Hau Shuang Hotel

The views were a highlight of my time in Taipei. Waking up to the city skyline and Taipei 101 felt luxurious without being over the top. The rooms are spacious, modern, and really comfortable after a long day out. It's a peaceful area but still close to night markets, walking paths, and cultural spots. The staff were kind, welcoming, and always helpful. The Wi-Fi is fast and reliable, so it's also a great place to work remotely. Staying at amba Songshan was a real highlight. If you want somewhere peaceful with a great view, this is the place.

The room was new, clean, and spacious, with a great view. The staff were friendly, professional, and very accommodating. They let us check in an hour before 3 pm, and we chose to stay and put up with the smell rather than switch rooms. There was a strong odor, especially from the pillow, which had a peculiar scent, almost sweat and chlorine with a hint of popcorn chicken. Otherwise, this would easily have been five stars. The location is alright if you want to take the metro all the way to TPE airport, about an hour or so. I took an Uber instead, and it took 40 minutes or cost $50 usd during mid-December 2025 at 12pm. Breakfast isn't included, but Xia Shang Bao is a fantastic place just a two-minute walk south. It was one of the best breakfasts I've had, so definitely check it out.

The location keeps you a little away from the city center, so it's fairly quiet, but still close enough. The green MRT line can get you to the center or airport, and the high-speed rail TRA stops here too. There's a shopping mall beside the hotel with lots of Japanese restaurants, if that's your thing. The rooms have creative design and features, though they still fall short of five-star hotels. The view was okay, if a bit far from Taipei 101, but the lower price makes up for it. Staff were generally friendly and available. Laundry machines are free to use, though the gym feels suffocating and has no view. Breakfast was disappointing by Asian hotel standards, with limited choices and slow refills. I wouldn't mind staying again, but there are drawbacks.

The rooms were spacious and clean, and the hotel connects straight to a mall and Songshan station. Raohe night market is about a five-minute walk, with plenty of cafés and convenience stores nearby. What brought this down to two stars was the rude male employee on the night we checked in, 12/25/2025. We were surprised when he asked for passports for every guest. Other hotels we stayed at in Taipei and Taichung hadn’t done that. He then tried to sell us an “upgrade” to a “bigger” room that cost far more than booking another room separately. I understand they need to make sales, but it felt like a low way to do it, especially on Christmas Day.