Hotels near Chihben Forest Recreation, Taitung

Fantastic hostel, with a really friendly team who are great at giving tips on what to do and eat in the area (even if you are vegan like me!). The hostel is clean and the facilities are modern. It’s located very close to the train station for taking the train or bus to nearby attractions. And for getting into Taitung City you can rent a bike for free from the hostel

I was already deeply attracted by the unique and tranquil environment of the hotel, but I was even more surprised to find a 'traveler's storybook' in the room! Reading the various sad, happy, or bewildered stories left by past guests who stayed in the same room deeply moved me to tears. I gained immense energy from your stories. Thank you, hotel, for this warm and thoughtful gesture. If I ever have the chance to travel solo to Taitung again, I will definitely stay here once more!! 🥹

The hotel is overall okay — suitable if you’re mainly looking for a place to sleep rather than to spend much time in. The staff have very limited English skills, so communication can be a bit difficult. Use Google Translate ;) We were upgraded from a double to a quadruple room, which was kind but resulted in less space to move around as most of the room was taken up by beds. The bathroom was clean and featured a modern Japanese-style toilet. The shower was pleasant, with an adjustable showerhead for different water streams. The ceilings are low. Wi-Fi was quite slow, making it difficult to stream a movie in the evening. The telephone in the room, which we didn’t use, was visibly dirty and could use a deep clean. Breakfast offered a wide variety of options, including many vegetarian-friendly dishes, which we appreciated. However, most of the food — including the eggs — was served cold. Note that not the entire building belongs to the hotel; the third floor appears to be residential, so you may see some locals passing through. We stayed on the fifth floor — some street noise was noticeable, but we still slept well. The hotel feels relatively new, with fresh mattresses and feather pillows, which were comfortable. Most of the other guests seemed to be domestic Chinese tourists. Given the above mentioned points I would recommend to rather stay at Norden Ruder Branch 2 across the street, where you also get a more international flair.

Worst welcome I ever had to a hotel. Duty manager refused to let me leave my day bag at reception to allow me to collect 2 heavy suitcases from my previous hotel nearby before checking in, ye having verified my reservation. This left a hugely bad taste in my mouth that soured the next three nights at this place. Billed as 4 star but 3 at best. Room cleaning not done thoroughly, gym is tiny with broken equipment and only light weights. Mugs provided in room are so small that they are not suitable for the drip coffee bags they provide. If only they would give a spoon to stir the coffee with! AC in room does not go below 22 degrees centigrade in Auto mode. Staff are all uptight and clearly not enjoying their work - bad working environment evidently, no surprise judging by the duty manager’s attitude. All I got from the receptionist at check-out was a dry “OK”. I will not be returning.

Taitung is a small town. And so this hotel is pretty much in the “center”  Across the street is a convenience store opening 24 hours. Nearby is a cinema. There are some small shops and bars nearby. If you crave a burger - Burger King is a 10-min walk away.  As for the hotel - it’s got a lot of what business travelers need. 24 hour laundry machines and dryer. It’s got a small gym with treadmill, elliptical, indoor bike and a small weight rack with a bench. The television channels are not very international - with all of the news channels only coming from Taiwan.  My room was clean, and there is a separate shower and toilet area - convenient for couples staying together. Bed is decent, clean and I would say that the room can get quite hot if you don’t turn on the AC. At the evenings, I was awaken a few times from the warmth in the room despite having the AC on. (To be fair - it was 32 degrees Celsius outdoors) Breakfast is very plentiful. From cooked Chinese dishes to simple western breakfast choices like eggs, toast and fruits. Salads are always available and the coffee machine is self serve. (I wasn’t able to find a good Long Black anywhere in this town)  From the hotel to the Taitung train station is about 15mins by taxi. Use Line Go to reserve as it is most convenient. Surprisingly, even during 8:00am on a weekday, getting a cab on this App was easy.  Hope this helps if you have to go to Taitung

The most cost-effective hotel in Taitung, with friendly staff, a rich and varied breakfast, and excellent Chinese dinner. The hotel is packed with activities in the afternoon, so the family won't be bored. There's also free afternoon tea and a free golf swing experience. It's really great.

The cat is adorable and enjoys friendly interactions with visitors. It appears that the room lacks soundproofing. Due to ongoing construction in the neighboring building, some noise may be audible. The electric mirror in the bathroom is impressive as it remains warm and prevents water condensation. However, the bathroom fan is a bit noisy, and the hair dryer produces a strong gust of wind. Additionally, the internet password in the room is not easily discernible.

Not far from the hotel is Tiehua Village, where there are stalls and performances at night, which is fun and lively! There are Xiuli and many restaurants nearby, which makes shopping and eating convenient. The room is not big, just right for one night.

Very cheap but definitely of good value. The rooms are spacious, just not that many amenities (but that’s totally ok for the price). The hotel is located next to the railway, but we didn’t have any problem sleeping.

While the facilities are new, there's considerable room for improvement in overall service. Here are a few points for consideration: 1. Before arrival, I received a call asking if I'd be okay changing from a king-bed room to two twin beds, which I agreed to. However, upon checking in, I found the room's window to be unusually small and the room quite dark. When I raised this with the front desk, they claimed I had already confirmed the change. This room clearly didn't match the photos, especially since I had specifically booked a higher-priced room. It only makes sense to switch to a two-twin-bed room if it's of a comparable price and quality. Eventually, they moved me to a quad room with a large window. 2. During check-in, when confirming payment, I was told my credit card had only been pre-authorized and not actually charged yet. However, the Trip.com app clearly showed that payment had already been made. This created a bad impression. If I had allowed the front desk to swipe my card again, I would have been double-charged. There seems to be a significant loophole in their payment management system, which could easily lead to disputes later on and should be addressed immediately. 3. In the bathroom, the shower stall only has a quarter-glass panel separating it from the sink area. After showering, the floor around the sink was completely soaked. A full glass sliding door or a shower curtain is definitely needed to prevent water from splashing all over the bathroom floor during a shower. 4. I needed a late check-out because my event didn't finish until noon, and I was aware of the 200/hour charge. I informed the front desk that morning, but upon returning, I found my key card had been deactivated, and I couldn't access my room. There's clearly a communication breakdown among the internal staff. 5. Upon check-in, breakfast was an additional 100 per person. However, when I went for breakfast, no one asked for my room number, which made me wonder if non-paying guests could also dine there. Including breakfast in the room rate might prevent such misunderstandings, or they should strictly enforce payment confirmation before allowing guests to eat.