Papago International Resort in Taitung County
Booking a hotel in Taiwan can be difficult and frustrating, especially if you are unfamiliar with the landscape and do not have any previous booking experience. In this blog we will give you a basic overview of the hotel atmosphere in Taiwan as well as provide you with some basic tips to find the best hotel for you.
Disclaimer: The following FAQ is only based on our opinion after years of booking accommodation in Taiwan, and should not be considered absolute fact. What is the best website for hotel booking in Taiwan? My own personal preference is Agoda. However, Kayak is also a great platform to find the cheapest hotel across multiple sites. From my own experience, Agoda is the cheapest, provide the best quality listings, and have incredible customer service. They have given me my money back for a hostel on multiple occasions (which did not have free cancellation) just because there was an earthquake or because someone in my family got sick. Also, they once gave my money back on a room that had a shared bathroom because it wasn’t obvious from the listing. Overall in my opinion they have the best service and the best quality for the money. Usually they even have cheaper listings than other sites and offer greater discounts than other websites. What are the best websites for hotel booking in Taiwan? Ranked in order: 1. Agoda Website: https://www.agoda.com/ Relatively cheap: Yes Comparative number of listings: A lot of listings in Taiwan Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent From my own experience, Agoda is the cheapest, provide the best quality listings, and have incredible customer service. They have given me my money back for a hostel on multiple occasions (which did not have free cancellation) just because there was an earthquake or because someone in my family got sick. Also, they once gave my money back on a room that had a shared bathroom because it wasn’t obvious from the listing. Overall in my opinion they have the best service and the best quality for the money. 2. Kayak Website: https://www.kayak.com Relatively cheap: Yes Comparative number of listings: The most listings in Taiwan, because it combines and compares listings from multiple websites Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent Also a great platform to find the cheapest hotel across multiple sites. Why not compare all the sites at once? If you are looking for the absolute most cost effective hotels, this is the place to go. 3. Hotels.com Website: https://hotels.com/ Relatively cheap: No, but if you book ten rooms you get a free night. Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent Hotels.com offers some different options other than Booking and Agoda. Also, if you book ten rooms with them, they give you one night free. However I have noticed that there are not as many rooms available in some areas, and the price is a bit more expensive than Agoda or Booking. 4. Booking.com Website: https://www.booking.com/ Relatively cheap: Yes Comparative number of listings: A lot of listings in Taiwan Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent This platform is pretty much the same as Agoda. They are owned by the same company and the listings overlap. 5. Klook Website: https://klook.com/ Relatively cheap: No, but you can sometimes combine rooms with transportation, tours, and activities. Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent Klook offers many hotel options in Taiwan as well as the most tours activities, tours, and tickets. The number of hotel listings is not very high though, and often more expensive than other sites. 6. KKday Website: https://www.kkday.com/ Relatively cheap: No, but you can sometimes combine rooms with transportation, tours, and activities. Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent KKday offers many hotel options in Taiwan as well as tours activities, tours, and tickets. The number of hotel listings is not very high though, and often more expensive than other sites. 7. Expedia Website: https://expedia.com/ Relatively cheap: No Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent This platform is pretty much the same as Hotels.com. They are owned by the same company and the listings overlap. 8. Trip.com Website: https://www.trip.com/ Relatively cheap: No Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent A decent platform with lots of listings, but does not offer as many options as Hotels.com or Agoda. 9. Trivago Website: https://www.trivago.com/ Relatively cheap: No Comparative number of listings: Not the most listings in Taiwan, but there is a decent amount even in remote areas. Quality of rooms: Excellent Service: Excellent A decent platform with lots of listings, but does not offer as many options as Hotels.com or Agoda. 