Single Inn Taipei - Hostel

After a tiring city tour, this peaceful, relaxed inn was a lovely place to unwind. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and well maintained, and the staff were incredibly welcoming. Breakfast and a night snack were included for free. Train and bus stations were nearby, along with some great places to eat. I had a fantastic stay and would definitely return.

The room was uncomfortable in several ways. It was dark, the light was weak, and the thin, small bedding didn't help with the strong AC or the humidity, so I had trouble sleeping every night. The TV didn't work when I plugged it in, and using it required showing ID and leaving a $1000 cash deposit for the earphones. They also didn't provide towels for guests in the discounted room rate. I booked online and couldn't get a refund, so I felt stuck there. The Wi-Fi setup was another major problem. There are separate 5G and 2-4 G networks, but my 5G phone could only connect in my small room, not in the seventh-floor dining area or lobby. Guests aren't allowed to talk or make calls in their rooms because the partitions have almost no soundproofing, so those public areas are where you're told to go. Yet there was no 5G Wi-Fi there. I needed to stay connected for travel and work, and this basic service wasn't available where I needed it. I was also surprised to see a man come into the women's room area to clean, even though a sign says it's for women only. The bathroom and showers are on the right side of the bedrooms. On arrival, there were no clean slippers in the assigned cubby, so I had to go back to the lobby to ask for them. The slipper cabinets looked filthy and put me off. The seventh-floor dining area had no public trash can. When I tried to get rid of trash and dirty dishes, a male staff member told me resentfully to leave them on the kitchen counter. That meant putting them on the same counter used to serve breakfast, which seemed disgusting. There were also dirty noodle soup bowls and cups left on restaurant tables for staff to clean the next day. Why not have guests use trash cans or place their cups in a container for washing? Laundry was frustrating too. Each washer and dryer costs NT$50. I paid NT$50 to dry my clothes on the highest setting, but after 50 minutes they were still damp. I wasn't going to pay another NT$50 and wait another 50 minutes. The hotel itself is old and ugly, the bathroom has a pool-like design, and the elevators were disgustingly dirty. There was no way I was going to use the public bath area. I don't understand the 4.6 rating. STAR HOSTEL is much better, and spending a bit more to stay there would be worth it. I won't come back.

I keep coming back to Single Inn for the Japanese bath, the quiet private rooms in the women's dorm, and the staff, who are kind to older guests as well as younger ones. The brunch is great, especially at weekends. One time a desk staff member even walked me to a pharmacy. I also enjoyed the Single Inn by Kaohsiung Station, but not many hotels offer this kind of thoughtful help.

The women's capsule area on the seventh floor was peaceful, dim, and very quiet, which made it feel safe as a woman travelling alone. The bathroom is inside that zone, so you can shower or use the loo without leaving it. There are even separate elevators for men and women. Guests respected the noise rules; I didn't need the provided earplugs, though I'd bring an eye mask if light bothers you. Getting there from the train station was an easy walk, past a 7-11 for quick, cheap food. My room matched the online photos: clean, lockable, and supplied with towels, soft slippers, and black pajama shorts and a T-shirt. I'm large, so they didn't fit me, though I saw other guests wearing them. The single bed was a little firm, but as a camper I found it comfortable. The reception team were fabulous. Check-in was quick and easy, and when my phone stopped charging by cable, they helped me find a shop selling a wireless charger. They even printed a map so I wouldn't get lost. Breakfast was hot, plentiful congee with a basic but tasty choice of condiments in the common area. You can get drinking water from a cooler with hot, warm, and cold settings. The gender-separated hot bath, a mini onsen, was a lovely bonus, with shampoo, moisturiser, and hairdryers. The bathroom walls showed wear and mold from the humidity, and the bathroom and onsen were old, but clean. A good place to land for a few nights if you set your expectations accordingly.