A hotel group, working in collaboration with a major travel operator, yesterday launched a “wedding train” service offering luxury banquets with gourmet food served by a three-star Michelin restaurant.
The railway ride takes couples on a one-day trip from Taipei to Hualien County in eastern Taiwan and back, FDC International Hotels Corp said in a news release.
The total train journey lasts about 8.5 hours, including a 2.5-hour stop in Hualien for various leisure activities in the area, it said.
Photo courtesy of FDC International Hotels Corp
As exquisite wedding banquets have become an increasingly niche market in recent years, the luxury rail journey would give newlyweds and their guests a memorable experience, FDC general manager Ting Yuan-wei (丁原偉) said.
The “wedding train” has the capacity to offer a maximum of 50 banquet seats and features exclusive menus crafted by a Michelin-starred culinary team from the FDC’s Palais Collection restaurant, it said.
The banquet service is the result of a collaboration with Lion Travel Service Co, which itself already works with Taiwan Railway Corp to operate the “Future Express Kitchen” (鳴日廚房) which provides dining cars with meals prepared by top chefs.
According to the FDC, the round-trip fine dining banquet package comes with a minimum price tag of NT$600,000.
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had