Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Stayed in Jul 2019 >

Launched in May 2018, Petrichor Hotel 朗舍行馆 derived its name from 'the pleasant smell produced after rainfall on dry ground'. Sandwiched along a quiet stretch of low-rise shops and offices, it is a convenient 5-minutes ride or 15-minutes stroll from the bustling Taichung Railway Station zone (passing Miyahara 宫原眼科 in the middle). From the handful of room types suitable for solo travellers, couples and families, I decided to experience two of them over my six-night stay.  

The street vibes and exterior, by day and night... 

⇩ A hard-to-miss earth-toned duplex frontage, and a highly-photographed moon feature lamp.

⇩ A tall heavy main door into the hotel lobby. Even if you have luggage in tow, the hotel staff are usually quick on their feet to help. 

⇩ There is a (basement) carpark lot right beside the hotel entrance, and requires prior reservation. 

⇩ The hotel frontage and lit moon feature are even more prominent by night. 

A modest hotel lobby, with limited seating and even less space to be packing luggage (for those inclined to do so at hotel lobbies). Having said that, with a guesstimate of 40 rooms or less, the lobby serves its purpose as I did not encounter more than 3 groups of guests at any one time.  

⇩ More feature lamps optimizing a high ceiling within narrow space.  

⇩ The hotel sells a small selection of cup noodles and drinks, if you need a late night snack, or forget to pack something back (which was what happened to me one night, not having packed sufficient supper!).  

⇩ The only guest lift, and a common loo through the door on the right.

▓   Deluxe Double Room   ▓

⇩ Breakfast was included in my room rate, served at their 2F cafe, but I didn't managed to try it this trip. (With so much good food lined up in my itinerary, I often place little emphasis on hotel breakfast.) 

⇩ Got what I saw in the official website photos!

⇩ Ample space (1/3 of the room) was allocated to an open-concept bath area. If your companion and you prefer some privacy, you may find this bathroom a tad too open, as you will need to get dressed out of the shower booth. 

⇧ ⇩ I like how this area is designed, functionally combining a wash basin, mini pantry and writing area. If there is anything I'll want different, my only preference would be for a solid partition, even of partial height, to prevent things from falling over into the bath tub on the other side. The roller blind is also the only privacy screen between the bath and sleep areas.   

⇩ My little dining table by the window

⇩ An interesting facade right opposite

⇩ The room was equipped with sufficient and strategically located electrical points.  

⇩ There is ample walkway and space to spread out my 29" suitcase.

⇩ "Raindrops" on the wall... which ended up being hanger hooks (taking note of load!), besides bar handles in the bathroom.

Overall, this room type is spacious and extremely comfortable for one. The lighting, airconditioning and bed were perfect for me, and I could live with the couple of preferred enhancements mentioned. I would even say I like this room of 4 nights no less than the next.   

▓   Luxury Quadraple Room   ▓

Purely to experience an alternative room type as I had the luxury of 6 nights in Taichung (vs relocating to another hotel), I picked this room out of a love for loft and high ceiling, though there were 2 others I was considering. 

⇩ The aircon on two floors can be separately controlled - do switch off where you are not using.  

⇧ ⇩ A rocking armchair which is more comfortable than it looks (remember to move it away from the staircase!). 

⇩ The (just as spacious) bathroom on the lower floor, slightly more "covered up" than the previous room and designed for simultaneous shared use, common in modern hotels. 

⇩ You can probably try to get dressed in this larger shower area (unlike the previous room type).

⇩ There was ample space to lay out my suitcase in the living room.

⇩ The loft had a low ceiling (though not enough to inconvenience me) and 2 large double beds.

⇧ ⇩ Designed as a family room, the carpeted kids' half of the room makes a really comfortable space, imaginably for them to be sprawled on the floor playing with toys. I chose to sleep on the kids' futon, but didn't use the desks up here.    

⇩ The accompanying balcony, clearer by day, made a nice chillax zone for some morning air and coffee.

⇩ A lovely tree at the balcony

⇩ Though I didn't use any of my breakfast vouchers, I took a peek at the 2F cafe before checking out. Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am. From other blogs, looks like they currently serve western fare (generous set along the lines of soup, salad, omelette, wedges/fries, bacon/ham/sausage and fruit), meat bun, and coffee/tea. 

⇩ A stairway leads to the lobby. 

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Special mention of highlights in the hotel's vicinity.

