It’s that time of the year again, and this time DramaQueen and I decided (again) to take a short break in Taipei, Taiwan. 😆 The last time we went to Taipei was 4 years ago, and unlike the previous two times, this time we decided to take a full serviced flight instead of a budget airline (just to reward ourselves a little).
To further pamper ourselves, we decided to get our own rooms each, to mimic solo travel somewhat: since we are not that adventurous to truly travel on our own, getting our own rooms and being semi independent should suffice…for now…😂
So all in all, this 6 day semi luxurious pseudo “solo” trip cost us S$1,383.68 per person, sans food and shopping. By using my miles, Klook and Hotellook, about 20% in savings (about S$350~) was achieved.
Since this is going to be a slightly relaxing and luxurious trip (e.g. staying in a hot springs resort in Beitou), accommodation was the bulk of the budget at 67%. But you can half that by staying at cheaper hot springs accommodation (e.g. Hotel Double One, Beitou) or book a private hot springs room at a higher end resort / hotel (e.g. Grand View Resort Beitou) instead of staying in one.
Eva Air
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| Image from Eva Air Hello Kitty official site |
I decided to take Eva Air because I finally had enough miles to redeem my ticket, and since Eva Air has Hello Kitty (and friends) themed flights I figured it was worth the try.
Note: When you sign up for Eva Air Mileage Program, Infinity MileageLands, they would give an additional 5,000 points as a welcome package.
With the miles redemption, I managed to save at least 50% off the tickets for a premium economy seat, which was very worth it. For S$316.60 (not inclusive of a S$25 transfer fee), it is comparable to budget airlines during peak season (with luggage allowance and food), with entertainment, food and luggage allowance all included in the price.
Tip: If you ever have enough miles for redeeming your ticket, it is better if you redeem for a premium (at least), business, or first class ticket. Normal economy tickets are not worth using your miles, as the fuel and other surcharges don't really provide you any savings at the end of the day.
Accommodation
We wanted to enjoy, yet did not want to spend too much, so we compromised and decided to stay in a boutique (budget) hotel for the first 3 nights, and followed by two nights in a Beitou hot springs hotel for some pampering.
Orange Ximen Hotel
We read about the reviews online on TripAdvisor and checked out the hotel's website. It seemed like a nice and homey place, located in the vibrant neighborhood of Ximen. And it is near the MRT, so we decided to that this would be our home for the first 3 nights.
It cost us S$321.48 for 3 nights per person, since we are having our own rooms. So that works out to be an average of S$107 per night per person. If you are sharing the room (in a pair), that works out to be about S$53 per night per person.
It cost us S$321.48 for 3 nights per person, since we are having our own rooms. So that works out to be an average of S$107 per night per person. If you are sharing the room (in a pair), that works out to be about S$53 per night per person.
Note: For those who don't want to share a bed, the hotel offers rooms with bunk beds. But the number is limited so do inform/confirm with the hotel of your choice of room if you want it.
The prices online from Hotellook were somehow slightly more than the rates offered on the hotel’s website for the dates we wanted, so needless to say we decided to book via the hotel directly.
Room Rate: about S$95-115++ per night, so if you manage to find something slightly less on third party platforms like Hotellook, it is definitely worth it.
The booking process was straight forward and simple. The reservations team replied quite fast to re-confirm the rooms and let us know that our preferences would be taken into consideration.
[Orange Ximen Hotel Review]
The Gaia Beitou
After much deliberation, and shortlisting, it was between The Hotel Royal Beitou or The Gaia Beitou. In the end, The Gaia Beitou won simply because the rates suited our budget better.
We managed to find a cheaper rate via Hotelscombined, saving about $40 each and even snagged a NT$500 (ard S$20~) spa credit (for each room). Hotelscombined brought us to Expedia, where we made the purchase. Once the purchase was confirmed, I sent an email to the hotel’s reservations team to confirm the booking and preferences.
We managed to find a cheaper rate via Hotelscombined, saving about $40 each and even snagged a NT$500 (ard S$20~) spa credit (for each room). Hotelscombined brought us to Expedia, where we made the purchase. Once the purchase was confirmed, I sent an email to the hotel’s reservations team to confirm the booking and preferences.
There was a bit of confusion as the booking was made on Expedia not on their website, so they had to link the Expedia booking to one in their system, but that was soon sorted out and they provided their hotel booking id for our Expedia reservation.
Room Rate: (depending on the room type) typically ranges from S$350-800++, depending on your room type and the season. So it you manage to find something cheaper online, it would definitely be a deal.
Transport and (Day) Tours etc…
Ever since I discovered Klook and started using it for my travels last year to Hong Kong and Seoul, it is one of the resources I now look for, for affordable day tours or travel essentials. This time we used Klook and saved quite a bit (on both money and time):
- Airport Transfer to Hotel: Slightly cheaper and super convenient.
[Klook Review: Airport Transfer to Hotel]
- 5 Day SIM Card: Since our return flight is early in the morning, it saves time as there is no need to return the SIM card, unlike a Wi-Fi router. [Klook Review: 5 Day SIM Card]
- Jiufen Shuttle: DramaQueen wanted to go to a fanmeet, so this was one of the day tours that met our (time-constraint) requirements. Plus the transport is handy and saves the hassle navigating public transport, definitely worth it! [Klook Review: Jiufen Shuttle]
- Night Market Tour: Getting a local’s perspective and trying out the food at the night market is a unique experience. [Klook Review: Night Market Tour]
- Gaia Hotel Airport Transfer (early in the morning): Although Klook’s offering was tempting, our flight was early in the morning and there were unstated additional charges (since our hotel is located in Beitou) which would only be confirmed after booking. After much deliberation, we decided that it is easier to use the hotel’s airport transfer instead.
[Review: Transport from The Gaia Hotel to Taoyuan Airport]
When booking your experiences on Klook, please conduct your own research before booking anything. If you are interested in getting travel experiences at affordable prices, and still get some of your money back for the next trip, join Klook here and get S$4.30 off your first transaction!
Tip: If you want to see what promo codes there are for Klook, you can check out TravelBytez Promo Codes. Do take note of the validity of the promo codes. Happy Travels!
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