Hotel Uketamo

The room felt large, even though I booked the smallest option. It was thoughtfully laid out, spotless, and comfortable, and I could see the care housekeeping put into making it up each day. I loved the yoga mat, filtered water on every floor, Toto bidet, and bath products. Having kombucha in the room was a dream come true, and the snacks were fantastic. The facilities were gorgeous, too. I didn't get a chance to try a yoga class, but the coin laundry was handy. Breakfast had plenty of choice and variety, and the coffee and tea were excellent. The food was delicious, and the staff were kind and helpful. They called a taxi and spoke to the driver for me because I don't speak mandarin. The location was great, with YouBike downstairs, the MRT down the street, and lots within walking distance. I loved staying here and will definitely be back.

The rooms at Hotel Uketamo are clean, nicely designed, and comfortable, and the location is good. Everything was pleasant and well kept, but there wasn't anything that really stood out, so it wasn't especially memorable or an easy recommendation. The wellness options are quite limited, mostly bookable yoga sessions rather than full facilities.

The location in the middle of the Da'an district was great, and this brand new Japanese themed hotel felt premium and high class. It was very clean and well maintained, the staff were attentive, and there were thoughtful little touches like shoehorns by the room doors. One odd choice was putting check-in on the fifth floor when there seemed to be plenty of ground floor lobby space for the desks. There were a few things that seemed like new-hotel misses. At check-in, a glitch made our key open every door, including staff-only ones. They fixed it, but we had an embarrassing moment when we turned the wrong way in a hallway and opened a utility room with startled staff inside. The restaurant served only set meals with a set appetizer, first course, second course, and so on. That's fine at a regular restaurant, but at a hotel, guests need more flexibility in what they can order, or ideally a buffet. We guessed the fixed meals might be because there weren't yet enough guests to justify a buffet. We saw very few other guests. The first floor cafe was closed most mornings when we left, though it really needs to open early for coffee. When we first arrived, the elevators had no signs for which floors had which amenities. A couple of days later, hand-cut printed stickers appeared beside the buttons. They even showed braille floor numbers for visually impaired guests, but since the braille was flat print, it would be useless to someone who reads braille. The ground needs clearer visual signs for the loop driveway, where cars can pull off the street to the covered entrance. Since it looked like the sidewalk, many taxis stopped at the curb without realizing there was a driveway. When it rained, we had to dash to avoid getting too wet.

The location was really convenient, right by a SOGO department store with lots of restaurants and other shops. A 7-11 was close by for last-minute snacks, drinks, or things like sunscreen. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and I loved the hotel designs. There were immersive activities in the room, including making your own terrarium. It brought me into Taiwan's nature scene even while I was in the city. I also noticed thoughtful touches I'd never seen at another hotel, like the shower door opening from the inside. The food was delicious and really healthy. As someone who's health-conscious, it's hard to find food that's good for my body and my taste buds.