Taiwan 2010 – City Inn Hotel Plus

After much prowling around the net, we decided to try City Inn Hotel Plus (City Inn Hotel 4). Of course we have heard a lot about the other great hotels in Taipei but we settled for this because of it was

• clean
• chic
• cheap
• central
• new! (opened for less than 3 months)

We arrived in Taipei from Jiufen on a Monday morning by cab. We were actually on the way to the train station from Windsor to Rui Fang station but halfway thru, the cabbie mentioned that he could take us to Taipei for 1000 TWD. The thought of not having to lug our stuff through the train, and around metro was the push factor.

Along the way, he dropped by a convenience store to get a popsicle and got us one each too.

The journey was all of 45 mins or so. Thankfully, we recce the site of the hotel on our first day, and was able to tell him exactly where to stop. The lobby was clean and of minimalist design.

Nothing much except a counter, an internet kiosk and a coffee machine (read: free drink). The basement boasts a laundry area and some sofa to hang out.

Unfortunately, we arrived too early – the check in time was 3pm. Since that was the case, we wandered around Xi Men shopping area and decided to catch a movie. The pricing was complicated with different rate for different times for different group of people.

The timing was just right for us to catch a show, and by the time it ends, we could go check in. Except that we got a bit lost. Nevertheless, the room was as expected.

It was a simple room with a work desk and free wifi. Comes with free potato chips every day and most importantly, a safe. And free condoms are your thing, it’s there too.

The bathroom was surprisingly large.

And there is free video on demand. Free. Plus all the 100+ cable channels.

If there was one thing missing, it is the closet. There was no place to hang your clothes except some hooks behind the door. Anyways, for 1660 TWD per night (72 SGD/night), it was great.

We did spend a lot of time in the room watching tv and because of the proximity to the MRT station, it was never too troublesome to come back to rest up a while before heading out again.

One thing we noticed about the hotel was that there was always couples asking the staff about the hourly rates. It was common to see people pack MacDonald’s  and check into hotel rooms. Either it is common to dine in a hotel room during lunch or they had other business in mind.

Except for the closet, I would think this hotel gives a good bang for the buck. Oh, there was one other peeve. The staff will always ask you to surrender your keycard when you leave the place which baffles me. But otherwise, they are really a friendly and helpful bunch.

If you really must know, the transfer from the hotel to the airport is 900 TWD for 2 of us. You get to ride in a BMW SUV.