The help desks at the major international hotels are a font of information about what to do and see and where in dine in Taiwan.

The help desks at the major international hotels are a font of information about what to do and see and where in dine in Taiwan. By Don Shapiro and Christopher Tai With the recent induction of four new members, about a dozen employees at Taiwan hotels have gained entry into the prestigious international Clefs d'Or (Golden Key Society), which entitles them to wear golden-key insignia on their uniforms, identifying them as fully qualified professional concierges. "The head concierge is the crucial person for guest contact in a hotel operation, and he's especially important at a hotel that tries to emphasize personalized and individualized service," says Achim von Hake, resident manager at The Sherwood Taipei. TOPICS spoke to the head concierge at four major hotels about their advice for foreign travelers and the experiences of their guests.

Shopping
Many visitors are aware of Taiwan's high-tech proficiency, and ask about where to buy computer or communications products. The concierges send them to the Guanghua Market on Ba-de Road, where they can find not only a cornucopia of computers, peripherals, phones, and PDAs, but also a wide range of components and accessories. For cameras, the place to go is the North Gate area, where a large number of specialized photographic supply stores are located. Another special shopping experience is the weekend Jade Market [see article on page 29].
For a broad selection of Chinese handicrafts (including pottery, marble ware, souvenirs, and much more) -- and fair prices without bargaining -- the choice is the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center, 1 Xuzhou Road. Those interested in seeing what a modern Taiwanese shopping center is like are sent to Breeze or the Living Mall at Core Pacific City. For a taste of old Taipei, on the other hand, Dihua Street -- with its picturesque stores selling Chinese medicines, foods, spices -- is a great spot for window-shopping. Although bargaining is common except in department stores, language is rarely a barrier in coming to agreement on price. "Many of the vendors know basic English, and if not, you can get by with body language or by writing numbers down with pen and paper," explains Alex Lai, chief concierge at the Grand Formosa Regent. Time needn't be an obstacle either. "If you need something fast -- like business cards in one hour or a suit made in one day -- it can be done in Taipei. Just let us know," says Joey Wang, The Sherwood's chief concierge.

Dining Out
The concierges keep close tabs on the best places to eat, and can make authoritative recommendations based on location, type of cuisine, and price range. Often they have been to the restaurants themselves to sample the fare and establish a relationship. "Even when the restaurant is saying it's fully booked, we can usually get people in," notes Joey Wang. "And often the restaurants provide us with coupons for discounts or free drinks to give our guests."
Although Taipei has some excellent steakhouses and other establishments serving Western (or Thai, Indian, and Japanese) cuisine, the hoteliers say they have learned from experience that most guests love the chance to have authentic local food, whether at relatively expensive seafood restaurants or modest dumping and noodle eateries . "They come back and rave about it," notes The Sherwood's von Hake. "It's not just the taste, but the food preparation, the cooking methods, the whole ambience -- it's a very different and really special experience."

Nightlife
The hotels also keep files of pubs, lounges, discos, and other nightspots. At the Regent, the concierge desk often pays the high compliment of sending guests to the disco at a rival hotel -- the Ziga Zaga at the Grand Hyatt.
The night markets -- such as the one in Shilin or Snake Alley downtown -- are both a cultural experience and a place to pick up some bargain souvenirs. They exude the carnival-like atmosphere that Taiwanese are fond of -- especially when crowds descend on them on weekend evenings -- and offer what seems to be an endless variety of snacks.
For more formal culture, the hotels can help purchase tickets to concerts and other performances at the National Concert Hall or National Theatre in Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall or other venues. A Taipei night tour offered by several tour operators includes stops twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) at colorful Chinese Opera performances. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings, the Taipei Eye in the Taiwan Cement Building offers selections of folk music and dance and Chinese Opera, with a new show produced monthly.

Seeing Taipei
Two different companies provide three-hour city tours by bus every morning and afternoon, taking in the National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a Chinese temple, and other sites. But the concierges find that since the opening several years ago of the MRT, with its excellent English signage, foreigners have been able to get around town conveniently on their own -- supplementing the MRT with taxi rides by having the hotel write out destinations in Chinese characters.
Bus tours also make easy day-trips possible to such nearby locations as the aboriginal village of Wulai, the scenic northern coast and the port of Keelung, the Taipei County towns of Sanhsia (known for its old buildings) and Yingko (a pottery-making center), Yangmingshan National Park, and the old hillside town of Chiufen and northeast coast.
The major hotels are willing to help non-guests with tour bookings -- or even with general tourist information and assistance -- without extra charge.
To guests who don't mind rising early, Chief Concierge Roger Chang of the Far Eastern Plaza suggests going at dawn to open spaces such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall or Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall plazas to watch the early-morning exercisers doing taichichuan or kungfu. He also helps (mostly younger) visitors interested in diving and surfing to get to the right locations along the northern or northeastern coast.
Lucas Chen, the Grand Hyatt concierge, has worked out a busy one-day tour that foreign tourists can take by themselves by MRT -- first to the seaside town of Tamshui to explore the old streets (and perhaps take the ferry across the river to Bali and back), then to Beitou for lunch and a hot-springs bath in the afternoon, and in the evening to one of the night markets.
Have a question about where to go or what to do? Ask the man with the golden keys on his uniform -- or one of his assistants at the concierge desk. They've been trained to be of service.