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http://www.hostels.com/tw.html

Hotels in Taiwan

Taiwan has plenty of hotel options to choose from, low-budget up to 5-star hotels. Student/Hostel cards will be of little use. On the cheap side, tipping is not necessary and there is no sales tax on hotel rooms or food. On the high-end side tax and tips for bell-boys & restaurants may be 10%.

Hostels in Taiwan

Privately run hostels exist (technically illegal) in the larger cities but are much closer to apartments in reality, with rooms sublet on a daily/weekly/monthly basis and display signs outside will be nonexistent. Dorm rooms/beds (bunks usually, 2 to a room min.) start at NT$250 (about $6-9USD) and go up from there depending on size of room, amenities, private bath, etc... The cheap end usually have tatami (straw/bamboo thin mats) for beds. Also, be prepared for mosquitos, especially during the summer time, (they don't like cold so if you can get a room with an a.c. it will definitely help...) and bring your own net since the hostels/hotels don't stock them.

Click on the city/county links above right and view a good starting point list of hostels & hotels for all counties. If you aren't joining friends and are just arriving in Taiwan you will undoubtedly be visiting one of these locations for at least a few days if not longer. Actually, in some areas hotels and hostels offer deeply discounted monthly rates that rival the prices you will find if you get your own apartment. For more permanent housing, try our classified ads, bulletin boards at local bars and expat restaurants or by talking to your prospective school boss or fellow teachers. On the bottom of the scale you can get a closet size room in a shared apartment situation for roughly $90USD on up to a decent private room and bath for $150-300USD on average.

The China Youth Corps (CYC) run hostels in urban and rural areas for as little as NT$200 on up: www.cyh.org.tw. The government runs hostels as well for different types of gov. employees and you don't need to be an employee to use them, but a teacher/civil servant card can net you a discount. Schools, churches and temples also provide shelter in emergencies.

The high-end hotels start at NT$1,000 and go up for over NT$15,000 for you total luxury seekers.

Homestays

Local families and individuals sometimes rent rooms to travelers (called 'Minsu'). Accomodations vary in price and accomodations, but can be a good way to learn about a new area and meet the local people. This is especially popular in resort areas which fill up quickly on weekends/holidays. In many aboriginal villages it may be the only accomodations available. Again, technically illegal, signs will not be displayed publically, but ask around to find.

Rental Accomodations

Rents are rising, especially in urban areas and major cities, but splitting costs with roommates, or subletting an apartment to others can severly cut costs. Generally speaking, rooms with a shared bath start around NT$3,000 and go up from there.  Averages may be closer to NT$5,000-$10,000 in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung in particular. Please check out our classified section on apartments & roommates to see the latest availability!

Signs for rentals on the street will usually be written on red paper with black characters (in Chinese of course) and the phone numbers usually aren't the owner's, but a rental middle-man or agency which will charge a fee on top of whatever the owner is charging for rent. It is best to try to find the owner directly and let them know how responsible and respectable you are as unfortunately foreigners have a bad rap for being loud, disrespectful, cheap, partying, alcoholics and drug users, go figure!...But seriously, if you win their respect you will actually be treated with all types of kindness and hospitality and they will go out of their way to help you if you have trouble getting utilities set up or have other types of emergencies (in general...)

Spas/Saunas

Hot/cold springs are in abundance all over Taiwan, especially in the mountains, but unfortunately the hot water is pumped into commercialized pools and hotels except in more mountainous areas.

In most cities, saunas or bath houses, offer very cheap, 24 hour accomodations with full use of the hot tubs, saunas, pools in addition to offer full skin/massage/nail/hair salon options. In addition, Hollywood videos and adult films play in a large theatre where you can sleep in your free bathrobe on a giant reclining sofa-chair all night for a very small fee. Lockers are provided for storing your valuables. The saunas are strickly men-only or women-only. Starting at NT$300 for day use of the sauna and NT$500 total for day use of the sauna and an overnight stay. Food and drinks of all kinds are usually available at the nicer saunas.

Some of these saunas function as de facto brothels (illegally) and a hostess may approach you in the lobby while you are at the bar or tea lounge and inquire if you'd like a 'special massage.' Make sure you know what they are asking specifically because raids by police do occur randomly and the services can be expensive, especially if you were expecting only a regular massage which some saunas only offer.