The Taipei Hostel

I feel that after two months at the Taipei Hostel, I can offer a fair appraisal. It is tad hard to rate given that it was my first experience staying in a hostel. However, it left quite the impression on me.

I arrived at the Taipei hostel in fairly desperate straights. I had just left my former hotel because I need someplace cheap to stay while I sorted out my life. At that unfortunate time I was suddenly unemployed and homeless in a country where I did not speak the language. I had a lot of luggage to deal with. I had packed to move into a new apartment, not for a short vacation. In short, a bad situation.

The staff: Lilly, Tony, and Anna.

The Taipei Hostel had come recommended by several sources so I called a cab and took the short ride to it. What I found was acceptable, and frankly better than the hotel I had been at. While there were private rooms available, I elected for the cheaper option of staying in the dorms. This came out to NT$300 (about $10) a night.

The common room with two of the guests.

The common room has several couches and a TV. A computer was provided for those that did not have a device of their own. Wifi was provided throughout the building though. A collection of books sat on a shelf for those that needed to kill time, along with maps and brochures of the area. I spent enough time on the one couch (the one that did not get baked by the noonday sun) that I placed it in a permanent state of dibs.

Across from the common room is the kitchenette. A stove and microwave along with some sparse dishes are provided for cooking. Far more important to my mind though, is a water dispenser that could provide cold or boiling hot water instantly. Given that you are not suppose to drink the tap water and bottled gets expensive fast, this is a real money saver in maintaining proper hydration.

The kitchen starring Anna and Ron.

The front desk has a rotating staff. The person I saw there the most was Lily. She was always helpful about providing information, and translations. She enjoys watching Korean dramas in the evening. After a while I found myself watch too. I could not understand what was being said, but I was not going to get off of my spot on the couch so I made up my own stories. I listened to Lily tell the story of the hostel’s history one night. She told me and several others that it was the first hostel in Taipei. She had been working there ever since, and as you can imagine had seen quite a lot. The longest border had been a man that stayed over a year.

My dorm.

The dorms are segregated between male and female, in theory. There were around twenty beds for men, and about eight for women. Not many women stay at the hostel, and those that do usually get a private room or a group room. On the rare occasion that there is an abundance of female patrons, they overflow into the men's’ dorm. My only problem with this was having to check before changing my pants.

The bunks were not so bad. The pads were actually pretty comfortable I thought. It would have been just fine if I slept on my back, but I prefer my side. If you needed the linens changed you just had to let Anna, the housekeeper, know. Each bunk had its own fan and light, a small shelf, and a rod to hang things on. They also have a curtain you can close. Each dorm has its own refrigerator to store food and a bathroom. The bathroom is the Taiwan standard wet room with a toilet and shower.

My bunk.

A quick walk up some stairs takes you to the rooftop. There is a washer and dryer to use, as well as clotheslines. A few weights are there for those who want to work out. A lot of guests like to go up there in the early morning or evening. I preferred the morning because there was less likely to be smokers up there. It provided a nice spot to rest, if not the most amazing view.

The hostel has a really good location. It is just minutes away from an MRT station, and the Taipei Main Station is the next stop. There is a nice park nearby with a track to run on. There are plenty of places to eat. I prefer local food, better and cheaper, but now and then I would hit up the McDonalds. Mainly for ice cream. There is an obligatory 7Eleven nearby plus a supermarket within walking distance.

Up on the roof.

I only had two real problems during my stay. The first was the limited air conditioning. In the dorms they only run the AC from 11pm to about 7am. In the middle of the summer that means the dorm rooms are unbearable most of the day. Once the weather cools down it is not so bad, but on a 40* C day you will not even want to be in there long enough to change cloths. During my first month there, I spent a lot of time in the common room because they would turn the AC on in there sooner if it was sweltering.

The other problem is related. There is no vent in the bathroom so it turns into a hotbox pretty quick. Even taking a cold shower I would be sweating before I had time to finish shaving. Again, once the weather cooled, this was less of an issue.

So on a five star scale, I would rate the Taipei Hostel at 4 stars. It has decent accommodations for a reasonable price. Its centralized location is a great selling point. I would probably stay there again if I needed a place to stay in Taipei, though I might opt for a private room with AC in the hot part of the summer.