Our stay at The Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei included access to the Horizon Club Lounge. Allow me share more about the lounge and find out why my experience here changed the way I see club lounges forever (not exaggerating!)
The Horizon Club Lounge
Located at the 36th floor of Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel is the Horizon Club Lounge. Here you can enjoy mixed beverages and canapés from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m daily. You can also enjoy light snacks, coffee and tea throughout the day.
It’s very spacious and quiet, perfect if you want a break from traveling the busy city.
The Food
As mentioned, Happy Hour is at 5:30-7:30pm. Aside from free flowing drinks, you can also grab a bite during this time. We ended up dining at the club lounge more than once (more about that later on) and so we were able to try the different dishes offered.
They have different kinds of sandwiches, fruits, pastries, bread and even hot food items served.
There is surprisingly a very good selection of hot food items, which is perfect if you wanna have an early dinner here.
This potato soup, lightly seasoned with pepper, is a personal favorite. I had 2 (or was it 3…) servings of it! So did everybody else in our group, and that includes Luke!
This beef dish however, is my little 4 year old foodie’s favorite. He calls it “lambot (soft) beef” because it really was so tender and tasty. I have to agree with him on that one.
This is their version of a lobster roll and it was delicious.
Cheese is always a good idea, of course.
Some eclairs, tarts and mini cakes for a sweet ending!
Club Lounge with Kids
Okay, so earlier I said how my experience here changed the way I see lounges forever. And that’s mostly due to the fact that I went here with my 4 year old, Luke.
Yes, it is my understanding that club lounges aren’t really meant for children. However, if your kids are generally well-behaved by society’s standards (I have to be careful not to step on any toes here because parents can get defensive quite quickly hehe,) then booking a room with a club lounge access is highly recommended when traveling with kids!
Is Booking A Club Lounge Worth It?
Based on my personal experience with my 4 year old, the benefits of having club lounge access include being able to:
- Retire early for the day if needed: I planned a jampacked itinerary but apparently, Luke could only handle as much (sorry babe!) On our 3rd day, he politely asked if we could go back to the hotel already by 3pm. After resting for about an hour, we proceeded to the lounge to have an early dinner. He retired early and was knocked out by 7:30pm. If we didn’t have lounge access, we would have to go out, find a restaurant and travel back home. This would take much longer and would definitely be more tiresome for him.
- Grab light snacks anytime: On our last day, we had to leave the hotel before lunch time for our flight. There won’t be enough time for us if we went out to grab lunch, but if we wait til’ we got to the airport, we would be too hungry already. So we dropped by the lounge, had a few snacks and went back to packing before checking out.
- Avail of the services of your own Club Concierge: Your Club Concierge takes care of all your needs and that is certainly helpful when you have your hands full with kids. They can help book your rides or even as simple as checking the bus or transfer schedule for you. After all, you can never have enough helping hands!
Overall:
I’m convinced that from now on, as long as it’s available, I will book a room with a club lounge whenever I travel with kids. For me, the benefits you get of having club lounge access more than makes up for the extra cost of booking a club room. The service and convenience you get really helps especially when you’re traveling with children.
Again, I say this because by God’s grace, Luke is generally well-behaved. He sits on his chair, doesn’t run around the room or make loud noises. I call him my mini-man for a reason! Hehe. Just in case Dylan isn’t the same next time, I may have to reconsider. Haha!
BONUS TIP: In case there’s an unexpected power outage during your stay (as what happened during ours,) you can recharge your gadgets at the club lounge! Hehe. 😉
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