During my
travels in Taiwan I visited the Amba Hotel group and had the pleasure to stay
at some of the properties around Taipei city. One of these properties has been the
Amba Taipei Ximending, a hotel that left me speechless. Today´s article will
give you an insight in the hotel, that is more than a comfortable shelter
during one´s travel.
If you are
looking for a home far away from home I can tell you there is nothing comparable
to the Amba hotels in Taiwan. The Amba Taipei Ximending is a four-star hotel
that will give one the impression of a home stay. I have never seen a hotel
that is so personalized, so creative and so into details. It is a fact that the
Amba hotel group is unique and totally outstanding from everything I have seen
yet. It is not a luxury stay but a up class stay and I can tell that I felt home
when I arrived in the hotel, while celebrating my 100th day on
travel when I arrived.
I think one
of the facts that makes the hotel itself so unique is the close connection to
the staff, which is inspiring the hotel and the whole look of it. Per example the
staff decided to include Lego elements into the design of the hotel and created
a creative way to express the boards of the exchange rates or the re-design the
name tags. Another fact is that the hotel, which opened 2012, has a distinct
way to share information and details. The check in counter is designed by
bottles that have been recycled to create an installation of 2012 bottles which
represent the opening of the hotel. Another eye catcher of the hotel lobby are
four pictures, which look like as they were built out of mosaics but were made
from stickers. All these creative ideas refer to the main thought of the hotel
to recycle and to use local products.
While I´ve
already been deeply impressed by the lobby area, I couldn´t hold my breath when
entering the room. The room is pimped with illustrations and local products.
The clean and modern design gives guests the feeling of staying in a perfectly
designed home, that provided everything one will need. A huge bed area and an
area, supplied with a couch and vintage furniture expresses the comfort and
creativity of the hotel. I felt so inspired and happy to stay at the Amba hotel
that I´ve been sad to leave. The surrounding and the atmosphere of the hotel
were different from what I´m used to and really caught my attention.
My fascination
for the hotel continued even out of the room, to be more detailed when I went
to the lobby leveled restaurant for dinner. As the hotel is in an area of
Taipei which is full of cinemas you might also guess that the decoration of the
food and drinks is special but would you guess it to be original movie equipment?
Probably not,
but that’s just what it has been. The food was beside the fancy decoration also
extremely tasty and there has been even a load of vegetarian options and even
vegan options were available on the menu. For a starter, I absolutely recommend
the apple quinoa salad.
The special
dish of the hotel is the pizza and indeed, it was truly delicious. I usually don’t
go for pizza but I´ve been so curious to thy the dough, that I ordered a pizza
(without cheese). For Lactose Vegetarians, there is also a lactose free cheese
option of the menu.
Beside the
food also the restaurant location is quiet charming. The resultant is in the
same level as the lobby and is all furniture with books and games, which guests
are also allowed to take up to the room. It refers to the home atmosphere, that
I was also praising in my previous lines but honestly, everything has a
wow-effect in these 4 walls.
The hotel also has a huge seating area and worked most with natural lightening to be more environmental friendly and to save energy. Beside that (almost) all products are made in Taiwan. The amba hotels try to support the local industry and to provide the charms of Taiwan within the hotel. Per example one will be able to buy local produced soaps in the lobby as well.
For long-term travelers, it is a praise to have access to a washing machine, without leaving the hotel. Something special about the Amba hotel chain is also that all hotels offer new washing machines, which are available to use 24 hours without any charge. Also, the washing powder is offered for free and a collection of books and toys is also placed in the washing room, that also offers dryers.
My last shootout
goes out for the breakfast. The hotel offers hot and cold dishes, so as fresh
fruits. One of the highlights has been the vegan Dim Sum on the last day of my
stay. However, a special dish that I´ve only discovered at the Amba hotels is
the rice roll, which is a Taiwanese kind of food. One will have the choice of
different ingredients stuff the roll with. Each roll is prepared on request and
super fresh. I had a sweet option with a fried breadstick, sugar and peanut powder
– worth a try.
Finally, I
can tell, I have never stayed at a hotel that is comparable with the Amba
hotels. Ximending is a young and trendy area of Taipei, which is generally and
amazing city. It was an unbelievable experience and even though I have been
invited to stay at the Amba hotels these words are completely my own. I can recommend
travelling Taiwan, it is one of the most modern Asian countries that I have
seen yet.
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