The city of Taipei is a place of culture, history and rich natural scenery. Earlier this year the overseas website Buzzfeed chose the city as one of the world’s best places for solo travel, and the urban charms of Taipei, along with Taiwan’s stunning natural scenery, stimulated The New York Times to choose the island as one of the “52 Places to Go in 2014,” placing it 11th.With the international media repeatedly reporting on Taipei’s scenic allure, the city is increasingly identified as a must-visit destination for international travelers. Last year designated as the World Design Capital 2016, good design is intricately linked with this city’s character. In the last two years many youth hostels of innovative design have been unveiled around the metropolis, presenting the international traveler with attractive new accommodation choices.
In this issue we introduce five of these youth hostels. Each has its own novel design, and in each a bed goes for NT$600 to NT$1,000, presenting travelers with the perfect combination of good design and budget price. Budget-conscious travelers are assured a relaxed stay with both assured quality and budget-friendliness, at a friendly place where you’ll meet new friends from around the globe while experiencing Taipei.
Flip Flop Hostel: Telling You the Story of Taipei
Flip Flop Hostel (夾腳拖的家) is located beside Q square (京站時尚廣場), by the Taipei Main Station (臺北車站). The building in which it is housed, formerly a Taiwan Railways Administration (臺灣鐵路管理局) dormitory facility, has been transformed and now has a pronounced artistic ambience. This has made it a popular accommodation choice with artists and other creative types visiting Taipei. The operator, Jasper, also formulated the house accommodation-exchange program whereby the artists and creators enjoy free accommodation in exchange for their talent, using the hostel’s open spaces and walls as their showcases. These works give the hostel unique style and charisma. To preserve the architectural integrity of the old building, no elevators have been installed, which makes the place more suitable for younger travelers. The hostel provides each guest with a comfortable pair of flip flops and, in support of eco-friendly practices, encourages guests to bring their own toiletries.
Flip Flop Hostel was established by three young people who love telling stories. They have mapped out a number of tour itineraries that help their guests experience Taipei from different angles; hostel staff members serve as your guides, taking you on leisurely walks or cycling outings through the city, regaling you with commentary and local stories along the way, presenting their city in depth.
On My Way Taipei Youth Hostel – A Platform for Meeting Other Travelers
In a review of over 140 Taipei specialty lodgings conducted by the well-known travel review website Tripadvisor.com, On My Way Taipei Youth Hostel (途中，台北國際青年旅舍) was rated number one among travelers. This specialty hostel was opened as a partnership by 13 people who themselves love to travel. To create what they wanted to be the ideal hostel they spent two years seeking the right building, and finally found what they were looking for in an old place on Guangming Road (光明路) in Beitou District. With careful, meticulous design and planning, they transformed the old structure into a youth hostel of distinctive style.
The building is five stories high, and rooms are located on the second through fifth floors. There is a travel library and common kitchen on the first floor, a rooftop terrace with outdoor lounge chairs for guest use, and a basement-level common room where travelers can share experiences, and enjoy concerts and theme activities such as barbecues and dumpling-making gatherings, which are regularly staged. These public spaces encourage guests to share information and experiences with each other, making the lodging a great place to get to know other travelers.
On My Way is located in Beitou, which possesses a rich hot-spring culture and unique geographical features that make it a favorite destination for international travelers. To make a visit even more special, the hostel has worked with the area’s hot-spring enterprises to offer guests hot spring bathing coupons, giving visitors discounts when using selected facilities and enabling them to enjoy the area is hot springs. During their stay at the hostel, visitors can also enjoy the guided tours, arranged periodically, and explore Beitou’s trails, night-markets, morning runs, etc., getting to know the local people and culture. As can be seen, this is a youth hostel that goes out of its way to please.
Green World Hostel – A Good-Vibe Space on Taipei’s Trendy East Side
Green World Hostel (洛碁背包客棧) is located in Zhongxiao Commercial District (忠孝商圈), on the bustling streets of east Taipei. The attractive greenery that lines Dunhua South Road (敦化南路) can be seen through the windows. Though in the heart of the city’s most prosperous and flourishing area, rates for the comfy rooms are moderate– great news for those traveling on a budget. In addition, though the area is very busy, safety is not a concern.
The management team at the hostel was changed last year, and it was completely remodeled. The walls are painted in different colors. The space is partitioned into areas for different uses. The management team checked out numerous overseas backpacker hostels before deciding on facilities, and among the new amenities chosen for the comprehensive redesign are extra electrical outlets by all beds, racks and stands, bed-head lights, bunk-bed curtains, and lockers. The result is a guest experience of much enhanced ease and comfort.
