’ll find the W Taipei. It’s hard to beat this hotel’s location, where you can reach attractions such as the Taipei 101 tower within a 10 minute walk, the airport within a 20 minute drive and most importantly a Din Tai Fung branch only a few minutes’ walk away! There’s also 3 malls within a 500-metre radius from the hotel and you can reach plenty of other attractions by metro.
THE CONCEPT OF THE W TAIPEI
The W brand was born from a mix of eclectic cultures and the vibrant energy of New York City, and designed to represent a fun, designed-focus hotel rather than traditional business hotels. They’ve taken this concept worldwide and incorporated into each of their hotels the best of music, fashion, fuel and design.
The W Taipei is no stranger to this and features all of the W Brand’s concepts, from the “Whatever/Whenever” service, to the “living room” which houses the WOOBAR and a residential house DJ who brings all the vibes, to the classic “Wet Deck” where you’ll find a beautiful outdoor pool overlooking the city, and of course to the AWAY spa that is inspired by the design of a space capsule to transport you away from the City’s hustle and bustle. Whether you’re staying at the W Taipei or one of the other W hotels, you’ll be sure to find that it isn’t your traditional hotel in any sense, it’s something even better.
ROOMS
There are 405 rooms at the W Taipei ranging from the Wonderful starting rooms to the Extreme Wow suites, and whilst this is a huge hotel there is no compromise on the quality!
As the rooms start from floor 13 upwards, they all feel bright and spacious thanks to the floor to ceiling windows and the cream and orange colour palette. In particular, if you opt for the Spectacular room (this is what we stayed in) you’ll benefit from the south-facing view of the Taipei 101 tower and the surrounding mountain ranges.
The rooms also feature an open plan bathroom, which includes a wet room with a large rainfall shower and deep sunken bathtub, and most importantly a Japanese style heated toilet! The luxurious toiletries complete the bathroom, and if that’s not enough you’ll also find lots of little intimate features dotted around such as a jewellery holder and tray for your personal belongings.
The W Taipei have truly thought of everything you require to ensure you have a seamless stay.
CULINARY DELIGHTS
Breakfast
Food at the W Taipei is exceptional. The day starts with an eclectic spread of breakfast delights on the 31st floor, from your traditional Taiwanese breakfast to your continental favourites, to your more luxurious options such as truffled scrambled eggs. There’s also a fresh juice bar, eggs made to order, and a la carte menu to choose from in case none of the buffet options tickle your fancy.
Lunch
For lunch, their recently opened new restaurant, Seasons by Olivier E, is the perfect respite spot from the chaos of the city. This modern French restaurant is the first of its kind in Taipei and it uses local and seasonal products to bring a bit of Taiwanese influence into the dishes. The restaurant space is beautifully decorated, with light wood panelling and ample natural lighting from the floor to ceiling windows, to provide a bright and airy space. Whilst sceptical to try French cuisine in Taiwan Seasons by Olivier E exceeded all expectations and then some!
To start, the steak tartare was perfectly seasoned and accompanied by a lightly dressed salad to allow the flavour focus to be on the tartare. To follow, the twist on the classic potato salad topped with smoked salmon was one of the best I’ve had and I don’t even normally like potato salad!
However the main course stole the spotlight with a beautifully tender ribeye paired with a rich red wine sauce, rested in smoke which slowly dissipated when the presenting wooden box opened. The smoke enhanced the flavours to elevate the dish to another level, it was truly delicious.
For the sweet ending, the pistachio crème brûlée had a perfectly crisp layer of caramelised sugar with a smooth custard base beneath, laced with a subtle pistachio flavouring. Trust me, if you need a break from traditional Taiwanese food, Seasons by Olivier E has got you covered!
Other Restaurants and Bars
The hotel also has another restaurant called Yen on the 31st floor which specialises in Chinese cuisine, and next door to it is the Yen Bar. Both have spectacular views of the city given the location! For a more informal bar or a nightcap, you can always head to the Woo bar in the lobby which has a residential DJ and delicious cocktails. Naturally, I ended up here every night for a Negroni!
RELAXATION AND REJUVENATION
The Wet Deck is the place you want to be if you’re looking for some downtime. The 25m pool overlooking the city is the ultimate urban oasis to dip into whilst strumming away to the DJ’s beats. If this is too lively for you, you can always head to the AWAY spa which is equipped with a steam room, therapy bath, and a number of treatments to help you feel truly relaxed.
MY TWO CENTS
We stayed at two different hotels in Taipei and the W Taipei was definitely the better option from its location, to the room size and décor, to the food and bar options! It was both an urban oasis and a fun, lively place to be in, with no pretentious atmosphere that you often find in some large, branded hotels. If you don’t end up staying here I recommend at least trying out one of the restaurants or bars, as it’s some of the best in Taipei!
INTEL HUB
To book: You can book here.
Address: 10 Zhongxiao East Road, Section 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, 110, Taiwan
Phone: +886 2-77038888
Price: Starting from GBP 255 per night in low season and GBP 300 per night in high season, breakfast excluded.
For more on Taiwan, check out this 7 day Taiwan Itinerary!