This is my first post for this new blogsite as I’ve realised that I’ve been travelling a lot and would be a waste if I don’t write about the places I’ve stayed before and share my experiences with my friends and readers. eatwithroy.com is definitely a successful run and the readership is steadily climbing. Well I hope I can help friends in their choice of accomodation as well when they are out touring or on business trips.

Well I was in Taiwan for the first time and Taipei is naturally the first place to visit. I had a hard time choosing the right hotel which is convenient and has good rates at the same time. Finally I ended up choosing Go Sleep Hotel located at Xining South Road. It is not easy to locate the hotel the first time, but if you follow my steps below, you will find it easily!

When you alight at Taoyuan airport, head downstairs to the bus station and buy a ticket from Free Go Bus Service to 一乐园酒店(yi le yuan hotel). Most likely they will bring you to their officelocated somewhere near the city and ask you to alight the bus and change to another bus to transfer to 一乐园. The idiot annoucing will not be very clear and he will only say it once. So if you miss it, the current bus driver will bring you for a ride around town and will not head towards Ximending area, even though the bus can be pretty near to your destination. So do not depend on the bus driver, keep asking them if that’s the bus heading to 一乐园, then you’ll be safe, ‘cos they are THAT FARKED UP!

Once you reached 一乐园, keep walking down the same road, cross the first traffic light to reach 狮子林大厦 (shi zi lin building), keep walking down straight till end of building, turn right and walk till end of building, you should see a Crocs shop diagonally opposite on your left like the pic below:

Then turn right, you’ll see a fortune teller stall like this:

On the right, you’ll see the lift lobby:

Get in the lift and press level 9. You’ll be greeted by a lovely receptionist!

If however, with the above detailed directions you still can get lost, I suggest you stay at 一乐园酒店. ‘Cos calling them will not help your naturally poor sense of direction. :). But if you have 3-4 people travelling together, take a cab, tell the cab driver Ximending, Shi Zi Lin Da Sha, Xining Nan Lu, alight at the end building at traffic light and walk in. Most cab drivers know where Shi Zi Lin Da Sha is ‘cos famous IT building, so must mention. Cab should cost around NT$1100 (S$47) or call the hotel to arrange pick up for only NT$1000.

Anyways, my reviews of the hotel as follows:

Hotel – Great amenities for those staying more than 3 days. Can do your own laundry and big fridge with freezer for your purchases. Rooms are very clean. Neighbours closing doors during the day can be a bit noisy but it’s ok at night. Free wifi!

The only problem I had was the refusal for late check out, even though we stayed a total of 6 nights. Their explanation is that the system is automated and when it hits 12pm, you better get your ass out of the room. If not, NT$300 is chargeable for every hour you stay inside. Come on, you can do better than that lah boss.

Service – All staff are very friendly and very helpful if you need to know how to go to certain attractions or shops. They have map of Ximending ready for hotel guests as well as directions from the hotel to hot attractions around Taipei! They can even help you arrange transport to these attractions or airport, day tours, massages, etc. Freakin’ excellent service!

Location – Right smack in Ximending, the hottest spot in Taipei. Food and shopping is everywhere! Metro station is just about 200m away and will bring you to other hot spots.

Breakfast – Breakfast is provided and is pretty ok. There’s toast, congee with condiments, fresh grounded coffee, fried stuff, veg, etc. The best is their Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Rice). Take a bowl of rice, scoop a little Lu Rou from the pot over the rice and enjoy! Don’t put too much Lu Rou as it’s meant to be a little salty. Pics will be featured on eatwithroy.com.

RTS (Return To Stay) – I will stay here again when I’m back in Taipei!

Rating: 4.5/5!

Address: No. 36, Xining South Road, Level 9 Shi Zi Lin Building, Wanhua District, Taipei. 台北市万华区西宁南路36号狮子林大厦9楼.

Tel: 02-2361-1321

Hotel Pics: