Where to Stay (Hotels)

There are a number of hotel options that the clinic emailed us about: Alice Hotel, Zhong Ke Hotel, and Hotel Hugo Yarn. More details about these 3 hotels here.

ALICE HOTEL:

We opted for Alice Hotel because it seemed the cheapest (especially when you consider you’ll be staying in the hotel for 5-6 wks), was walking distance to the clinic, and it seemed to be the one the clinic was recommending. The clinic was offering to do the booking for us. When we arrived at Alice Hotel later on, we realized another perk of choosing this hotel is that most Pinoy couples will likely stay here (because of the good price) – so you have an instant support group here if you want one. Another thing we appreciated at the Alice Hotel is that it’s small and kinda cozy. You get to be friendly with the staff. Since you’ll be here for more than a month, they kinda become like family. The hotel is like your home. You can go down to the restaurant’s kitchen and use their microwave, toaster, and even cook if you want (just make sure to clean up after). Internet in the room is free. English cable TV is available (including a porn channel, go figure!). There’s a mini ref in the room. Hairdryer available in the bathroom. Laundry is NT 100/plastic bag. Leave it at the lobby in the morning, and it comes back afternoon of that same day. What are the negative points? The place is pretty much a motel, we gather, so it’s not as high class as it probably looks in their photos. But the rooms are pretty decent. If you can, try to get a room that has a window. Our room for the first few days didn't have one. We realized this could be quite depressing after 6 weeks (plus it was hard to wake up in the morning since there was no natural light). So we moved to a room that had a window. They only serve breakfast in the restaurant downstairs (no other meals). Breakfast is pretty much the same everyday. But somehow my husband never tired of it. I, on the other hand, would buy oatmeal, cheese, fruits, cereal from the supermarket and bring them down to the restaurant and eat them there for breakfast instead.

ZHONG KE HOTEL:

We were able to check out Zhong Ke Hotel later on, because a couple we met was staying there. The room’s really nice, more modern looking. The hotel is also more modern and the lobby staff are very concierge like in service (they’ll even print out the week’s movie schedules in the nearby mall for you). I hear they speak English much better too than the lobby staff at Alice Hotel. There are a lot more choices in terms of nearby restaurants (compared to Alice Hotel). We hear they have a wider breakfast selection, and they serve different food every day. Internet is also free. English cable TV available here (but no porn channel, sorry guys!). Mini ref and safe are avai in the room. Hairdryer in the bathroom. Laundry here is free. We were also surprised to see that the price difference vs Alice Hotel wasn’t huge. Needless to say, if we had to come to Taichung again, we will likely stay in Zhong Ke Hotel next time. The only negative thing about it is that it’s farther away from the clinic. You can’t walk it, have to take a short cab ride. But I think that’s a small price to pay for the extra comfort and convenience this hotel seems to offer.

HOTEL HUGO YARN:
We didn’t meet anyone who was staying in Hotel Hugo Yarn. So unfortunately, I can’t give you much fdbk on it.