⇩ Diagonally opposite Petrichor Hotel is departmental store Mirada 美華泰 - Zhongzheng store 中正店. One of the two departmental store chains in Taiwan I consider a shopping haven (the other being Poya 宝雅), you can literally find most things you want here, from snacks and drinks, toiletries, skin/bodycare, cosmetics, to household items, kitchenware, stationery, toys and even apparels. Pulling their own weight against the likes of Watsons 屈臣氏 and Cosmed 康是美, the two retail chains are so much larger in scale and offer just as, if not more, competitive prices. Do keep a lookout for them on your travel route if you need to buy or replenish travel essentials and snacks/drinks. 

A 5-minute walk (in the opposite direction as Mirada 美华泰) brought me to Hong Rui Zhen Sandwich 洪瑞珍正宗招牌三明治 - a traditional bakery that has quite a following (even expanding to Hong Kong and Seoul) and created an online order frenzy (团购) - and Dong Dong Taro Ball 东东芋圆 - a dessert shop recommended to me by a Taichung driver. (Note: both English names are literal translation.)

⇩ Hong Rui Zhen Sandwich 洪瑞珍正宗招牌三明治
Originating from Changhua-based since-1947 traditional bakery 洪瑞珍饼店, this spin-off specializes in sandwiches that use mayonnaise in place of margarine, winning fans with the resulting (slightly) sweet taste instead of the savoury norm. The family-run business was divided many years ago, so you may find two main chains that are officially and operationally unrelated, using the same brand name.   

From the outside, the bakery doesn't look any different from other traditional bakeries in Taiwan (which I always find worthy of a walk-in). 

If you are a fan of traditional bread and pastries, you will be pleased to find many more items besides the signature sandwich series.  

Unlike the sandwiches from western cafes, overstuffed with meat and greens, HRZ's look rather small and flavours seemingly quite plain - think blueberry jam, peanut butter, ham and cheese... Admittedly, I couldn't see why these sandwiches are so popular, though the friendly prices encouraged taste tests.   

Walked away with 4 sandwiches and 1 custard pudding cake, for NTD149. 

Enjoying my takeout for breakfast and supper only the next day, my doubt vanished - the humble sandwiches did not disappoint, perhaps even more appealing for me as a fan of traditional bakeries and flavours. The bread was soft, and typical of those found in Taiwan had a slightly sweet tinge. The fillings, while simple, went very well with mayo (again, the sweet Taiwanese version tastes different from the western brands I am accustomed to). The wallet-friendly price is a definite plus point. Suffice to say, I will be inclined to buy it again.   

⇩ Dong Dong Taro Ball 东东芋圆
The first time my Taichung driver brought me to an outlet, I was unfortunately ill and didn't eat any of the takeout. This trip on my own was to overwrite that missed opportunity. A short walk away from HRZ, I took shelter from the stuffy wet weekday afternoon in the dessert shop that saw a pretty high turnover and regular takeaways.  

All items at a flat price of NTD50 (uncooked taro and sweet potato balls also available at NTD90). The signature base is taro and sweet potato balls - choose from 6 iced or 1 red bean soup combis. I ordered #5 - grass jelly, tapioca pearls and yam (paste). 

The Taiwanese have a knack of making very chewy and flavourful balls of commonly taro/yam, sweet potato, tapioca and also pumpkin. If you have been to Jiufen in Taipei, this would have been a must-try too. The grass jelly was refreshing, and the yam paste thick yet not too sweet (to my taste!). This is surely a wallet-friendly dessert place, great for young and old.    

It was nice to see a recycling counter, for patrons to dispose different types of thrash. (On this note, I find Taichung an extremely conducive city to practise waste reduction and recycling, a habit I am cultivating even on vacations.)

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Petrichor Hotel 朗舍行馆
Web | FB 
Address --- No. 66 Shifu Road, Central District, Taichung City 台中市, 中区, 市府路66号 

檢視較大的地圖 

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Hong Rui Zhen Sandwich 洪瑞珍正宗招牌三明治 
Web
Address --- No. 125-2, Zhongshan Road, Central District, Taichung City 台中市, 中区, 中山路 125-2号  

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Dong Dong Taro Ball 东东芋圆
FB
Address --- [Shifu Outlet] No. 63 Shifu Road, Central District, Taichung City [市府店] 台中市, 中区, 市府路63号 

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