Shiny Ocean Hotel

If location is your main concern, Shiny Ocean Hotel is convenient, close to the night market, a supermarket, and the morning market. The facilities looked dated and could use a makeover. I stayed in a four-person room, and its age showed. There was little storage for toiletries, and even the roomy sink only had space for a couple of items. Breakfast seemed aimed more at local tourists and might not suit what international visitors prefer. It could work if you mainly want a central location, but anyone after modern comforts and more generous amenities may want to look elsewhere.

For the price, most things were passable, but there are a few things that bothered me. The hotel feels old, and the kettle was rusty enough to be unpleasant to use. The slippers were very cheap and really thin, and only lasted a day. They charge extra for each bottle of water, which felt stingy compared with other hotels in Taiwan. They do suggest free refills from a dispenser, so I suppose that's okay and could be seen as eco-friendly. Parking is another inconvenience: it's a short walk away, outdoors, across the road, and exposed.

We stayed 3d2n and the location was very accessible, about a 10-minute walk to Dongdamen Night Market, with breakfast places no more than 15 minutes away on foot. Our room with two double beds was quite spacious and had the basic amenities. The bathtub and rain shower were separate from the toilet, giving a wet and dry split for washing up. There were a few hiccups: after several uses, the toilet started to smell, water leaked out beside it, and there was an issue with the kettle. The staff dealt with these efficiently after I mentioned them. The stay was okay overall.

The room was clean, and breakfast was adequate, with a salad bar, porridge, ham, and bread. The staff were friendly and very helpful, including with suggestions for good local food. The hotel is about 600m from Dongdamen Night Market, with Taipingyang Park right in front. It's roughly a 45-minute walk from Hualien Train Station. With luggage, I'd suggest a taxi, as there are plenty at the taxi stands. It cost around NT150 from the station to the hotel.