Sun Moon Heart Hostel

We were told breakfast was included, then arrived to find there wasn’t any. There were no towels, slippers, or bottled drinking water either, and no on-site parking when we got there. Parking is very limited around here. Please don’t stay here.

The bathroom smell can spread through the room if you leave its door open, so keep it shut. The heater also seemed broken, and the water temperature kept fluctuating. Before 10 pm, we were asked to keep our child quiet because other guests wanted to sleep, which says a lot about the poor soundproofing. I wouldn’t bring children here. There’s no fridge, though that wasn’t an issue for us in the colder January weather. It was an okay stay otherwise.

The only real convenience was the shop next door. The place is about a 30-minute walk from the night market, and I paid NT$6,000 for a smelly room with basics worse than what I have at home. Taiwan’s domestic travel industry is hopeless. I booked through Agoda, where it said payment would be made on site. But when I called to confirm, I got through to a “travel agency,” not the B&B. They said weekend bookings had to be paid by online transfer in advance or they wouldn’t accept the reservation. That condition wasn’t shown on the booking site. The room was supposed to sleep five, but there was only one towel per person and beds for four, which we had to push together. The beds were at different heights. There was no refrigerator or fourth unit. A window above the bathroom had no screen or curtain, so after showering the whole room was wet. The water kept switching between hot and cold, the lights flickered, and the wooden furniture was stained and moldy. It was marked non-smoking, but the moment we walked in there was a strong cigarette smell. I found cigarette butts in the gutter and under the bed, plus party supplies from the previous guest. Staff said cleaning was outsourced and told me to leave a comment about it. They eventually lent me an ozone machine, but said I had to run it myself. The smoke smell went away, only to be replaced by the ozone smell. Even after an hour of airing the room, the pungent odor remained and kept me awake all night.

I need to find somewhere else to stay quickly now. I booked this hostel a month ago through Agoda and submitted my payment details there, but today they called to say they were canceling because they hadn’t received payment. I explained and showed proof that I had paid, but they said it was too late to restore the reservation. It’s frustrating that they take bookings through Agoda but require payment through a separate platform.