I am doing few trips on the Taiwan HSR and have been trying to find a decent Hotel for under US$100 Near Taipei Main Station.
After trying a few, I've booked 2 nights at Hedo Hotel. Located at No 35, Section 1, Kaifeng Street, Taipei Main Station, Taipei, Taiwan 10044. Hedo Hotel is a relatively new hotel and I hope this review can help you decide.
Location: This hotel is 1 block from the Bus Station and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Taipei. Location wise, it is about 10 mins walk from the HSR station, not great if its raining and you are dragging along luggages.
The Hotel Room: The room is relatively ok sized. I paid US$60 for my room which comes with 2 super single beds. The bed is relatively comfortable and the TV is relatively big. Its a 50" TV. The room is very new and clean. It has 2 110V power plugs with multisockets which allows you to put any plugs inside and 2 USB power plugs to charge your phones.
There is a small fridge in the room. They provide 2 bottles of water, sandals, towels, toothbrushes, hair dryer, etc. The WiFi is also relatively fast. The room is fairly comfortable. Its 11 degree celsius outside and I set the room airconditioning at 20 degrees, and it feels really good in the room. The lighting is adequate, and even without windows, its relatively comfortable.
The toilet: The toilet has a bathtub, which allows you to shower from the top, a hose or a tap. The water controller is sensitive and you can control the temperature well. The water pressure and temperature is also constant and you do not get intermittent water like other hotels. The hotel is clean and nice.
The Staff: The staff is attentive and helpful. There is also plenty of them around.
Overall, I like the hotel.
The Cons:
Location wise, not the best, you can already check this out on Google Maps and decide.
The free breakfast is pretty bad. It has a limited supply of food choice and it is simply not good. The area near Taipei Main station can also be pretty expensive to find breakfast too.
The toilet is nice and clean, but the WC is poorly placed and with the toilet seat up, the button to flush is covered and awkwardly placed. Its new but poorly executed. The towel holder is also loose and looks like its falling down anytime.
For the number of floors and number of rooms, there is only 1 elevator, which really sucks when everyone is getting to breakfast or checking out.
There is also no place to hang your jackets, no cupboards, nothing. You have to drape it over your luggage.
For its price, I'd say, its ok, but there may be better options out there.
-- Robin Low