Promoting good hygiene coupled to green-living concepts, the hostel encourages visitors to bring their own toiletries and remove their own bed sheets when checking out. The hope is that this honor-system approach will cultivate a heightened sense of respect for and cherishing of the environment. The hostel also offers a work-for-accommodation exchange, special offers for check-in on Facebook, and other programs, and periodically invites experienced backpackers to give talks on their experiences, all of which are very popular with its traveler guests.
Mr Lobster’s Secret Den Design Hostel: A Creative Hostel With an “Industrial Design”
Another hostel housed in a renovated older building is Mr Lobster’s Secret Den Design Hostel (龍蝦先生的秘密巢穴設計青旅), also located near Taipei Main Station , on Section1 of Chongqing North Road (重慶北路1段) on the ninth floor of a commercial building. The hostel is named after Alex, the proprietor, who took a job shelling lobster at a restaurant while studying abroad and was nicknamed “Mister Lobster” by friends. It seemed only natural to use the name when he decided to open up his “secret den.”
Alex says that he wanted to create a youth hostel that was one-of-a-kind, so he first spent time checking out youth hostels in Seoul, Tokyo, and other cities. He also spent almost two years searching in Taipei before finding a suitable location. Unlike many other hostels, this one is run by a group of like-minded friends who feed off each other’s creative energies. They share all duties and responsibilities – all counter work and even the bed-making and general cleaning are personally handled by the team members.
The design chosen for the facility is “industrial style.” The rooms in the 992-square-meter hostel are divided into 20 different kinds, with names like Tiffany Blue, Classic Wales, Large Family and Sleeper Train Bunk Bed. There is something for everyone, from couples to small families to solo travelers. In addition, taking the burden of minor travel-related practical matters out of their foreign visitors’ hands, the hostel offers an airport shuttle service and postcard-mailing service. It also organizes small monthly theme-tour outings with a wide range of topics, group meals, and other activities, helping guests more easily blend into local life, meet new friends, and go home with richer memories.
Homey Hostel – Attentive Service From a Brother-and-Sister Team
Homey Hostel (紅米國際青年旅館) was opened by a brother and his younger sister, who both formerly worked in the financial industry. Sister Kelly says that in the past, the two often had to travel abroad, and they liked to stay in specialty hostels, with the result that they acquired many foreign friends. Most foreign youth hostels reflect the personal style of the operator, and they decided they wanted to create their own youth hostel of unique, personalized style back in Taiwan.
The hostel’s design is vibrant and colorful, brimming with youthful exuberance. There are custom-made iron beds in the rooms; iron was selected because it is firmer and more stable than wood, thus providing a more peaceful, comfortable sleep. According to Kelly, in order to provide a safe and secure environment for guests, “We have used the same magnetic card access-control security system that Thailand’s famous Lub.d Bangkok Hostel utilizes. A key card is provided to each guest for each individual bed. These effectively control guest security and electricity use. Since they can’t be used after noon on the guest’s check-out date, security is ensured, and energy is saved.
Hostels generally do not provide breakfast, but Homey provides free breakfast and Taiwanese fruit. Guests sit down to a hearty meal, personally prepared by the owners, in the clean and brightly lit common room, interacting with other visitors and striking up friendships. Guests also much look forward to the free guided tours of Dadaocheng (大稻埕) hosted by the hostel each Saturday morning at 10, heading out together to explore Taipei’s history and culture. Every little detail reveals the care and respect that Kelly and her brother show for their customers, showing Taiwan’s friends from overseas the warm hospitality of the people of Taipei.
Choosing lodgings of unique style is important for any exploration of Taipei. Each hostel offers a different experience of the local character along with the personal touch and warm heartedness of the operators.
Information
Flip Flop Hostel 夾腳拖的家
Add: 103, Huayin St. (華陰街103號)
Tel: (02)2558-3553
Website: www.flipflophostel.com
On My Way Taipei Youth Hostel
途中台北國際青年旅舍
Add: 82, Guangming Rd. (光明路82號)
Tel: (02)2891-0230
Website: www.onmywayhostel.com
Green World Hostel 洛碁背包客棧
Add: 7F, 107, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd. (忠孝東路4段107號7樓)
Tel: (02)2752-6533
Website: www.greenworldhostel.com
Mr Lobster’s Secret Den Design Hostel
龍蝦先生的秘密巢穴設計青旅
Add: 9F, 22, Sec. 1, Chongqing N. Rd.
(重慶北路1段22號9樓)
Tel: (02)2555-8752
Website: www.mrlobstersecret.com
Homey Hostel 紅米國際青年旅館
Add: 7F, 180, Chang’an W. Rd.
(長安西路180號7樓)
Tel: (02)2550-4499
Website: www.homeyhostel.com
