We stayed: InterContinental Kaohsiung

What’s the deal 

Opened in 2021, InterContinental Kaohsiung is found in the heart of the Asia New Bay Area, a major new development project focused on the city’s downtown and harbour area. The hotel occupies 16 floors of the Farglory The One building, and features classic art deco styling that reflects the atmosphere and history of Kaohsiung’s harbour as well as its rising status as a tech hub. The design of the lobby centres on a wide ribbon of teal contrasted with a dappled grey floor, recalling the city’s long maritime culture. Stay here, and you’re right next to the Starlight Park Boulevard and just minutes away from Kaohsiung Exhibition Hall, the Pop Music Centre, the Main Library, and the MRT Sanduo Shopping District Station on the red line of the Kaohsiung MRT.

Why Stay

The first InterContinental property in Taiwan China, InterContinental Kaohsiung is well-positioned as a smart and sustainable luxury hotel. Among the smart appliances available in the rooms is a voice-controlled Aiello Intelligent Voice Butler at the bedside, which supports Mandarin, English and Japanese – ask it to play music, adjust the lighting and switch on the TV. Spacious and presented in soft tones, the guest rooms create sanctuaries of calm, panoramic views of the harbour and the city from their big windows. There’s no scrimping on details here, either: beds are by US brand Serta, while amenities are sourced from sustainable Swedish hipsters Byredo.

Sustainability is the running thread across the hotel’s five venues. Chef Ken Yu at Seeds Restaurant selects local organic ingredients to create a fusion of Asian and Western flavours, such as Yilan duck legs with cherries and Kaohsiung Yong’an grouper with pinot grigio sauce. After dinner, head to BL.T33 Lobby Lounge bar, where you’ll find a menu of exclusive cocktails created in collaboration with Tainan’s TCRC – ranked among Asia’s 50 Best Bars – at including Cross the Sky, which packs a punch with vodka, gin, rum, tequila, brandy, salted plum syrup and Taiwanese black tea. Overlooked the Harbour is another sour plum concoction with whisky and white gourd tea syrup.

Don’t miss

A meal at Japanese restaurant Wa-Ra, helmed by Japanese chef Shogo Kudo. He specialises in warayaki, a technique that uses rice straw to smoke local Taiwanese ingredients over a large fire. Recommended are the seared bonito tataki and the salmon simmered rice with salmon roe for their rich flavour profiles. The restaurant is also home to Taiwan’s only large-scale immersive digital art light projection installation, allowing you to enjoy a unique music and light show alongside your meal.