No. 116 Section 4 Chengde Road was our address for five days, but we accessed the building through its entrance on Hougang Street. The building did not give any clue that it was a hostel. We only knew we were in the right place because of the No. 116 by the door. No. 116 is five stories of apartments and I am guessing the owner of the hostel owns some apartments in that building and had his units converted into "private rooms."
Half of the private room for fourThe room assigned to us was a bit cramped but good enough. It had two queen sized beds, a TV and DVD player, a refrigerator, an air conditioning unit, WiFi, and an ensuite bathroom. For NT$1600 (weekday rate; about Php2400) or NT$2000 (weekend rate; about Php3000), it was a pretty good deal.
Location was a plus, too. Convenience stores (OK Mart and 7–Eleven) were just around the corner, so too was the Bank of Taipei. Exit 2 of Jiantan Station was just five minutes away (about 300m). And Shilin Market, the largest market in Taipei, was about 650m or 10–minutes away on foot.
Fun Taipei Backpackers. Was it really fun then? If your idea of fun is meeting other travelers, then the answer is no. We did not see any other guests at Fun Taipei Backpackers...because, as I found out on our last day, private rooms were in a different building from the dorm rooms.
Dorm rooms were in another nondescript building along Wenlin Road. Location was even better: just 100m from Exit 1 of Jiantan Station; and just a 3–minute walk to Shilin Market.
The common room at the dorm (Photo from their facebook page)There were 28 beds in total at the dorm, from a 3–bed dorm room to a 6–bed dorm room. A bed would cost from NT$400 (about Php 600) to NT$650 (about Php975) per night, depending on the room type and the day (weekends cost higher). All dorm rooms had common bathrooms.
Dorm room (Photo from their facebook page)When we checked out of the private room (check out was at noon), we left our bags at the common room at the dorm (our flight was still at 1AM). The manager was also kind enough to let us use the shower before we left for the airport. The hostel — its dorm rooms, common rooms, toilets, and shower rooms — upon my inspection, was spic and span. If I was traveling alone, I wouldn't mind staying at the dorm.
Visit these links to book a...Private Room atFun Taipei Backpackers No. 116 Chengde Rd. Sec. 4, Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan Email: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/funtaipeihostel0123/
Bed (Dorm Room) atFun Taipei Hostel No. 27 Wenlin Road, Shilin District, Taipei, Taiwan Email: [email protected]: www.facebook.com/pages/Fun-Taipei-Hostel/209501812412459
Taiwan Series:
Tourist Visa for Taiwan
Taiwan Preparations
What's in a (Business) Name? Taiwan
Wisdom from the Road #20
Welcome to Taiwan
Taipei Accommodation: Fun Taipei Backpackers (you're here!)
(more soon)
