Elegance Hotel Taipei

If you’re staying in the Neihu area, I’d definitely recommend this place. It’s near Xihu metro station and the market, and the streets behind the hotel have lots of small restaurants, including two vegetarian spots. Shops nearby sell toothbrushes if you need one, as Taiwan hotels no longer provide disposable ones. The hotel’s outside looks a little run down, but inside it’s clean and has what you’d expect for this price range. The staff were friendly and helpful.

The room had a faint smoky odor. I’m not sure why, perhaps someone who stayed before smoked there. Otherwise, no complaints. The hotel is great, the staff were fantastic, and we really appreciated the Taiwan hospitality.

The reception service was excellent, and my room stayed very quiet at night, which can be hard to find in Taiwanese cities. The price felt reasonable given the great location. If you fly into Taipei through Songshan airport, the metro gets you here very quickly with hardly any walking.

For the area, the price is economical, but our room faced directly into the neighboring building, so we had to keep the curtains closed for privacy. It was dark and damp, with a musty, mold-like smell. The cleaning staff woke us several times to ask if we wanted room service, even though we’d turned on the do-not-disturb button outside the room. Then we saw a giant cockroach scurrying down the hallway. When we reported it, reception didn’t apologize.