10. AirBnb Website: https://www.airbnb.com/ Relatively cheap: Yes Comparative number of listings: There are a lot of listings, and it may be the only option in some remote areas and outer islands. Quality of rooms: It depends, some are really bad while others are good. There is no quality guarantee. Service: It really depends on the landlord in charge. I do not recommend AirBnb. The App works and there are many listings that are cheap. However sometimes the cleaning and booking fees can be ridiculous, and if you are bringing multiple people there can be unreasonable charges. Be careful when booking with AirBnb! I have stayed in some very nice Airbnb’s, but the quality with AirBnb in Taiwan is very hit and miss, as many of them (especially the cheap ones) have no standards at all. I’m speaking from experience here; some of the cheap house rentals I have gone to have been a terrible experience. Cockroaches, spiders, mosquitos, no water to drink, unwashed bedding, the list goes on and on. However, some have been nice. But you never know. In general, you will be ensured a quality experience from booking a normal hotel instead. What are your recommendations for hotels in Taiwan? Our recommendations for hotels in Taiwan (that we have stayed at personally) are as follows: Taipei 台北: Central Taipei: We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here). We have stayed at and also recommend Fu Chang Hotel in Ximending, which is within walking distance of Ximending shopping district (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here). The Northern Coast: We recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). We have stayed at and recommend Gold Mountain Ranch, which is a horse ranch and glamping destination in Jinshan. You can book a night at Gold Mountain Ranch on Klook here. You can also check out our full blog on the ranch here. We have also stayed at and recommend Hai Xia Your Home which is right in front of Fulong Beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan. Wulai: There are many hot spring hotels in Wulai that have a hot spring tub right in the room. We have stayed at and recommend Wulai SungLyu Hot Spring Resort, which is a hot spring resort with great views just above Wulai Old Street. You can book on Booking.com here, Agoda here, Hotels.com here, TripAdvisor here, Trip.com here, Klook here, Kayak here, or Expedia here. Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan. Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. Yilan 宜蘭: We have stayed at and recommend Ying Shih Guest House, a resort in Datong Township near Taipingshan and Fan Fan Hot Spring (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), and Jiaosi Hotspring Hotel, a hotel with hot springs in each room (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here). We have also stayed at Toucheng Leisure Farm, a recreational farm and experience center in Toucheng (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, on Klook here, or on Trip.com here). Hualien 花蓮: The best hostel I’ve ever stayed at is “When Happiness Knock Your Door” “幸福來敲門” in Hualien. The hostess will go out of her way to make you comfortable and her rooms are kept extremely nice. Also it was one of the few hostels I’ve ever been to that has an elevator. Her price is well below the quality you will enjoy. She has almost a perfect rating on Booking.com and Agoda. You can book When Happiness Knock Your Door on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, Kayak here, TripAdvisor here, or Klook here. We have also stayed at and recommend Dream Taiwan Homestay (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), a high quality hostel for the money in downtown Hualien, Farglory Hotel (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), right next to Farglory Ocean Park with amazing views of Hualien, and Goldenflower B&B (Agoda / Booking.com) in Yuli right next to Sixty Stone Mountain. Taitung 台東: We have stayed at and recommend the Papago International Resort in Chishang (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a five star hotel with private villas with pools for each room, and Mountain and Ocean B & B in Taimali (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a quiet and affordable B&B right next to the beach. Kenting 墾丁: I have stayed at many hostels and hotels in Kenting, and even almost bought a house here. Some places that I have stayed at and can recommend are Nanwan Kiki (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), a B&B next to Nanwan Bay, Kenting's most popular Beach. There are also a few decent hotels near Kenting Street Night Market like Kenting Star Inn 888 (book on Agoda here, Klook here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Booking.com here), or Kenting Dajianshan Hotel (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here). You will notice that none of these hotels are five star resorts (I do not come to Kenting to waste my time at a resort, but you can still search Agoda, Booking.com, Hotels.com, or Expedia for those) but they are in my opinion the above have the best value for the money. Kaohsiung 高雄: We have stayed at and recommend Chao She Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) IHI Sanduo Travel Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Mingli Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Hotels.com here) which are three inexpensive and high quality choices in downtown Kaohsiung. I also have stayed at and recommend Kaohsiung Meinong Rabbit Paul Homestay B&B (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here), a quiet B&B in rural Meinong, and Chengching Lakeside Resort (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com or Trip.com here)and the Grand Hotel Kaohsiung (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) which both offer breakfast buffet and free entrance into Chenqing Lake Park. I have also stayed at the 85 sky tower which offers great views of the city; you can search for rooms in the 85 sky tower on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here). Tainan 臺南: We have stayed at and recommend