Stay Easy Inn

The room itself was good quality, but the construction next door made daytime rest impossible. I could hear saws and nail guns, so sleeping in or even taking a nap wasn’t an option. The staff should warn guests about this beforehand. I also got locked out for three and a half hours after leaving my key in the room. There was nobody at reception between 10 pm and 7 am to help. Maybe the worker was asleep and couldn’t hear me knocking. The Wi-Fi kept disconnecting every 20 minutes or so, which made calls frustrating. Good room, but the lack of overnight reception, unreliable Wi-Fi, and loud construction were real problems.

For someone trying to keep costs down, the location is convenient and the weekday rate was reasonable. I paid $850 for a weekday night through Agoda. Ximen Roundabout parking is about a two-minute walk away, and it seems to be free from 10 pm to 8 am. That was much better than the chaotic lot at HaiX Hotel. The hotel has a staff-free setup, friendly staff, and an easy self check-in process. My windowless double was on the second floor. I took the stairs, which was fine, but the elevator is very tiny and slow, with a notice saying it fits only three adults, so keep that in mind if traveling with kids, an older person, or lots of bags. The shower and toilet aren't separated. There were plenty of towels, but the shower temperature kept changing despite the strong water pressure. The toilet smelled strongly of pipes, maybe because of the floor, though closing its lid and the bathroom door kept the odor out of the room. It wasn't dirty. The soundproofing was poor too. I heard the neighbor's doors and people walking in the hall. I wouldn't stay here again, though it could suit someone mainly looking to save money.

I came back to Yiju Hostel after the Lunar New Year holiday, hoping for smaller crowds, though Tainan was still busy. Its alleyway culture is hard to resist. I arrived before check-in, left my bags in the self-service lockers, and sat in the lobby to plan the rest of my day. While I was there, I saw hotel staff get shouted at several times, even as they tried to help. An older man couldn't check in early at the machine because there were no counter staff and check-in time hadn't started. He called the hotel from the lobby to say the machine wasn't working, then yelled rudely. Is a self-service, unmanned hostel really so hard to understand? Later, a couple with a child got upset when red stains were found on their sheets and duvet cover at checkout. The father accused staff of deliberately causing trouble, said he'd never heard of paying for something he'd soiled, and threatened an Agoda bad review. Is it really so difficult to disclose that you've stained someone else's bedding? It belongs to the hotel, and surely you should pay for damaging someone else's property. Then a woman who had parked her scooter where she wanted found a car blocking it and blamed the hotel for not providing parking. She demanded staff move the scooter right away and threatened a negative Google review. There are large “No Parking” notices on the entrance glass, on three walls of the private lot across the alley, and on the private land opposite. They are visible when entering and even if you accidentally park there. The woman said the hotel had made her park incorrectly and that cars were now blocking her scooter. The signs say no parking is provided and warn people not to park on private land. Is finding a scooter space really that hard? I'm writing this to encourage and reward the staff who dealt with all of that. Some guests do notice how hard they try. I'll definitely be back.

The location works really well for sightseeing, with everything close by. I also liked the tea room, which has a microwave, water dispenser, snacks, a sink, and a map with Tainan food recommendations. The room was great, and they supplied plenty of bath and hand towels. The elevator is small, so people with lots of luggage should take note. The bathroom also has no separate shower and toilet. A warning for anyone on a motorcycle: the empty-looking space opposite is a private parking lot owned by a financial company. There's just a small notice that's easy to miss, especially at night. If you leave your bike there, they move it to the back the next morning, where company cars can block the entrance and exit and cause trouble for visitors. The company's security won't help; they'll just say parking there wasn't allowed. Apart from that parking issue, I thought the place was great and very suitable for a stay.