Greatt Hotel

The room was cleaner and more spacious than I expected, with a comfortable king-size bed, good lighting, and a large window. The TV had a big screen and was easy to connect a device to. The bathroom was very good, with a warm toilet seat, ventilator, and heater. There was a safe and a fridge too. The key was an old-school one, not a card. The location is prime, with a 7-11 very close by and the market and MRT within walking distance. Shilin is a nice local area with lots of small shops. All the staff were very nice to me, helpful, and kind. The one downside is that the room isn’t soundproof. You can hear everything from the street, cars, voices, noise, and if you’re not used to it, you might not sleep. I can, so I’m happy with it.

The room itself was a good size for our big suitcases, had a bidet, and came with bottled water and a water dispenser. It was also quiet, despite the soundproofing concerns I’d read, and the area was pleasant. This was the cheapest room I could find in Taipei for the nights before New Year, and it was only a five-minute walk from Shinlin Mrt. The hard part was dealing with the entrance. Staff weren’t always at reception, and my parents nearly couldn’t check in because nobody opened the main gate. The taxi driver managed to call the hotel, since the only contact number was on the door. On our last day, we left our luggage in the lobby and asked to keep one key for the gate so we could return it later. They said no, and we ended up waiting about 15 minutes, ringing the bell repeatedly before anyone came. Get a local number if you stay here.

The location is handy, about a five-minute walk to Shilin station and roughly the same to Shilin market. But the hotel didn’t live up to what that location suggests. The toilet was clean, while the shower had quite a bit of mold, and street noise was irritating at night.

An unexpected budget-friendly treat. The hotel was clean and very modern, just steps from the famous night market. We were on a layover, checked in at 10:45 PM, rushed out to catch the market’s last bit, and got back around 2 AM to sleep. Then we checked out early for a tour and our return flight. I’m American, and the bathroom had some nice tech and design touches I don’t usually see in US hotels. Wish we’d had time to stay longer.