Liho Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Hotels.com here), a quality hotel right next to Chikan Tower, and Famouse Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Klook here), which is another great hotel also within walking distance of Chikan Tower in old Tainan. Chiayi 嘉義 We have stayed at and recommend Chiayi Crown Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), Shin Kao Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Trip.com here), and YesHotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which are all quality hotels for a reasonable price near Chiayi Station. We also recommend Shianghu Botique Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), with excellent quality for the money just our of Chiayi City center. Finally we have stayed at and recommend Fenchihu Street Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is within walking distance of Fenqihu Old Street, Fenqihu Station, and many amazing hikes in the area. Nantou 南投 We have stayed at and recommend Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Trip.com here, or Klook here), a hot spring hotel near the mystical Lushan hot spring, and Maple Leaf Holiday Villa (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia.com here, Trip.com here, or Klook here), a lodge with a great view and within walking distance of Cingjing Farm. I also have stayed at and recommend Kirin Villa (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), a mountain resort in Puli near Sun Moon Lake. Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. Miaoli 苗栗 We have stayed at and recommend Beautiful Landscape Resort, a fish farm and resort near Nanzhuang Old Street (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Yuan Motel, a high class car motel which includes a great breakfast buffet (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here). We also recommend Flying Cow Ranch which includes cabins and camping right on the tourist ranch; you can book a room on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here. Hsinchu 新竹 We have stayed at and recommend the Golden Motel a high quality motel near Green Grass Lake (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here), and CD Motel, another high quality motel in downtown Hsinchu (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here). Unfortunately I cannot recommend any further hotels that I have stayed at in Hsinchu because usually we stay at my wife's uncle's house. You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. Xiaoliuqiu Island 小琉球 Some places we have stayed at that I recommend are Yujing 6.8, which is a four story house near Dafu Harbor (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), Boliu B&B (柏琉民宿) which is also a nice newly renovated hostel right on the main street near lots of restaurants (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), Haichan Hostel which is a traditional three-sided Taiwanese mansion near the beach (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), and Baisha Bay B&B which is a great place near the main harbor that is only one story so there are no stairs (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here). All of the owners of these places were very helpful, and even helped me to move my luggage and rent scooters. Some hostels require that you pay for my room in advance via bank wire transfer (this may not be an option if you are a foreign traveler, so make sure they accept credit cards if you do not have a Taiwan bank account), but you should not have to do this if you book through Agoda or another hotel booking site. Green Island 綠島 We stayed at and can recommend Fire Island Guesthouse, which is a high quality B&B on right on the east coast of the island. Penghu 澎湖 We have stayed at and recommend Han's Hostel, which had great service and is right next to Shanshui Beach, the best beach in Penghu. Matsu 馬祖 We have stayed at and recommend Fu Hwa Homestay on Nangan (you can book on Agoda here, Booking,com here, or Trip.com here), and B&B of Blueshine on Beigan (you can book on Agoda here, Booking,com here, or Trip.com here). Both places were excellent, and provided us a car ride to and from the airport for free. Kinmen 金門 We stayed at and can recommend Sihai Hostel, which is a quality hostel with spacious and clean rooms. They also arranged transport to and from the hostel for free. You can book Sihai Hostel on Agoda here, Klook here, or Trip.com here. What is the average price of a hotel in Taiwan? According to Hikersbay.com, the average price is 891 TWD (28 USD) for a hostel, 2,400 TWD for a 3 star hotel (74 USD), and 8,300 TWD (257 USD) per night for a luxury hotel. According to the Taipei Times, in 2023 the average daily rate of licensed tourist hotels in Taiwan was 4,618 TWD (145 USD). In our experience, a fair price for a hotel in Taiwan that I like to stick to is around 1,500 TWD (about 45 USD) for a standard double room. What is the average price range for a standard double hotel room in Taiwan? The following prices are from personal experience booking over tens of hotels in Taiwan over 5 years (Please note 1000 NT is roughly equal to 31 USD): Typically, the cheapest of the cheap hotels will go from 700-1000 NT Lower range Hotels will go from 1000-1700 NT Mid Range Hotels will go from 1500-2500 NT High Class Hotels will go from 2500-5000 NT Super Fancy Hotels will go from 5000-30,000+ NT per night! Please note these prices also vary by location.
