Starbeauty Resort Hotel, Taipei TW

Taiwan, a mere two-hour plane ride from Manila, is one of the countries that's probably on the bottom part of my list of the places I want to visit in Asia. Friends who have been there would tell me that there's nothing much to do and would rather book a vacation in Hongkong or Singapore for the nth time. I've lost track of time on the day Cebu Pacific Air offered its much-awaited Piso Fare that all that's left with promo fares are the unpopular destinations like Taipei. I can't exactly remember if it was due to disappointment, exasperation or a trick of fortune that I went ahead and purchased tickets to Taipei, capital of Taiwan. A couple of months later, off we flew.

The bus ride from the airport to the MRT that links to the nearest station to our hotel took about an hour and 30 minutes. From Jiantan Station, we walked about 10 minutes, with luggage in tow, to our hotel choice in Taipei -- Starbeauty Resort Hotel.

A member of the Taiwan hotel chain Beauty Hotels, we chose Starbeauty for its close proximity to the popular Shilin Night Market. As we didn't really planned our itinerary in Taipei, its safe and wise to book a hotel that is near the bus stops and a short walking distance to major transportation links of Taipei's efficient train system. But above it all, we wanted to be close to Shilin so we can spend as much time scouring over Taiwan's famous street food.

Check in was a breeze and after settling the charges, we rode the elevator to our room on the 6th floor. Honestly speaking, I wasn't expecting the room to be this nice as I knew from the moment that I booked that the hotel was outdated and in dire need of a lift, as an online review mentioned. Verdict: The furniture and design may look old and out of style but it was comfortable and clean, not even a sniff of musty odor. Each room is designed with an air-condition unit, LCD TV with cable channels, refrigerator and free mini-bar, coffee and tea making facilities and hot and cold shower. Wifi internet access is also readily available, just ask the staff at the lobby for the password.

Guests can proceed to the basement level for the complimentary breakfast, which is served from 0700H to 1000H only. Beauty Hotels take pride in serving delicious and a wide variety of breakfast buffet so I was really looking forward to what they will serve the following day. For this trip, Starbeauty surely lived up to its promise because the selection was great and well thought of, and they changed the menu on the two times we were there. I also commend the staff for replenishing the food quickly as the restaurant was already full of guests when we arrived.

Just around the corner is a fruit shop selling humongous watermelons! Actually, all fruits that I saw in Taipei were larger in size than what we see here in Manila. If only we can bring it back home!

~o~o~o~

Starbeauty Resort Hotel
No.38-1, Qiangang St., Shilin District
Taipei City 111, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel.: (8862) 288-28080
Website: www.starbeauty.hotel.com