Where to Stay in Taipei: Meander Hostel

During our trip to Taiwan, we were lucky enough to experience Taipei not once, but twice. We returned to the vibrant, capital city after getting acquainted with the mountains of Taiwan at Taroko Gorge National Park. As we were coming back for such a short time, we wanted to stay somewhere central and close to all the action. Staying at Meander Hostel in the bustling Ximen area was an absolute no brainer!

Location

Situated in the heart of Ximen, Meander is close to lots of restaurants, bars and some great shopping. There are a few sights that are within walking distance, such as Longshan Temple and The Red House. If you want to go a bit further afield, Ximen station takes about 5 or 10 minutes to walk to. It’s on both the green and blue lines so it’s easy to get almost anywhere in the city from there.

Atmosphere

Veeran and I affectionately referred to Meander Hostel as being like a hostel city. The place is absolutely huge! The common areas and spacious, comfortable and a great place to down a few convenience store beers in. For extroverts who have no problem making friends, this is a place that you’ll fit right in! The guys at Meander even organise daily tours for their guests which are, for the most part, free to join.

This is a fun, sociable hostel which is perfect for solo travellers wanting to meet other backpackers.

Staff

As soon as we arrived after our long journey back from Taroko Gorge, we were greeted by Yung who made us feel right at home. He gave us so lots of recommendations for great places to eat and check out around the area. This was so helpful because Ximen is quite an overwhelming area and, with lots of foreign restaurants about, it’s very tempting to go for the easy choice. Yung told us all the best places where the locals eat so we could finish our culinary tour of Taiwan in style!

All of the staff we met during our stay (and there were a lot of them) were friendly, helpful and accommodating. Everyone went out their way to make our stay amazing- thanks, guys!

Facilities

Meander hostel had all the facilities that you would expect in a hostel-city! We were relieved to have a washer and dryer after hiking through Taroko Gorge. (If you’ve not lived in Asia, you have no idea how big a luxury having a dryer is!)

Breakfast is served every morning and there is a good selection of continental food. I expected the usual sugary cereals but was pleased to see some of my usual favourites like porridge oats and fresh fruit.

Eco-Rating

All over Taiwan, I noticed that people are really eco-friendly. Much like Eight Elephants and Dreaming Dragons, Meander had free drinking water for guests and easy to find recycle bins.

Value for Money

With prices starting at 550 NTD per night for a dorm bed with shared bathroom, Meander is a smart choice for anyone on a budget. The rooms are clean and pristine, the facilities are outstanding and, most importantly, it’s a great environment to meet other travellers.

If you’ve got a trip to Taipei coming up and want to stay in high-quality accommodation in the heart of the city for a low price, Meander is a great choice! We loved our stay and our only complaint was that we had to go home. This is a “hostel city” that you could easily stay in for much longer than you intend to.

To make a booking, have a look at Meander Hostel’s Website here. They have a range of both dormitories and private rooms so, even if bunking up isn’t your thing, they’ll definitely have something to suit you.

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Meander hostel however, as always, all opinions are my own.