What is the average price of a hostel/B&B in Taiwan?
The following prices are from personal experience booking over tens of hostels in Taiwan over 5 years. Typically, the cheapest of the cheap hostels will go from 400-700 NT (backpacking bunk bed style hostels being at the bottom) Lower range Hostels will go from 700-1200 NT Mid Range Hostels will go from 1200-2500 NT High Class Hostels will go from 2500-5000 NT Super Fancy Hostels will go from 5000-10,000+ NT Please note these prices also vary by location. What is the average price of a backpacker’s hostel in Taiwan? Usually you can find one from around 500-700+ NT a night for a shared bunk bed style room. Please note these prices also vary by locat What is AirBnB like in Taiwan? The App works and there are many listings that are cheap. However sometimes the cleaning and booking fees can be ridiculous, and if you are bringing multiple people there can be unreasonable charges. Be careful when booking with AirBnb! I have stayed in some very nice Airbnb’s, but the quality with AirBnb in Taiwan is very hit and miss, as many of them (especially the cheap ones) have no standards at all. I’m speaking from experience here; some of the cheap house rentals I have gone to have been a terrible experience. Cockroaches, spiders, mosquitos, no water to drink, unwashed bedding, the list goes on and on. However, some have been nice. But you never know. In general, you will be ensured a quality experience from booking a normal hotel instead. Can I leave my luggage at a hotel in Taiwan? Yes, as long as it is staffed 24/7. Don’t expect this from an AirBnb. What is the difference between staying at a hotel vs. hostel/B&B in Taiwan? A hotel is bigger than a hostel/B&B, and usually the quality is a little better in a hotel, but this is not a rule. The advantage of hostels is there is better hospitality and usually the owner will want to chat with guests and offer help with finding places to go, rentals, etc. One time a hostel owner gave me a free plate of pineapple! That would never happen in a hotel. What is free breakfast like in Taiwan? Be careful with free breakfast advertising. Unless it is a hotel with a restaurant and hot food, chances are you are you will get a 50 NT coupon for a local breakfast shop. For 50 NT, you will not get full, and breakfast will not end up being free. What is the best hotel in Taiwan? There is no right answer to this question. Speaking from experience, the best hotel that I have stayed at in Taiwan was Papago International Resort in Taitung County (pictured above). You can book Papago International Resort on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here. Are there motels in Taiwan? What are motels like in Taiwan? Yes. Usually they have a parking garage on the first floor and an apartment on the second floor with very nice bathrooms, glass showers, and Jacuzzis. Motels in Taiwan are getaways for “couples” who do not want to be seen in public, and are usually pretty private. A lot of them are named “love motel” and have more romantic interiors. But it’s totally fine to bring your children and family along. Some of the most relaxing and well-kept places I’ve ever stayed in Taiwan have been motels. Our favorite motel in Taiwan is Yuan Motel, a high class car motel which includes a great breakfast buffet (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) What is the best hostel in Taiwan? The best hostel I’ve ever stayed at is “When Happiness Knock Your Door” “幸福來敲門” in Hualien. The hostess will go out of her way to make you comfortable and her rooms are kept extremely nice. Also it was one of the few hostels I’ve ever been to that has an elevator. Her price is well below the quality you will enjoy. She has almost a perfect rating on Booking.com and Agoda. You can book When Happiness Knock Your Door on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, Kayak here, TripAdvisor here, or Klook here. What are the best historical/cultural hotel experiences in Taiwan? We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here) and the the Grand Hotel Kaohsiung (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) which offers a breakfast buffet and free entrance into Chenqing Lake Park. They are both five star hotels made with traditional Chinese architecture and are landmarks of Taiwan. What plug/power does Taiwan use?