Hotel Chung Shan

The staff were very nice, and the simple breakfast was included. Still, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. We picked it for its proximity to the train station and spent one night, but cigarette smoke hung heavily in the hallways and room despite the non-smoking designation. It irritated my eyes, and I felt like I was breathing secondhand smoke all night. I even tried sleeping in a face mask. The room was basic, the large bed was two twins pushed together with a hard ridge in the middle, the AC barely worked, and the walls were paper thin.

The meals came on time and were filling, with fruit served each time. During my quarantine stay, I found the room clean and comfortable. There wasn’t a chair at first, but I was able to ask for one. The bathroom was roomy and had a bathtub, and the hot water stayed steady with strong water pressure. The staff were polite and friendly, and even with masks on I could see their smiles. They were patient and quick to help whenever I needed something.

There’s a small, cozy smoking corner on the first floor. The place itself is small but clean.

Adam Lin at the front desk was incredibly patient and understanding when my 88-year-old father, who has dementia, was convinced it was daytime at 2 am. After we returned from the local police station, he refused to go back to the room, and even the police couldn’t persuade him that it was the middle of the night. My mother and I were exhausted after the long flight from SFO, so we had to leave him in the lobby with Adam. I went back after a while and managed to bring him upstairs, but an hour before breakfast began he was already back in the lobby with his luggage. When he gets like that, he needs to keep busy cutting paper with scissors. Adam kindly gave him scissors and a box for the scraps. The young woman setting up the breakfast buffet was also kind and helpful. We barely slept, but we definitely recommend the hotel. We stayed just one night after arriving in Taiwan, and the room was decent; the breakfast buffet was great.