Yorkieabroad

Hi there
I am heading to Taipei for 5-6 weeks in June/July. I will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids, but wife will leave after a week, leaving just me and the kids. We were there for 10 days last year and stayed in the Grand Hyatt, which was nice, but we don't want to stay in a regular hotel for that long, so are looking for a short term let on a serviced apartment or suite hotel. The kids will be taking one of the intensive mandarin courses at Taiwan Normal University, so want easy(ish) access to that, preferably close to a suitable subway station. Wife is Taiwanese originally, although she hasn't lived there for 30+ years, but she still has ageing relatives in the city - for various reasons we don't want to impose on them. So, does anybody have any recommendations for accommodation?
Thanks

Yorkieabroad

528 views but no replies...
Less than a month away, so just bumping this to see if anyone has any ideas...
Thanks

bakedbean

Not sure we have any Taipei residents on this board unfortunately Maybe you can tell us all about it after you've been?

Yorkieabroad

Maybe I should start a blog...."5 weeks in a cardboard box in a foreign land"

petrichor

I'm a Taipei resident but don't know the answer to your question, sorry!

Yorkieabroad

No worries - thanks for answering though!
We did find a couple of serviced apartments in the end, but didn't book them and finally we've got a place sorted through Airbnb - not quite what we were after, but its a start and if it doesn't work out, we have a 2 day cancellation clause, so

petrichor

Glad to hear you got something sorted out. If there's anything else I might be able to help with, just drop a line in this thread. I'm subscribed to it so I'll see it.

Yorkieabroad

Actually, there might be something you or anyone else reading may be able to help with! We are going to be there over July 4th, which, as a Brit, doesn't really bother me My American kids, however, are not too happy about being away from home for that particular holiday! I have been in touch with the American Club to see whether we would be able to attend their celebrations on a guest basis, but no luck. I wondered whether you had seen any other American oriented parties advertised?

petrichor

I checked, but I can't see anything advertised yet. You could check this forum regularly, or even just ask on there: FORUMOSA • View forum - Taiwan Events Listings
There are plenty of Americans in Taiwan. I'm sure there will be celebrations, but my foreigner friends all seem to be Australians, Canadians, Kiwis or Brits!

Yorkieabroad

Got here last night, and settled in our accommodation - ended up getting a place off AirBnB in the end, as couldn't get any suitable serviced apartments. Wife booked it, and I'm not certain, but I think it was just shy of US$1500 for 4.5 weeks, including twice weekly cleaning. I've no idea whether that is good, bad or indifferent, but it worked for us. It's the first time I've used AirBnB, and was a bit curious as to how it would work out, but so far so good. Pretty nice little 2 bed apartment in Xindian, high floor, overlooking the river, with good pool and gym complex. Apartment looks pretty new - we may even be the first folk through it as all the equipment/furnishings look brand new - cutlery is still in its plastic sleeves,the washing machine looks like it hasn't been used - even the door know still has the builders protection on! It's right on the MRT station, which is good as its a bit further out than I would have liked. We went exploring the neighbourhood this afternoon, and the kids got more and more excited at all the food options around. Plus they have already made friends with the lady behind the counter in Family Mart next door

bakedbean

Have fun :-)

Yorkieabroad

Thanks - but it's hard not to have fun in Asia....

Pulaski

OK, well don't have too much fun!

petrichor

That sounds about right, Yorkieabroad. Short-term accommodation is in short supply, so expensive. Rental accommodation is generally expensive anyway in Taipei. Xindian is nice and it's on the red MRT line so you can get to lots of places. Get everyone an Easycard from the station, either at the help kiosk or from the machine.

There are also lots of buses if you're feeling adventurous. You can get the 849 bus to Wulai. Tales From the Beautiful Isle - A Taiwan Blog: Wulai Dragonfly
PM me for details if you're interested.

ETA: Make sure you and your family stay ahead of dehydration in this weather. Drink even when you don't feel that thirsty.

Yorkieabroad

We're actually on the green line at Qizhang, and have been using the MRT a lot since we got here - it's a nice system. Only been on the bus a few times, mainly a short hop to the pool where the kids are getting some swim coaching.

I think our weekends are pretty much tied up for visits to families, but appreciate the recommendation for Wulai - I think we were down that way last year. This weekend we're getting the train down to Hualien to meet up with some cousins to go some whitewater rafting Saturday, then a quick visit to Taroko Gorge Sunday and back home late sunday night. Following weekend we'll be off to visit a few other parts of the family in Taichung, including an old auntie who lives in a monastery. That's always a good visit.

Last night we met a whole bunch of the old folk that live in Taipei, and as soon as we walked into the private room in the restaurant I knew it was going to be a tough one....the early dishes included abalone, sea cucumber and fish maw, but then some sushi came in and things improved from there There were a couple of odd dishes I'd not seen before - a sticky rice dish literally covered in mini brine shrimp, and a crab which they said translated as "walking backwards crab" which was tasty, but a lot of work for not a lot of reward. Wife embarrassed herself on this one as it came with a bowl of what looked like water and a slice of lemon, so she used it as a finger bowl - I'm glad she got to it first, as I was about to do the same, and it turned out it was garlic sauce for the crab There was also a delicious roast leg of pork, so my eldest carnivore was very happy We all ended up enjoying it, mainly because the family didn't pressure us to eat, as happened previously at such meals in business settings...phew! But having been in Asia for 2 weeks, and only had one western meal (Hard Rock in Singapore), we've told the kids they can order pizza delivery tonight if they want

Ps, Yep, got it on the liquids - the kids are used to being out in heat/humidity, so they're well on top of the waterbottle situation. Main danger is the swimming followed by sauna/spa/steamroom which is really "sapping"...