if you follow me on instagram, you’d know that I recently went to Taipei for a short getaway. the thing I was looking forward to the most was spending time with my boyfriend whom I’m in a long distance relationship with. and I think choosing a comfortable place where we can spend quality time together is crucial. coincidentally, I was invited by Grand Mayfull Hotel to review their hotel and it got me all excited! I went through their website and I was IMPRESSED. however, you’d never know how great it is until you’ve experience it first hand. hence here’s my review! (I am an honest person plus I wasn’t paid so you may rely on my comments!)

note that because I was brought on a hotel tour, this post is very complete and long. if you are considering on which hotels to stay and wants to have a look at the different rooms and amenities, or just simply love hotels, you’re at the right place!

this hotel is located at a posh placed named Dazhi which is close by to the popular mall Miramar with that big ferris wheel and also several iconic restaurants like RAW and Yellow Lemon.

ohai!

the lobby is quaint and gosh I love those green chairs.

the waiting area. we actually arrived 2 hour before check in time and the hotel kindly checked us in early =3.

I arrived on a rainy day and was pretty groggy after only having slept for 2 hours because I was on a morning flight. but the extra large king sized bed just got me so happy I pounced on it as soon as I saw it! I am a tall girl and that bed is so huge I can lie down diagonally and still have plenty of space for my feet.

so this is my room upon entry. the executive room (the most humble of all them rooms) was spacious, comfortable and well.. everything I’ve ever wanted in a hotel room. but I think from today onward, my life long goal is to have a comfortable king sized bed at home. #roomgoals.

also forgot to mention that.. the curtains are AUTOMATIC. I’ve never seen anything like that but I could absolutely get use to it!

on the right side of the desk, there’s actually an extensive area for usb cords and plugpoints which I forgot to take pictures of. but they make you life so much easier! no need to worry if you do not have the right adapter!

what I especially love about this hotel is that they have their very own walk-in closet which I immediately fell in love with. I am not sure how the different hangers work but it just made everything so fancy! haha. they even provide you with a tag you can wear for jogging with a trail/map in case you get lost lol.

so what else is in the closet? well, there are yukata’s (the hotel is considered as a ryokan because it has onsen.), high quality laundry bags, super comfortable floor slippers in two colors and even a shoe basket for you to put in your leather shoes for them to SHINE it for you! how awesome is that?!

and they even include an extra large umbrella in every room!

so this is my bathroom. the shower feels very Japanesey with the wooden stool which was ridiculously heavy and a wooden bucket.

can I say how amazing having two sinks is? I can literally wash up together with my boyfriend. we could get ready the same time and go to bed the same time because of it. I never knew the importance of a double sink but it was pretty useful I’d say.

I guess the word luxury can easily be accompanied with the brand HERMES. who knew HERMES actually have their own line of soaps? but yeah, they do and they smell fabulous. although it was heavily perfumed, I loved how I smell.

so what is even more impressive about this washroom is this shower. why so you ask? it can be shifted from top to bottom. what else? well, you can have water coming out of 3 hosts simultaneously because they are all individual. and there is a top shower and also a waterfall kind of function. if you have been to fancy onsens, there are places where you can just sit down and have these dense amount of water pouring down on your back like a massage. and yeap. they have that. you see that thin slit on top? that’s where it comes from!

I was also told that this Hansgorhe shower is so fancy, it is only available at only the suites of other 5 star hotels but in the Grand Mayfull, it’s available in every single room. not fancy enough? well, they have a speaker in the bathroom where you can blast music connected to the TV outside. how’s that?

and I heard their CEO is fascinated with Japanese culture hence their toilet is of course Japanesey. but they have something what I’d only seen in my friend’s grandma’s fancy toilet and also LV Japan. the automatic cover. so when you walk near the toilet, the lid will AUTOMATICALLY pop open!

so there’s this jewellery box inside the bathroom. which opens to…

toothbrushes (in two colours and two different types of toothpaste, a peachy one suitable for women and a normal mint one!), shower caps, vanity kit, comb, loofah pad (superb quality), shaving kit (gilette) and shoe mitt. they even have a nail filer and also floss. something not seen in many other hotels.

