Kaohsiung Insider

This is a striking and unusual place from the outside and inside as well. The whole effort here seems to be aimed at exclusively expensive designer stuff straight from the catwalks of Paris or Milan. There really is much to be seen in the shinny and new here, and surprising at such a small floor space really. The inside foyer from which the elevator travels and where the escalator moves is quite unusual and something you rarely see before. As you look down from the top balcony into the open space, I'm reminded of an Escher painting. Where you can't make out which way is up or down, or your orientation is left askew. Wow.

I can recall a saying my Grandmother used to tell me, "Money doesn't buy taste."

Star Palace is an interesting place. It all starts of course, from the outside with the lighting, which I do consider to be a bit too gaudy, if not interesting.

Car parking is easy, just be aware it's a fairly steep descent into the basement.

As for the stores, most if not all are beyond my price range of course. Now I brought up the comment from my Grandmother earlier as for example, taking a look at the clothes in Gucci my eyes want to bleed and my brain asks why on earth anyone would spend so much money on such god awful looking clothes. This of course doesn't apply to all their clothing, but did see some really awful looking designs.

Went in to some various other high end stores, such as Lagerfeld, only to find that the majority of their clothes are made in China or (HAH!) Turkey.

Call me what you will, but if I'm going to spend 30,000 NT + on a jacket from a well known German brand, I want it, pardon the language, made in Germany not in damn China or Turkey.

All is not lost however in this respect, there is a luggage maker "Rimowa", also from Germany, and all their products are actually made there, in that case I can understand the higher price.

That aside, I have eaten at Amy's California Restaurant up on the top floor. It has a spectacular view and the food was quite good, although the decor was quite odd, lots of purple and 70's style rock posters on the walls.

Pay a visit just to check out the interior, the elevators are cool and yeah, plenty of high end stores. Otherwise, if you don't have the cash or actually want to buy products made in the country where they originate, not sure what to tell you.