Accommodation and Food in Kaohsiung
Fullon Hotel Kaohsiung
Part of a chain which has 14 properties around Taiwan, Fullon offers international-standard comfort and service plus a location within walking distance of Love River, on the same side as the Former British Consular Residence. For those unable to book an upper-floor room with harbour views, happy-hour drinks in the 26th-floor bar are a jolly good consolation. Keep-fit facilities include a sauna, gym and outdoor swimming pool.
Grand Hi-Lai Hotel
The city’s biggest as well as its swankiest hotel, the 540-room Hi-Lai meets the exacting standards of international business visitors, and provides well-heeled tourists with a plush base from which to explore the city. Those staying on the southern or western sides of the building, on floors 35 or higher, enjoy stunning views of Kaohsiung’s waterfront. Large windows mean an abundance of natural light, while those trying to keep fit will enjoy the outdoor pool, gym squash court and sauna. Some rooms come with their own exercise equipment.
Lin Family Cottage
Beyond the city, it makes sense to stay in a rural B&B. Lin Family Cottage is a traditional single-storey courtyard homestead that accepts guests from around the world who wish to explore Meinong and the Hakka villages which surround it. The hospitality in this and other homestays is entirely heartfelt; guests arrive as strangers but leave as firm friends.
Kaohsiung Wine & Dine
As might be expected of Taiwan’s second city, Kaohsiung has a dining scene of considerable variety. And as befits a metropolis that grew out of a fishermen’s settlement, there’s seafood everywhere, especially on Cijin Island. The legacy of the Japanese colonial era includes Japanese staples available throughout the city. Good Western restaurants can be found in smarter parts of the city’s core, such as near Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. In far-flung districts, aboriginal and Hakka cuisine are popular choices. The principal nightlife district is near the mouth of Love River, on and around Wufu Fourth Road. What used to be a row of rough-and-tumble sailors’ bars has become a diverse collection of arty establishments, pubs with live jazz, and bars which serve good steaks and burgers.