Last April, the boyf and I traveled to Taiwan for the very first time. We decided to base ourselves in the vibrant shopping district of Ximending, where we found home in VIA Hotel. Truth be told, I wanted to try AirBnb for our Taipei trip. But since there's only two of us, I figured I'd try the latter the next time, which is what I actually did when I went to Singapore with the family (more on that after I finish my Taiwan posts).
I first found out about VIA Hotel from Andy's blog. It's located right smack in Ximending where we want to be at. And since there was an option to book VIA Hotel without pre-payment using Booking.com, it was a no-brainer that I'd go for this hotel!
Getting there...
Even without a pocket wi-fi (when we first arrived in Taipei), it was pretty easy to find VIA Hotel. From Taipei Main Station, we took the blue Bannan Line train and got off at Ximen Station. From Ximen Station Exit 6, you'll find the vibrant Ximending area on the right.
We just headed right from the station (look for H&M), when you pass by the iconic KFC, you know you're in the right direction. Then head another right (the side with the Superdry store) at the fork with the The Face Shop in the middle. Just walk straight, then when you find a Starbucks with a 7-Eleven below, enter that small alley. VIA Hotel is just a few steps away.
The Facade
Although the hotel's signage is hard to miss if you followed the directions above, there are still some people who have a hard time looking for it since you won't really know it's a hotel if you don't know what you're looking for.
The alley where VIA Hotel is situated is filled with boutiques and small eateries. If not for the signage, you won't even know there's a hotel here.
VIA Hotel's reception and common area is at the 2nd floor of the building, easily reachable by their two elevators which is more than enough to service all guests. We actually never had to wait to use the elevator. We don't usually have to take the elevator with other guests too!
The Common Area
Apart from the reception desk, there's also a common lounge at the 2nd floor. Here, VIA Hotel provides complimentary snacks and drinks 24/7. There are biscuits and sweets, breads, chips, tea, milk tea, coffee, juices, soda and more. And did I mention already that this is open 24/7? Yup, you can enjoy complimentary goodies and lounge here any time of the day (or night)!
| There's a Ximending tourist guide map, a computer guests can use, and even a luggage scale on the hotel's second floor. |
| Complimentary biscuits and chips |
| White bread, whole wheat bread and other pastries They have finger sandwiches at times too! |
| Instant coffee, milk tea and tea |
| Free-flowing sodas and juice |
| Free coffee, hot, cold and warm water, and free use of bread toaster |
| You can even heat up leftovers using the microwave! |
| Enjoying late-night snacks at the lounge |
There's also a common laundry room at the hotel. You can grab some detergent at the 2nd floor and use the self-service washing machine and drier at the 6th floor. Sadly though, I wasn't able to make use of their laundry room since we were usually out until late. The laundry room is only open until 9PM if I remember correctly.
The Hotel Room
We booked a Deluxe Double Room which was pretty spacious at 23sqm. It came with a double bed (duh!), a desk and chair, a safe, a fridge, a blow-drier, a small clothes hanging rack, a full length mirror, en suite toilet and bath, and even a massage-r thing!
| Nice room with lots of floor space for our luggage and shopped goodies |
| Very comfy bed with Sealy Posturepedic mattress |
| Clothes hanging area is pretty small but perfect for outfit planning! |
| Very handy for goodies and leftovers that need to be refrigerated |
| This was my best friend in the hotel! |
| Clean and spacious toilet and bath |
| Complete with toiletries |
| Lemon Verbana-scented shower gel and shampoo smelled nice. It would be better though if they also had conditioner. |
| Our bathroom came with a Japanese zen-style tub. They even provided bath salts in a cute wooden bucket! |
The Service
I booked our room at VIA Hotel via Booking.com. And although no pre-payment was required at the time of booking (December 2016), come last week of March 2017, the hotel had to pre-authorize my card. It was a debit card that's connected to my Booking.com account, and I've just used up most of the balance. So during pre-authorization, I didn't have enough funds. VIA Hotel was considerate to message me and give me 36 hours to sort the issue though. They were very courteous in the mail too.
We left our luggage at the hotel when we arrived early in the morning. Check in at VIA Hotel in the afternoon was a breeze too, as well as check out during our last day. The front desk officers were always nice and friendly, and spoke good English. Some receptionists spoke better than others, but we never encountered any communication problem. They were nice to reply to me in English even when I use my broken Chinese too. Haha!
During our 2nd day, I advised the front desk that a package (pocket wi-fi) for me will be delivered to the hotel. When the package came, they left a note in our room and I got to claim the package from the front desk very easily.
If you need directions to certain landmarks, or would want to ask for sight-seeing or restaurant recommendation, or if you want to book for tours, the front desk officers will also be more than happy to help. We needed to exchange more PHP to TWD, and the receptionist that day was very helpful to give us a map and point us to the right bank and direction.
Even the housekeeping did a good job. They'd always keep our room tidy and replenish our toiletries. They even tucked my plushie in when I left it un-neatly lying on the bed. (Good night, Chimchim!)
Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about VIA Hotel. The location (within Ximending and just 3 minutes away from the Ximen Station), the facilities, the rooms, the strong wi-fi, the service are all good value for money. As a boutique hotel, VIA Hotel Ximen is very straight-forward -- no frills, yet still chic and comfortable. It's perfect for travelers who are are not looking for luxury yet would also want a comfortable and pleasant stay in Taipei. And yes, that's what we got and more during our 5D/4N stay. And another yes, we'd definitely want to book VIA Hotel again next time!
Check-in: From 15:00
Check-out: Until 12:00
Type of Rooms in VIA Hotel Ximen
Single Room (1 single bed)
Economy/Standard/Deluxe Double Room (1 double bed)
Standard/Deluxe Twin Room (2 single beds)
Triple Room (1 double bed and 1 single bed)
Quadruple Room (2 double beds)
VIA Hotel Ximending
2F, No. 17, Ln 114, Sec. 1, Chunghua Rd.,
Wanhua District, 10843 Taipei, Taiwan
Official Website | Facebook
