The best way to describe Silks Place Tainan is where tradition meets luxury.
During my time there, I was struck by the nod to traditional Taiwanese culture, while being impressed by the vibrant food and bar culture weaved into the activities and offerings at Silks Place Tainan.
Read till the end for an exclusive discount for bookings up to January 2024!
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At A Glance
Checking into Silks Place Tainan
The hotel entrance is grand, and decorated with oriental patterns, inviting you in. When I entered the hotel, I was amazed by how it combines modern elegance with the essence of ancient traditions.
Check-in starts at 4 pm. Upon checking in, you’re served tea, a delightful gesture that instantly makes you feel at home. The tea canisters adorning the reception add a nice cultural touch and grandeur to the space.
The Junior Family Suite
Stepping into the hotel room, you’re greeted with a touch of zen. The carefully curated decor exudes a sense of tranquillity, creating a serene and inviting ambience.
The dark hardwood present throughout the room gives off an oriental feeling, but may also lend the room to a darker atmosphere.
I loved just sitting at the tatami area, drinking a cup of tea, for the perfect wind down to the day.
The room is largely divided into 3 areas– the living area with a mini-bar, bedroom and bathroom. It comes well equipped with a king-sized bed, 2 40-inch TVs, a safe and a well-stocked mini-bar.
The toilet has 2 vanity areas, a separate shower and toilet cubicles, and a double-sized bathtub (so luxurious!). The heated toilet seat with a bidet was a definite win for me!
I would’ve loved to keep the bathtub blinds up, but especially at the lower levels with the windows directly facing the pool, I kept them down most of the time due to privacy concerns. I also had a little difficulty climbing on the ledge and over to the other side of the bathtub to close the blinds manually.
The complimentary drinks of sparking tea and winter melon tea ale are made specially for the hotel, in collaboration with local partners. They were delightfully refreshing!
Beyond just the standard toiletries, I loved that Silks Place Tainan added special touches like complimentary face masks.
Tip: Put the masks into the fridge first to have a nice cooling effect when applied!
I’m always on the lookout for hotels that can better utilise technology to provide better service– and the Aiello SPOT virtual concierge was a nice accompaniment.
You say “Hello AI” to activate it, and then put in your request. I used it to check the weather, set an alarm, and even play some Taylor Swift songs!
Silks Place Tainan Amenities
Rooftop infinity pool
The temperature-controlled pool boasts nice views of the city. At around 5pm when I was there, it was a popular hangout spot, with people lounging by the pool, and kids splashing around.
With the cosy areas beside the pool and even a fireplace, I can imagine it being a great place to host a poolside party.
Gym
The gym comes fairly well-equipped with free weights and cardio equipment like treadmills and bikes.
Lounge
The lounge, aptly named Silks Library, gives an academic flair. It serves as a quiet environment to relax and even has a business room for business travellers to hold private meetings.
Kid’s Club
This kid’s playroom is one of the most unique ones I’ve seen, furnished with rustic elements, and equipped with board games, PS4 consoles, a foosball table, play areas, and books for the young ones.
Silks Place Tainan Services
Silks Bus– Tainan’s Tipsy Express
I had the BEST time onboard Silks Bus, a bar-hopping double-decker, featuring 7 up-and-coming bars in Tainan, like T-Bar, Phowa, JODOBE and others! These bars are so popular it’s hard to get a reservation, so bar hopping is the perfect way to try out speciality cocktails from each bar.
Between each stop, there are also quizzes and lots of hyping up with beer and shots, which made for a super fun experience. And the best thing? Since this is organised by the hotel you’ll never have to worry about getting back, so feel free to drink to your heart’s content!
This experience starts from NT 1,980 for Silks Place Tainan hotel guests, and NT 2,580 for non-hotel guests.
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Dining at Silks Place Tainan
T-Bar
Located next to the hotel reception, this artisanal cafe serves up speciality coffee and an array of organic Chinese and British teas.
Robin’s Grill and Teppanyaki
Both the Grill and Teppanyaki restaurants are on the ground level, and share the same salad and dessert bar, serving up the freshest produce and most intricate entrements.
We’d dinner at Robin’s Grill, with an amazing meal prepared right before our eyes. There were also interesting ingredients like seahorses incorporated into our appetizers and soup dishes.
While I’ve had better Teppanyaki, the exquisite plating and combination of Teppanyaki and non-teppanyaki dishes made for a memorable dining experience.
Glass House
We also dropped by the Glass House bar, located beside the pool. The bar goes out of its way to create fun drinking experiences for its guests, with a 108-shot tower, and roulette-type game with shots named after the 36 stratagems, a Chinese strategy classic.
You’d shake a cylindrical container with inscribed sticks, fashioned similarly to a lottery poetry tool that’s commonly used in Chinese temples. The stick that comes up would have one of the stratagems attached to it, where a surprise flavour awaits.
The shots themselves were delicious– with a tea base and a variety of spirits like brandy, whisky, tequila, gin, rum and vodka. Some of them were even in puree form, which was a cool play on texture.
Hotel Breakfast
Silks Place Tainan offers 2 options for breakfast– Western breakfast is served on the first floor at Robin’s and Chinese breakfast is served on the fourth floor in the banquet hall.
I went for the Chinese breakfast, which proved to be a great choice. The crab porridge was velvety and packed with seafood flavour, definitely the star of the show (too bad it’s limited to one per guest!). The beef soup was also another hit.
There were also various other stations serving up small bowls of Taiwanese traditional food, such as fish eggs, shrimp rice, steamed meatballs, salty rice pudding, and dumplings among others– but I much preferred the food from the live stations.
I headed downstairs to check out the Western breakfast offering. As per usual, you’d expect the typical salad bar and bread selections. I was surprised by the chocolate fondue and waffles, which would be a hit with the kids.
Location of Silks Place Tainan
Silks Place Tainan is conveniently located in Tainan’s bustling Ximen area. Notable tourist attractions near the hotel include the Taiwan Confucian Temple, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and much more.
It’s also a one-minute way away from Guohua Street, a popular little street packed with lots of yummy street food.
Although we were stuffed with breakfast, how could I say no to more local delicacies?
A must-try is this famous Ah-Song Gua Bao, an unusual filling with stewed pig’s tongue, sauerkraut and white radish. Withhold your judgement, and you’d be surprised by how tender the meat is, and the delicious mix of savoury and sourness!
Tainan would be a place I’ll definitely return to– I feel like I barely scratched the surface of all that it offers. Silks Place Tainan was a great respite after a full day’s worth of activities, and I can see myself bringing friends along for the Silks Bus experience, having a fun pool party, or hanging out at Glass House in the future.
For a limited time, readers of Bel Around the World get an exclusive discount if you book a 2-night stay at Silks Place Tainan anytime from 1 July 2023 to 15 January 2024!
Silks Place Tainan No. 1號, Heyi Rd, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
Written by Esther Yip.
Special thanks to Silks Place Tainan for making this stay possible! All opinions remain my own.
