Kenting Hostel

The location works well for the night market, and the beach is nearby, though you do have to walk a little. We arrived before check-in and were allowed to leave our bags by the entrance. For a very reasonable price, the service was really good, and both the spacious room and bathroom were clean. A very nice stay at this hostel. Would recommend!

The room had a musty, strange smell, and I slept with a mask on for both nights. Thankfully, we only came back to sleep after spending the days out enjoying the Kenting sun, sand, and sea. When we said it was too hot, the staff member helped straight away. We'd accidentally pressed the wrong buttons on the air conditioner remote. The room was easy enough to check into once we got inside: we went up the stairs and found it. Finding the accommodation in the first place was a different story. It's down an alley off the night market's main road, with no English sign to point the way. Our Taiwanese friend told us to go down the alley, and we walked past some shops and houses, still unsure. A few men were doing renovations; they either didn't know where we were looking for or were too busy to help. A more helpful neighbor across the way called the person in charge for us, since no one was at reception. The toilet area has a see-through colored glass wall instead of a regular wall. There's a curtain outside, but it could feel awkward when staying with friends or colleagues. Maybe the curtain or blinds should be inside the toilet instead. There's a tub for bathing, with the WC at the far end. A small window looks out onto a little construction site, but has no mosquito net, which wasn't really a problem for us. Would I stay again? I'm not sure, probably not. But don't take my word for it, you might like the place. To each their own.

The service was bad from the room booking through to the scooter rental. At check-in they only took cash. We asked to leave our heavy backpacks in the room while we went to an ATM and got a flat no. They gave us a room without windows instead of the one we had booked. We asked twice for the booked room and were refused both times; only then did they offer a room across the hall with a window in the toilet. A thin glass wall and curtain separated the bathroom from the room, the door wouldn't close, and there was no curtain around the bathtub. The hose was in such poor shape it sprayed water everywhere. The walls were also so thin we could hear the next room talking late into the night. We rented a scooter using a passport as the deposit. They said it had a full tank and had to be returned full. After less than 30 km it wouldn't start. When we contacted them, they said the fuel meter reading wasn't real and the battery was dead. We waited over 30 minutes before being told someone could only come check it in an hour. Luckily, an older man found some cables and got it started. We went to a gas station, but it failed again, and the staff had to connect cables once more. They told us not to turn it off, so we had to head straight back without stopping in case we got stranded again. This was the worst place I've stayed in Taiwan. There are plenty of places to stay and rent a scooter in Kenting, so avoid this one at all costs if you want to enjoy the area.

The room was clean, and getting around was easy. The bus to other cities is just five minutes away, and the place is close to everything. The woman at the front desk spoke English really well and was nice. She rented us a motorcycle, which made exploring Kenting Park easy and fun. I didn't like the shower setup. The shower and WC were combined, shared with everyone, and often wet and dirty.