taipei information - best budget hotels
What’s the difference between 酒店 (jiu dian) and 饭店 (fan dian) in Taipei?
There is a difference from 酒店 (jiu dian) and 饭店 (fan dian) in Taiwan. While both are translated to mean hotel, 酒店 (jiu dian) refers to mostly sleezy hotels, while 饭店 (fan dian) are the decent types.
Taipei doesn't sleep - just look at the number of 24-hour stores out there. But since you have to, why not stay at a budget hotel? They are decent, and comfortable enough, not to mention cheap!
For the budget-minded, there are hostels in Taipei. And Taiwanese hotels range in quality from seedy to very luxurious. As in much of Asia, hotel beds in Taiwan are generally much harder than in the West. Only in the most upscale Western style hotels will you find beds any softer than a billiard table. The following is a list of the best Taipei budget hotels that I feel are worth a mention.
To book a room, simply call them up and tell them how many nights you'll be staying for. And that's it - most hotels don't expect upfront payment.
| 1 | Ta Shun Hotel |
To get there you come out from Ximending (XMD) MRT station, exit via Exit One. You'll find a fork in the road - turn left, and walk along HanZhong road and look out for the purple TS hotel signboard. The hotel is on the right side of the road as you walk down from XMD station. It is at most 100m away from the MRT station and very near to the main action area of XMD. |
| 2 | Fortune Star Hotel |
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| 3 | Han She Business Hotel 函舍商务旅店 |
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| 4 | Rainbow Hotel | |
| 5 | Royal Castle Hotel | |
| 6 | Queen Hotel |
From Taipei Main MRT exit via Exit 3, and head west for 2 min. After that, go north on Chongqing N Rd for 3min to reach Chang'an W Rd. |
Queen Hotel
This hotel is strictly a cheap, no-frills option - you sleep there and that's it - don't expect much, but for its price, it's pretty hard to beat. The rooms are small - but not that small - and the beds are surprisingly large and comfortable. The location is great too - minutes away for Taipei Main Station, and the market just behind it. That means you can get cheap food and fruits to satisfy a hungry stomach easily. Do note that the staff don't speak English - even their signboard is entirely in Mandarin.