/What kind of adapter do I need for Taiwan?/What kind of plug do I need in Taiwan? Taiwan uses the same power and plugs as the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Japan. The standard voltage is 100V at 60Hz. If you are from Europe Australia, Asia, or Africa, you will need to bring a voltage converter. Click here to search voltage converters on Amazon. What is the best hotel in…[city]? (what hotel to stay in..which hotel to stay in…) Please note that I have not stayed in most of the hotels below. The following list is just for reference, and is not necessarily the best hotel, but it's at least at the top of the list for each city. You should search and compare reviews online and then decide for yourself. Taipei - W Hotel Taipei. For a list of other great hotels, click here. Hualien - Hualien FarGlory Hotel. For a list of others, click here. Tainan - Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan. For a list of others, click here. Kaohsiung - Kindness Hotel - Kaohsiung Main Station Front. For a list of others, click here. Taichung – Divecube Hotel. For a list of others, click here. Taoyuan - Hotel Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. For a list of others, click here. Changhua - Forte Hotel Changhua. For a list of others, click here. Hsinchu - Hotel Royal Hsinchu. For a list of others, click here. Kending - Kenting Amanda Hotel. For a list of others, click here. Taitung - Sheraton Taitung Hotel. For a list of others, click here. Yilan - Wellspring By Silks. For a list of others, click here. Sun Moon Lake - Hotel Del Lago. For a list of others, click here. Penghu - Four Points by Sheraton Penghu. For a list of others, click here. Kinmen - Golden Lake Hotel. For a list of others, click here. Feel free to prove me wrong! Which are the best cheap hotels in Taiwan? Check out this list from Hotels.com. Check out this list from Booking.com. Check out this list from Tripadvisor. Check out this list from Trip 101. Lists of the best hotels in Taiwan: Check out this list from Hotels.com. Check out this list from Booking.com. Check out this list from Tripadvisor. Check out this list from Two Monkey’s Travel Group. When is the best time to book hotels in Taiwan? When are the best hotel deals Taiwan? Avoid extended weekend holidays if you want to save money. Places with nice ocean locations are cheaper in the winter, and hot spring locations are cheaper in the summer. Business districts such as Taoyuan and Hsinchu will typically be cheaper on the weekends when there are less business travelers. What are the best hotel deals Taiwan? Check out this list from Tripadvisor and this list from Hotels.com When is the best day to book hotels in Taiwan/ When is the best day of the week to book hotels in Taiwan? According to Clark.com and MSN, the cheapest day to book is on the weekend, from Friday to Sunday. How far in advance is the best time to book a hotel? According to Tripadvisor, the best time to book a hotel is 3-5 months in advance. Its said the best time to book is the day before, but this is not true for busy holidays when most of the hotels are going to be fully booked. For busy holidays, the farther out you can book the cheaper it should be. Can I go camping in Taiwan? Yes! There are many campgrounds in Taiwan and most have covered spots and showers. Many also offer tent and sleeping bag rental. For more information check out our full Camping in Taiwan FAQ here. I hope you have found this FAQ helpful. Please like, follow, share, and be sure to let us know of any more questions you have in the comments below!
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Author 作家We are US Expats that have extensive experience living, working, and travelling in Taiwan. In our day, we had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But we have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. Our blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. We are just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country. Archives 檔案
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