Convenient, Affordable, Great Breakfast!
2014-09-12
If you ever find yourself in Taipei, staying at your grandmother's apartment with no A/C, sweating in the humid tropical climate of Taiwan, looking for relief and a little freedom to explore one of the most amazing cities in the world.... I highly recommend the Citizen Hotel. There I was, sweating at 5am having survived another night at my grandmothers, but I needed someplace to escape. I got on Booking.com, looked at 20 different properties - including those "hostels" that are cheap but come with roommates - hoping to find a place around $60USD/night in the city. Many other hotels were $90-200/night, but I didn't need anything fancy, just something practical... so I reserved 6 nights at Citizen and never looked back. Pros: - Very convenient, walking distance to an MRT - A/C worked, not overwhelming-awesome great, but provided relief for a sweaty soul - Breakfast was wonderful! Eggs, bacon, rice, veggies, juice, toast, noodles, fruit, etc. - Friendly front-desk staff, always smiling, helpful, fluent in English - Great local street market to buy great food, near 7-11 market - Got to meet other foreigners at breakfast visiting from Paraguay, UK, and Israel! Cons: - Stairwell/hallway smelled like cigarette smoke - Rooms a little old, but you get what you pay for. They reminded me of an older Days Inn or Motel 6 that hasn't been upgraded in 10 years. Sheets were new, though. - They offer laundry service, but it was a little expensive for my frugal tastes, so I just washed my own clothes in the sink - My room was near a stairwell and floor staff desk, and sometimes I could hear the staff talking outside my room late at night or early in the morning. I was so tired I didn't care much, but others might be annoyed. Overall: I would definitely stay there again by myself, but I'd probably go to a newer, upgraded hotel if my wife and I go to visit Taipei together. She would probably be a little uncomfortable with the older rooms at the Citizen..... But If you're just looking for a basic room and want to save some money, I highly recommend the Citizen Hotel!