okay now lets hop on to the mini bar. there’s your very own classy coffee maker which we didn’t use because we are both sort of allergic to coffee, a classy looking basic water boiler and Chinese ceramic tea set.

inside the drawer, there are some tidbits, plates, and cups for coffee, and glasses for wine and whiskey. pretty impressive but I think they lack of cutlery haha. which well, wasn’t needed.

inside my fridge, my eyes were twinkly upon seeing that plate of French goodness. they have the famous Taiwan beer for you to try, quality juices and a variety of soft drinks.

oh man. they were soooo good. I especially loved the chocolates. my boyfriend was really surprised at the fact that they were made in a hotel and kept suggesting that they were bought from outside until he saw them at the dinner buffet. so yeap, you can have as much as you want at their dinner buffet which is amazing.

thank you for the bottle of white wine!

so this is the complimentary fruit platter served upon arrival. they were all really fresh and yummy ^^.

some of my friends travel with their portable speakers but here, you do not need to worry about that because their clock doubles as a JBL speaker which pairs with your phone through bluetooth!

if not, you can always on youtube with this TV. which acts as a computer as well. and the speakers under the TV was really clear and strong. you also do not need to worry about neighbours hearing because they are soundproof haha.

I worn these fluffy babies for 3 days and I was absolutely in love with it. until I saw that they costs 150TWD hahaha. well, it’s quite weird how you need to pay to take them hotel slippers because I doubt that they will reuse the slippers for other guests.

oh another thing I was fascinated about the room was the choices of pillow and quilt menu. I would love that memory pillow for greater memory please. unfortunately I only saw it on the last day so.. well heads up for you!

MOVING ON!

lets take a look at other rooms too!

the corner prestige room.

another prestige room with a balcony.

the prestige room’s bath tub is a little bit more fancy as it has a window over-looking the city.

and celebrity bathroom lighting!

so yeap, all the TVs here have youtube! yay! the TVs here are 3D too so if you bring your own blu-ray disc you can ask for a player and even lend them 3D-glasses!

the remote control acts as a mouse and keyboard which I loved.

the mini bar here looks a tad bit fancier.

moving on, we have the elite room. only the elite and premier suite has double beds and they are all queen sized!

and how is it different? well, they have a slightly upgraded bathroom and is a bit bigger.

the bathroom also has a mirror now.

then to my favourite room, the premier suite. this room is SIGNIFICANTLY bigger than the previous and has a full fledged sofa and also two huge tables. I would say this is kind of like a nice little home.

this room has a vanity table and a larger wardrobe.

and here they provide you with mouthwash too.

the balcony of this room is also huge overlooking to the swimming pool. but I do not understand the purpose of such a huge balcony since there are no chairs haha.

also, the mini bar here is much fancier with Fiji water bottles and also more snacks.

I do not really see the purpose but there is two TV’s side by side.

the absolute fancy room. I’d like this room for my special day if I am getting married.

moving on we have the Royal Suite. it’s similar to the premier suite except it has a bedroom, living area and a dining table with 4 chairs (quite basic) where I forgot to take pictures of. I personally do not think that it looks as good as the premier suite but this room has a GUEST TOILET hence it is suitable for those who would like to invite business partners into the room or simply friends to just hang out with at the hotel. it’s more like a one bedroom home to be honest.

the guest toilet looks absolutely fabulous though. that mirror doe.

and the bath area is also separated with the shower for this. and there’s an extra tub of salt for your fancy bath time.

there’s also a place called the club 9 which is very appropriate for business meetings and meet ups. it’s very VIP and fancy. guests has access to it and it has unlimited tidbits like pastries, sandwiches and drinks. I didn’t manage to go there since I go out early and come back late at night normally haha.

this is Cocoon, a poolside bar and also a famous high-tea spot for many Taiwanese people.

there’s also an Italian restaurant called GMT.

it looks FABULOUS. I’d say if I were Taiwanese and I want to have a fancy dinner, I’d come here.

love the open kitchen concept.

I mean, I felt like I am in some European country when I was in there.

there are also private rooms which I reckon is great for both families to meet up for the first time when couples decides to get married haha. just like those Japanese dramas.

like I said, the CEO was very into Japanese culture hence he re-created the whole onsen experience exactly like a Japanese ryokan and made it tad bit fancier.

BUT

what sucks really badly is that it is ONLY available for men. like.. WHAAAAAAAT? :(. apparently because he wanted to create a space where men can have their own only men time. I was really upset with it but the hotel manager noted that they received a lot of complaints on this and is deciding to open it to women (like on different timings of course, like many Japanese onsens) in the near future. they better do if not I will be really disappointed.

the manager sneaked me in anyways because she knew I really love onsen and coincidentally there were nobody inside.

there’s a steam room and sauna room.

styling area, resting area, sleeping area and massage area.

don’t they remind you of Japanese onsens?! or the Korean Jjimjilbang.

I was told those heads on the right are tigers. I thought they were bears. .____. and that.. well can I call it a chandelier? has 600 led lights! now that is one huge chandelier!

on the second floor there is Mipon, a Taiwanese restaurant. apparently really really delicious and many locals love coming here.

the interior is nice too. but what I love most is..

their very artistic plates! so beautiful and it matches well with the concept of their hotel. I think they are the only 5 star hotel in Taipei that is all Taiwanese. hence all the art pieces are mostly animals that are exclusive to Taiwan and painted by renowned Taiwanese artists!

the art gallery is really simple but impressive with the huge pieces of artworks.

and if you look closely.. you can see the hotel! it kind of show like the hotel was there since a long time ago. but the truth is, this hotel is fairly new as it is only 1 years old!

then there’s Haruyama, which is my favourite restaurant of them all because.. they serve Japanese..?

there’s 3 sections to the restaurant where you cannot inter-order. a kappo area/izakaya style bar, sushi bar and teppanyaki.

the sushi bar is quite ze very beautiful. suitable for those who wants to impress their date!

the teppanyaki area is much larger. I was curious on the quality of the ingredients they used so I actually asked if they could show me and they did!

the fishes/sashimi they use are from a famous fish market/village in Taiwan and are transported fresh to their restaurant!

when they brought me the basket of seafood above, that lobster was actually still moving. you can see the extensive variety of their seafood too from the picture above!

the name Grand Mayfull is actually derived from the other business their CEO was doing which was the Mei-Fu Beef in which I heard is really famous in Taiwan. hence, they really take pride in their beef! just look at all that marbling!

and then they showcased to me their extensive cooking techniques and I was really impressed.

I only saw this technique used once in a kappo in Osaka run by a humble couple. they burned their fishes with straws which gives it a unique distinctive taste. I was really surprised to see this technique used here too in somewhere not even in Japan.

they of course, uses high grade REAL wasabi. please note that most of the wasabi’s that you’re eating is probably horse radish. real wasabi isn’t all that spicy.

the way they prepare sashimi starters were just so quaint. and that fish drenched in ponzu looks like everything I need right now while writing this post.

they also showcased their technique of cooking the piece of CHUTORO on top of burning hot charcoal. I have never seen this technique before. I just felt like it is such a waste because chutoro’s are not meant to be cooked, but maybe ONLY lightly seared to get those fats out so that it’s more fragrant. but still it’s normally too greasy for my liking. I actually do not really like otoro but is a huge fan of chutoro.

this is the banquet hall where most weddings are hosted at. it’s apparently not so pretty when I took the picture because it wasn’t a wedding but some election dinner I am guessing.

on the second floor, there’s another restaurant called Chiu Yuet Fong which serves Cantonese food. not too interested since I travel to Hong Kong quite frequently.

and the most famous restaurant out of all 5 in this hotel is Palette. although they opened for only a year, you’d find a queue outside of the restaurant right before dinner service. it is a buffet restaurant and you must book to dine here in order to secure a seat as it is really that popular. will make a separate post on their breakfast and dinner buffet (they are also open for lunch) so stay tuned!

