Shine Residence

The room itself had poor soundproofing, so we could clearly hear the neighbors discussing where to meet the next day. One room had around 10 mosquitoes. We killed them and left with the doors and windows shut, but came back to find the bathroom full of them again, possibly coming through the drain. The bathroom had a large area of clear glass. There were curtains, but one corner was left uncovered, so the inside was visible. Check-in took about 10 minutes, and the two basic double rooms we'd booked more than a month ahead were on different floors. After booking through Booking.com, the operator repeatedly said confirmation required adding them on Line. I didn't see what needed confirming with an existing Booking.com order, but they kept urging me, including by text. Once I added them, there was nothing to confirm. They just sent several long messages listing basic rules. There were also A4 sheets all over the place with many rules and fines. Being clear about policies is fine, but asking guests to add a personal contact and then sending three or four huge rule messages was irritating and made us feel treated like thieves. A tiny double room usually costs 2500-3000 NTD on a holiday. Staying somewhere like this just isn't worth it. I'd save the money for plane tickets instead of spending it on domestic travel.

I'm trying to change my Booking.com name to Fengjia. My annual leave stay at this expensive vacation home was awful. There were so many mosquitoes that I was still swatting them at 4 AM and couldn't sleep. The hot water also ran out completely. After that, we had to wait 10 minutes for it to heat back up, and by the end it was basically a cold shower.

I paid for a room through Agoda, but nobody answered my private messages. When I got there around 9 PM, there was no one to let me in. I called eight times, and every call was either busy or unanswered. Even Agoda customer service couldn't reach the hotel or its manager, so I had them cancel the booking directly. If the hotel doesn't want to operate, it should take down the listing instead of treating tourists this way. It's also down an alley, so you'd better be comfortable parking in tight spots.

We wanted to give the operator a chance to start over, but I left feeling anxious and worn out. For the same money, I believe you can find somewhere better. I hope the ownership change mentioned on Booking.com helps them get a legal license. In the meantime, guests should ask to see the legal guesthouse registration certificate, which should be displayed in the lobby. If a dispute happens at an unlicensed guesthouse, guests have no protection. The address appears to be registered as an illegal guesthouse. The operator says it's number 28 in a new building, but the actual place occupied is number 26. They hesitate to give the full address on Google and only send it after you add them on Line. Navigation took us to an empty address. The operator's reply on Booking.com was disheartening. Very low online ratings for places called Ying Fengjia, Sunrise Fengjia, and Tiaoliu Shiqing all seem to refer to this guesthouse. They keep changing the name because of the bad ratings, which gives a dishonest impression. We wrote this so others can decide what kind of place they want and avoid being misled by a name change like we were. There were a couple of positives. The room decor is relatively new, and the water pressure has improved somewhat since earlier reviews. The staff earned an extra star from me. I think management is the main problem. At least with small things like water, the staff were attentive and remembered to help, and their service attitude was good. The deluxe double was extremely small, only 6 pings (approximately 3.3 square meters)!! The hallway space was about the size of a carry-on suitcase, the small bathroom was stuffy, and the bed was so hard it felt like lying on the floor. There were no tables or chairs, so food from the night market had to be eaten sitting on the floor in a narrow corner, without watching TV. The balcony washing machine was horribly filthy. I don't know why they didn't turn that space into a table and chairs for guests. Soundproofing was terrible. Normal footsteps from other guests sounded loud, as did doors opening and closing. From the seventh floor, we could hear school bells and children shouting happily in the morning. The remote was covered in white slime or something and dust, which was disgusting. The room document booked through Booking.com was named "Xiangxiang Fengjia," but when I took a photo of my ID, it said "Douli Shiqing" instead. I felt uneasy and wondered which place we were actually staying at. Parking in the underground lot felt like gated access. Staff leave promptly at 9 PM, and it seemed they wouldn't open the gate after that, so you couldn't park there. We checked in late and the staff seemed in a hurry to leave. They stressed that checkout had to be done on the first floor, but the counter downstairs was locked and empty. At booking confirmation, they should have provided room information. Instead, after payment, they told us to inspect all the equipment ourselves and said nobody would help after 9 PM. We're guests out having fun, not renting a place to manage ourselves. It felt like once they'd taken the money, it was no longer their concern. Guests checking in after 9 PM really did have their keys left in a flowerbed for self check-in. That security is seriously questionable, since anyone with a key can enter the building. The place is remote, with very narrow roads and little light at night. Also, they don't accept card payments.