Landmark is a club with 4 restaurants, small gym, aerobics classes, swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, etc. It’s conveniently located in Tien Mou and has lots of parking. Unfortunately, it’s underground so no tennis courts.
It really depends what you want a club for. If you have kids under 12, it’s not a bad idea because your kids can go to the pool, you can play some tennis, and your wife can sit by the pool and read. But as far as the restaurants go, there are better places.
My comment about ACC is that the location isn’t particularly convenient to anyone.
AWOL: I think answerer is talking about the ACC, if he is talking about the parents playing tennis while the kids are in the pool.
However, his comment about the location of the ACC as not being particularly convenient to anyone is kind of misleading as the ACC is kind of between Taipei downtown, Tienmu and Neihu. He is right, it is not really convenient to anyone as it is not in walking distance to anyone unless they are staying at the Grand Hotel, but then the Landmark is only convenient to those located in Tienmu and no one else.
By the way, you might have to wait to join the ACC because I have heard that recently they have reached their membership cap. Since they are a non-profit members run club they actually limit the number of members so that it does not get too crowded. On the weekends now though it can get a little full, as the other poster said and the weekdays are wonderful.
mmm…guess my wife will be able to live without the ACC also.
Being surrounded with spoiled screaming kids the weekend is not our intention to take a rest from a stressy workweek
Once she will get in touch with here fellow Dutch-speaking future friends, I even think she will even not go so often to the ACC.
Ii still find it a bit of a shame they did not responded on 3 e-mails never the less…
The crowds aren’t really that bad. I go mostly on the weekdays so when I go on the weekend I notice the contrast. Go for yourself at about 12:30 on a weekend. Not bad at all. Try going anytime to Alexander Gym, or any restaurant for lunch in or around Taipei on the weekend and you will see it is even more crowded.
Apologies for not being more specific regarding the location.
Basically, you have to drive/take a taxi there. Landmark is within 10 min walk of a MRT station and on a major bus line. Most other fitness clubs are located near public transportation.
i think the important thing to note here is that the majority of people that can afford ACC membership usually have a driver or their own car, making transport not an issue.
I’ve been to the American Club a number of times as my boss has a membership. I have to say that while it’s an interesting environment because of the large number of non-Asian faces there, it’s definitely overrun with kids and isn’t anything to really write home about. I get to go when we have our major events there (Christmas concert and kindergarten graduation) and a few times for social things with our school staff. I’ve only been swimming there when there were no kids (late August), but every other time I’ve been there, they’re taking over the pool, splashing and screaming for their parents. I particularly like the “no helpers” rule . Considering how much they take care of their kids, you’d think they’d let them in so some of the parents could continue to neglect their progeny in peace.
The Ritz-Carlton in Doha, Qatar runs about $650 a year for their health club and you will definately not have the local yokals ruining your day at the spa. My advice, stay away from the ACC as it is quite the rip off. What Taiwan needs is a true expat hangout so that one can have a true Western break from the Eastern chaos.
Hey, no one is stopping you from buying a plane ticket home if you need a break that badly. Most of us don’t have the free time to go to health clubs in Qatar on a whim. Thanks for the useless input…once again.
Makes it even more useless. Isn’t there a website out there for embittered former expats with nothing better to do with themselves?
Or even better, try to move on with your life, if you have one to move on with.
You obviously don’t like Taiwan nor its people so why do you keep trolling on this website?
Umm… nowhere does it state that I must love Taiwan to post to this message board. Showing interest does not actually mean you must toe the forumsa.com party line.
Now that you’ve made some slanderous accusations about me… will the moderators allow me to do so in return? Look how nice I am sister… I’m asking permission… didn’t they teach you any manners back in the hood?
I went to The American Club last night for a friend’s birthday party.
We ate at this restaurant called “Sigis”. The service by the younger members of the female staff was unimpressive. No smiling, no warmth, no emotion, typical Taiwanese service.
It was my friend’s birthday so we all sang happy birthday and we asked the staff to sing with us just for fun. But they told us that they have a policy of no singing by the staff, wtf?! I’m pretty sure they were just bullshitting us, but if true, that’s a pretty ridiculous policy.
The building and the facilities are pretty nice. They have a pool(with a slide), gym, pool and darts room, TV room, game room, playground, bar, multiple restaurants, bar, library room with computers(the library also has a collection of DVDs), coffee shop, a little gift shop, and I think even a basketball court now.
I asked the front desk about membership. It’s a one time fee of 300,000 plus a monthly fee of 8,000. If you ever decide to relinquish your membership, they will refund half of your 300,000 fee, so it’s basically like a deposit. Those prices are actually not too expensive. It certainly isn’t cheap but it’s not outrageous either.
My pastor is a member of the ACC and I went there once.
It’s ok, the restaurant is nice, but honestly it really feels like you’re paying the 300,000 NT (which I can think of a lot of better ways to spend that money) plus the dues for not a whole lot. You can buy gym membership for a lot less, and if you want nice restaurant Taipei is full of them.
If I really wanted a non-Taiwanese experience, a round trip flight to the EU is far cheaper.
So to be honest with you, even if I could afford it, I rather spend the money on something else.
I would think for the fees you had to pay you’d get free food or something…
I ate at the nicer of the two restaurants there the day I arrived back a couple of months ago. And I too got Taiwanese service on my water (I was dehydrated and no one came to give me a refill). I ended up getting the refills myself from some pot across the restaurant but unlike most restaurants they allowed me to continue to do this (3 or 4 times) and didnt seem to lose any face. Food was alright. I was on a friends tab so I didnt want to buy too much or I would have gotten a beer.
. Considering how much they take care of their kids, you’d think they’d let them in so some of the parents could continue to neglect their progeny in peace.