Our hotel was located on a hill in the Shihlin district of the city. The Grand Hotel is about fifty years old. It was very comfortable and had several nice restaurants. The desk staff spoke very good English and were very helpful. None of the cab drivers spoke English nor could they read addresses that were written in anything other than Chinese script. The hotel staff would write out the address you were going to and the cab would take you there. You always carried one of the hotel's cards so you could show it to any cab driver and get "home".

The food and service at the hotel were excellent. There was a breakfast buffet every morning which served a wide variety of food. I was never brave enough to try anything from the table labeled "Tradtional Chinese Breakfast Items". I couldn't identify most of them. This problem persisted throughout our stay and all these types of food were clumped together in a category that was labeled "Mystery Food".

The hotel had a business center which provided internet access so staying in touch with home was relatively easy. Staying at the Grand Hotel made the trip much less stressful than it might have been if we were unable to spend time in an environment that was comfortable, clean, and a staff able to communicate in English when necessary.

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