Hualieni Inn

We were the only two guests in the whole hostel, and the two people who eventually let us in were lovely, even though they were both over 75 and spoke very little English. The room was bigger than we expected, but there were dirty towels left on the floor and the bed cover was smaller than the bed. My mother and I had booked for that same day after seeing the place in a French guidebook. We showed up at 5 pm to find nobody there and the doors locked. I tried calling and messaging, but got no reply, so we went to a restaurant and came back later. Still no response, and at 7 pm the metal shutter at the front was down. Since we had a booking, I thought someone should know we were coming. I called again and someone answered in Chinese. I kept saying “hostel,” but they didn’t understand, so I went to a nearby aircut shop to explain. Someone there spoke both Chinese and English and called the hostel to tell them we were waiting outside. Eventually the two older people opened the door and showed us a nice room. It cost twice what I had booked, and they couldn’t understand when I tried to explain. I ended up paying 1600 for the two of us. A very strange experience.

It’s easy to get here from the train station, and the price was reasonable. There’s free WiFi, a coffee shop in the lobby, and plenty of books to read. The staff were friendly and suggested good restaurants and bars. They also helped arrange a trip to the Taroko Gorge.

I had a great time at Formosa Backpackers Hostel. The staff speak English well, and there’s an English library with over 800 books.

I’m here now, and the place looks deserted. It’s closed, and the phone number doesn’t work.