Artistic Treats

Hotel Eclat in Taipei is a boutique hotel at the quiet end of the shopping street. In fact it must have been right at the end where no more shopping exists, the street was quiet except for the scary Taipei traffic. And it is new so not many people know of it.

In spite of (or because of) its lack of size, it tries to make up in style and high-tech gizmos in the room. I liked the Nespresso machine but found the 5 remote controls too much. Especially when I could turn on the TV with 2 of those remote controls but unable to get any channel to come on with any of the remote controls!

But I was tickled by the artworks around the hotel. The brochure boasted of works by Dali, Warhol and a couple of Chinese artists whose name I forget, but the Chinese artworks are distinctive, in the sense that many Chinese artists have been making art in that style - like the sexy Ms Piggy toting the pink handbag, perhaps a statement on the consumerist culture that is so pervasive in the nouveau riche stratum of society. Or the laughing skinny, bald-headed chap in the traditional bowing stance. I love the gorgeous light fixtures, all pretty baubles and the Roy Lichtenstein inspired fabric for the baroque armchair.

This was a breath of fresh air that made a nice change in the usual corporate hotels we get stuck in for work trips. What a treat.