Astar Hotel Taipei

The place is very strategic, near a lot of convenience shop, massage and especially food shops/restaurants. The hotel is a walk away (2 blocks) from the nearest MRT station. The hotel is clean and is good especially for those who are looking to comfortable rest after a full day of walking and doing touristy activities.

Not so expensive. Good location, but it takes around 8 minutes to the nearest MRT station by foot. The reception staff is very kind, helpful and can speak Japanese quite well. Many Japanese guests in this hotel.

The use of keys to access the rooms is rather outdated. Same goes to the furniture and decor in room. Horrible air quality in Room 610. Nights in that room meant endless sneezing and nose blowing and these symptoms only subsided when I left my room the following mornings. My room was enveloped suddenly with smoky smell on Christmas midnight. My belongings smelt of smoke for the rest of my trip in Taiwan. The ventilator in the bathroom was redundant. The mirror remained fogged up unless it was wiped. There was a night I had to hand wash a piece of stained clothing and it was still damp when I returned to my room the following night. The only positive points were the availability of a bathtub to soak the soreness away from intense sightseeing and the good memory of a lady staff (I didn't ask her name) who could give me the correct room key without myself mentioning my room number.