Dears,
Pls, need :help: with this one;
Despite 3 e-mails I’ve sent to the club itself in the last 2 weks, I did not get any reply. Maybe they do not like Belgians? 
E-mail is working correctly…
I wanted to know what the membership fee is for being member and if spouse and child are included.
Who can give me the answer please?
Need to know to include in my budget
:thanks:
mate
cant you get your company to do all this? you shouldnt be expected to do all this yourself. or… is this the first time your company has sent someone overseas, or at least to taiwan?
you are putting in a hell of a lot of effort when it isnt really your job to do all this… anyway i should offer some advice…
did you submit this e form - americanclub.org.tw/membersh … y_form.php - or did you email direct?
Both. e-mail and direct mail to membership@ …
I agree, indeed , it should be my company taking care of such a bullocks.
Only issue, I am the first non-Asian in the market and not speaking any Chinese, as my future col’s speak a bit of English…
Someone said that evereything in Taiwan takes longer…guess this is part of the culture …
No problemeo, some day they will prbably rect.
Some time ago, every westerner in my office got an invitation to join the ACC. Thinking of Groucho, it seems like precisely the club I shouldn’t join…
Why not, and which other clubs are available?
Are you looking for business or social clubs? Or both?
Memeberships I found invaluable were Costco and a good gym. You have kids so the ACCC will be good for summer time swims and the other services they offer.
The COmmunity Service Centre - www.community.com.tw should have links into the ACCC and should also be able to help you with your other questions. Nice people.
Hey Ceevee: I am a member of the ACC. If you want, I can introduce you there when you come to Taiwan. You will need two members to endorse your membership anyway.
The gym there is very up to date in its equipment and rarely crowded, the pool is heated for winter swimming, the food at the 5 restaurants is great, excellent facilities for the kids, great tennis and squash courts, free parking, etc. and I am sure plenty of Belgians (many European members) and if you don’t like things there, you can complain and get results as it is a NON-Profit club run by the members.
By the way, did you get my PM about showing you the stand alone House Communities in Taipei? I have been meaning for a while not to show a friend of mine and you come along for the ride. I will be not be going to Wellington Heights though as it is kind of out of the way of the other ones, LaoYe, Mt. Xiang, Fuji, Buo Juei and the ones in HsinDian, it is going to be a whirlwind tour as I do not have time to get out and look around much, you will have to do that later on your own. I am only assisting my friend in showing him what is out there. He is interested in buying, you in renting, similar budgets in terms of what he can buy and what you can rent.
I’d be up for a June tour… looking to buy
AWOL: Sure…will let you know via PM. Can you do a weekday, it makes the trip quicker, less traffic.
I have been to the ACC on many occasions as a guest and I have not been impressed, not by the quality of service, food or activities offered. The kid’s playground is a fairly small place in the back of the building surrounded by high walls and is even uglier than the usual public playgrounds (o.k., minus the dog turds …), the interior is mostly a little run-down (unless they had a refurbishment in the last 3 months when I was there last), the employees don’t seem particularly friendly, whenever I’ve been there it’s always been very crowded, so there is no feeling of “exclusivity” if that’s what you’re looking for, the pool is o.k., the gym looked o.k. too (never worked out there though). From what I’ve heard about joining fees, monthly fees and minimum consumption per month I would know a number of worthy causes I’d rather spend my money on. Most people there of course are company sponsored, and if your outfit has corporate membership I think the above mentioned two guarantors are not needed. All in all, it seems very little value for a lot of money (even if the company pays) and no comparison to international clubs in other typical expat settings such as Singapor or HK. There are so many things to do in and around Taipei, including other public and private pools & gyms, clubs and potential outing destinations that I would always consider it a waste of money. Just my opinion, Xpet.
Hey XPET are you sure we are talking about the same place? I have had a totally different experience there. Unbelieveable, the things that you said, really kind of nasty actually.
Hey Ceevee check it out for yourself.
Hi Hobart, no need to get friendly, I just described my impressions from numerous visits. As far as I know there’s only one ACC, right? Of course, everyone contemplating joining should go and take a look. Actually from many of your other posts I know that you have impeccable taste and judgement in many areas, I’m astonished that you’re so over the moon about the American Club in China … Peace, Xpet.
If you have to ask, then you can’t afford it…
I’m sure he’s asking so that he can arrange for his company to reimburse him…
Not a member myself but my kids and I have been there as guests and my kids love it and I’ve always loved the food. There’s just so much for them to do there. Since you’ll be coming with a wife and young child, I am sure your wife will appreciate it because she’ll be able to meet people and socialize there, and build a support system for herself while you’re busy with work.
Of course, between all the playgroups, the CommunityServices Center, the Family Forum, and the general helpfulness/friendliness of expat families, ACC isn’t a must, but if your employer will pay for it, may as well make use of it.
I’ve been in the American Club quite a few times over the years. It’s alright. I would agree with Xpet. It’s just OK. But nothing compared to, say, the USRC in HK (which may or may not still be there). You’d be far better off getting a weekend room at the Far Eastern when you want a swim, and it’d be a damned sight cheaper.
My understanding is that the American Club is quite good for anybody with lots and lots of kids! Basically there’s a bit of something for everybody, and the parents can slip off and relax a bit while the children take advantage of the pool, the playground, etc. It’s not cheap … but weighted out over an entire family it’s apparently not bad.
That they would not respond to you indicates that they really dropped the ball or that their email system might have accidentally rejected your requests for information as being “spam”. I sometimes find it helps to delete references to penis enlargement from the subject line in my emails.
Hideous at the weekends. Like a Taiwanese kindergarten full of spoilt little brats, only with no teachers. Urgh. Swimming pool is unusable in the summer.
It’s a totally different place though on week days. Quite nice.
Hmm… I understand there ar people in favor and other dislike the ACC.
As we are native Dutch-speaking, we will subscribe ourselves to the VNT, and probably “shop around” ,but in my understanding, there are simply no clubs in Taipei (or they must be business oriented)
We’ll see. I can not judge before seeing and believing.
TX guys.
cv369, I’d never heard of the “Vereniging van Nederlandstaligen in Taiwan” (I googled …), interesting!
Anyway, there’s one other club I heard of, but I have no further information and they also don’t seem to have a website, it’s the Landmark Club in Tianmu, might be just a health club, don’t know:
LANDMARK CLUB
8F 90 ZHONGSHAN N RD SEC 6
TAIPEI 111
TEL: 886-2-2833-9696
FAX: 886-2-2833-9696
No idea whether it would be worth checking out, maybe somebody else knows more. Good luck, Xpet.