Liho Hotel - Hankou

The staff were friendly, and check-in went smoothly for our party of four. Our room was clean and bright, and it even had a bathtub, which we hadn't expected. We had a great experience and would book this hotel again on a return trip to Taiwan.

The neighbors partied, drank, and shouted all night, and with walls that seemed paper-thin, we heard every conversation. After one night, we checked out. We chose the hotel because it was cheap and the pictures looked good, but the rooms weren't nearly as clean, well-kept, or new-looking as they appeared. Everything was quite worn. That's something you get used to in Asia, but I still wanted to mention it. The room had no windows and smelled unpleasantly musty, probably helped along by the old carpet. The AC didn't seem to run continuously to clear the air, and its filters looked like they hadn't been cleaned or changed for a long time.

You get a lot for the price here. The room was simple but had what I needed: a desk and chair, little bedside tables, a fridge with complimentary bottled water, and a bathroom with a sink and a shower over the bath. The bed was comfortable, everything was clean, and the air conditioning kept the temperature just right. It was quiet from the neighbors, though traffic could be heard and might bother a light sleeper. The curtains let in daylight at sunrise, so bring an eye mask if you're sensitive to light.

I booked on January 10 and checked out almost immediately because the room was dirty and moldy, with a strong cigarette smell even though it was meant to be non-smoking. I got no refund. The hotel is on the 10th floor, above karaoke, a bar, and a casino, so sharing the elevator with people going to those places didn't feel safe to me. If you're a woman traveling alone for the first time, I wouldn't book here. The advertised photos are false, and the high ratings don't reflect the room's real condition.