Confucius Inn, a short ride from the main railway station is centrally located at the heart of Tainan City, so we a bit concerned about traffic noise as we were checking in. However, the rooms turned out to be reasonably sound proof and outside noise was not an issue. The rooms are basic, but comfortable and clean, with a mattress placed on the floor (Japanese style). The bathrooms are better than you would expect from a hotel of this class and sufficiently supplied, including a hair dryer. As is generally the case in Taiwan, the staffs are friendly and try to be as helpful as they can within their language limitations.

The breakfast is served in the basement and is simple, but again, in Taiwan one is not too worried about eating in the hotel as eating houses and restaurants are ubiquitous wherever you go. This is also true with Confucius Inn. Within a fifteen minutes walk we discovered, in addition to the local fare, all different cuisine, from curry to vegan from Italian to burgers. The grocery outlet diagonally opposite the hotel apparently has the best ‘siomai’ (steamed stuffed buns), attested by the queue in front, and personal tasting. Coffee bars also abound serving surprisingly good coffee. The hotel also has a coffee bar that serves very good lattes and cappuccinos.

The location of the hotel allows one to take in most of the cultural and historical highlights the town has to offer on foot, especially the temples for which Tainan is well known. The major temples can be visited on foot in a couple of hours (the hotel sits opposite the Confucius Temple, and probably hence the name).

In summary, Confucius Inn is not (and does not pretend to be) a luxury option, but offers a sufficiently safe, convenient and clean abode at a reasonable price for exploring Tainan.