in addition to their 5 restaurants, they are actually looking to open their 6th which is a cafe!

the lobby of the hotel has two grand winding stairs which is absolutely perfect for a grand entrance to a grand wedding~. there were already 2 weddings in a day on the next day. it’s crazy.

so the very next morning, we headed for the gym. there isn’t many equipment and is quite humble. but there is pretty much everything you need to stay healthy.

what I liked about this quaint little gym is that they have yoga mats! I started practicing yoga to easy my period pain and I am telling you, it works.

now now, let’s head on to the swimming pool. it isn’t the biggest swimming pool but I am digging those benches on the water. they made everything look so much better. but the only drawback is that.. you can only SWIM given if you wear a swimming cap. for a girl with hair as much and as long as mine, no!!!! especially when it makes me look stupid while swimming. the policy is probably my biggest dislike about the pool area. otherwise, the pool’s temperature is actually regulated and it is really perfect for the winter.

there is also a TV for the evening. great for pool parties perhaps?

because I didn’t want to put on a swimming cap, I just sun bathed here. although I regretted immediately after being two tones darker hahah.

I came here after having a heavy buffet and the swimsuit was so tight hahahaha. but I only had time then so I had to come take pictures!

and because I was upset at how the Onsen is only available for men, I made my own onsen in my room. with a lush bath bomb! the one photographed above is the experimenter by lush.

and it was amazing <3. I got to try 3 bath bombs during my 5 day visit. and I have to say my favourite is the experimenter followed by intergalatic where both of them were really glittery having the latter even more glittery. I liked the experimenter a tad bit more because of how moisturing it was. and it smelled great too!

PS: I actually sent 3 pictures to my boyfriend asking him to choose one of them 3 since I have one bath bomb with me here already. we both do not have bathtubs at home so I thought it’s the perfect opportunity to have some nice ol bath time. but he didn’t read my message carefully and bought all 3. so we ended up having to use one every day because lush bath bombs are known to be best when fresh! and now my skins sooooooooooo smoooooth.

also I must mention, I absolutely love how they drop by in the evening to drop us organic chamomile tea with some dark chocolates. I would say that they really care about their guests and they want them to have the best experience.

I am checking out here! so until next time,

Grand Mayfull Hotel Taipei
No. 55, Lequn 2nd Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491
+886 2 7722 3399
(the location isn’t exactly very central. it is a 10minute walk away from the stations but it is at a calm neighbourhood with a nice mall and popular restaurants which are a stone throw away)

Jamie’s Rating:
location ☆☆☆
atmosphere ☆☆☆☆☆
luxury ☆☆☆☆☆
service ☆☆☆☆☆
cleanliness ☆☆☆☆☆
value ☆☆☆☆.5

VERDICT: the reason for the .5 cut is because the hotel isn’t all that affordable to everybody as the cheapest room is its executive room starting at 9,800TWD per night without breakfast. but I am going to say that the luxurious rooms are really worth it at its price point especially comparing with many other other 5 star hotels but just not so for those travelling on a budget. all in all, I had a great hotel experience and a really luxurious stay here at the Grand Mayfull Taipei. service was top notch and everything in the room like the Simmons bedding down to slippers and laundry bags were of top quality. food were of course amazing too! I would recommend the executive room for those who love 5 star hotels with a tighter budget because I think that the quality of the room and customer services offered here makes it one of the best hotels to stay at in Taipei. for those who is going for a honeymoon type, I would definitely say go for the premier suite because it is just that beautiful. the royal suite though I felt is more suitable for people on business trips whom want to invite clients or guests over. while the prestige and elite room is suitable for those who wants an even fancier bath time with a slightly higher price. because we actually chose to pay a little bit more for a better bathroom before. if there isn’t a big price difference, then I’d say that it’s usually worth it!

PS: they are doing an event now which is a room + gourmet special where you can have an executive room with breakfast and also an 8,000TWD voucher for 14,000TWD. not quite a bad deal! visit http://www.grandmayfull.com/posts/327 for more information!