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"Industrial Revolution" of hotels in Ximending HOTEL PAPA WHALE Crafted elaborately by Hai pa Wong Group, the leader of catering & restaurant of Taiwan As whale is the largest mammal in the ocean, it inspired Hai Pa Wong to name the hotel as PAPA WHALE Symbolic of free style swimming by the blue sea, Exterior is decorated with galvanized zinc plate which crafts a simple style A masterpiece of old building renovated by two Taiwanese designers Yuan & Yeah with unique tastes, SOHO urban & Yuppie ambience full of the whole space
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Our family stayed at this hotel for 6 days and we occupied 4 rooms. The location of the hotel was just a few meters away from the Ximending district where you could visit hundreds of retail shops, coffee shops and restaurants. It has small rooms that feature basic necessities like a separate toilet and bath and a lavatory. They have one coffee shop at the ground floor where you could have breakfast if you want to dine inside the hotel, but our family opted to eat outside to try local foods.
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Date of stay: December 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This hotel is located near Ximen Station and Beimen Station, and is conveniently located. The floor with single rooms has an atmosphere reminiscent of a small American city. The outlets are shaped in various countries, so you can use the ones in Japan as they are. The beds are comfortable and have soft pillows and slightly harder cushions, so you can sleep with your favorite pillow. There is also a coin laundry, so you don't have to worry if your clothes get wet from sweat or rain. The breakfast buffet also has Japanese-style curry, so I was satisfied even though I tend to be a picky eater. There is also a bar and a shaved ice shop on site. There are also convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and movie theaters nearby, so it is convenient for the subculture town of Ximen. The only things I noticed were that the shower temperature was not very flexible, which is common in other countries, the toilets were not washlets and you had to throw the paper in the trash, and there were few staff members who could speak Japanese, so you needed to speak some English. There was a lack of explanation about the electricity.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Economically affordable. A friend came to Taipei to play north, and it was not easy to find a suitable accommodation during the holidays, we sang about KTV in Siem Reap, searched for nearby accommodation, and found this house was well rated on Booking.com, so we came to stay and see. At the same time, we discovered that there were three people at the desk that were self-reported, and they were very kind to assist. Rooms clean and clean, industrial style. Guests from all over the world have a rich breakfast. Perfect for self-catering travelers, but may not be suitable for those who love enjoyment. There are no windows in the room and a short stay is still available. A large public space on the first floor is suitable for a whole group of young friends to gather to chat and have a beer.
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Date of stay: March 2025Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:早餐bar可以睡醒再決定是否加購，才250元台幣。種類多元豐富，還有小火鍋。
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It takes less than 10 minutes to walk from Ximen Station along a busy street like Shibuya. The large whale exterior is a landmark, so you can easily find it.
The rooms are arranged in a mouth shape around a courtyard filled with water, and the hotel features a stylish American antique-style interior with exposed concrete. There are bookshelves and computers in the lobby, which you can use freely.
When you get on the elevator, hold your card key and press the floor button for your room to light up. Basically, the corridors and elevator halls are too cold because the air conditioning is too strong.
When you enter the room, there is a toilet, sink, and bathroom at the back, each of which is separate, so it is convenient for multiple people to use at the same time. The windows are fixed and cannot be opened. Also, each is made of glass, so you need to draw the curtains to cover the room when you are with friends.
There is a desk and a hanger rack, but no sofa.
The shampoo, conditioner, body soap, body lotion, etc. lather well and were comfortable to use. Unfortunately, there are no bathrobes or other clothes to wear in the room, and the slippers are disposable paper and very flimsy, so I recommend bringing your own.
If you call 2, you will be connected to the front desk, who will be able to understand your broken English and respond to any questions immediately.
The bed was made early, so I had to wait, have the hair dryer replaced, and get extra towels.
You can watch NHK on the TV, and depending on the program, you can switch to Japanese.
There is no bathtub in the bathroom, but it is a separate bathroom, so it is spacious enough. The water pressure and temperature of the shower are no problem, and you can also switch to a circular fixed shower from above.
On the first floor of the hotel, there is a cafe, bar, hot pot restaurant, shaved ice shop, and convenience store of the same chain, which are conveniently connected via the courtyard. However, there are times when they are not open, so you have to walk on the street outside.
The breakfast buffet is at the hot pot restaurant next door. The menu includes rice, porridge, bread, meat buns, as well as Taiwanese-style stir-fried and stewed dishes, and I liked the Lu Rou rice.
Near the hotel there are convenience stores, restaurants, and a cheap and delicious 24-hour baozi shop, which is very convenient when you have an early morning flight and the shops are not open yet.
If the weather is good and you are confident in your legs, you can comfortably walk to Longshan Temple in about 17 minutes. There are supermarkets such as Don Quijote and Carrefour on the way, which is convenient.
Ximen Station is also easily accessible, so if you use it as a base you can find everything you need, so Papa Whale Hotel is great value for money and highly recommended.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is the worst hotel I have ever stayed in Taipei. The price is much higher than other hotels in the area but they deliver so much less. Please skip this and look for better options.
The location is far from Ximending station and it’s not convenient like they have advertised.
The staff is unfriendly. No greetings or acknowledgements at the reception. There were 4-5 staff chatting away and refused to serve one. Eventually I got my room card from one staff and the card didn’t work. So I had to go down to the front desk to ask for a new card.
The wifi does not work which is terrible for a hotel at this price point.
The room is old and not clear. The layout of the room is very weird and feels claustrophobic. The bed is tucked into a corner and surrounded by 3 walls.
They charge for the coin laundry, dryer, and washing powder when other hotels in the area offer free services at lower room cost.
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Avoid this hotel if you can. Look for other options
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There was a problem with the service, we left the headset in the safe box of the room, and then called the room to help find that the hotel was unwilling, because the room we stayed in had a new guest check-in. Absolutely reluctant to help find. So after check-out there is no clean room at all, for the guests are not happy to help, always said to wait for the new guests to check out, it is not reasonable
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:最好不要訂這家飯店，不乾淨又不會幫忙
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Worst 4-star hotel I've ever stayed in - Room is small - The room has a bad smell. The bed is arranged right next to the bathroom, enjoying all the sounds and smells - Super poor soundproofing room - Room blocks 5G waves and wifi is extremely slow. Extremely uncomfortable - Cleaned the room but the room changed the towels and the room did not change the towels. The hotel does not have service standards??
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Đừng đặt phòng
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This hotel is a good option if you're looking for a budgrt friendly stay thats walking distance to the main Ximending shopping district.
But just like anything thats price friendly, the hotel definitely has some opportunity.
Stayed here for 3 nights. The hotel looks very clean. It has an industrial type hotel where paint is of natural cement color.
Each room has its oen oilet and bathroom, nice double bed, own airconditioned unitd and a tv.
Tv has limited english channel though and the restroom do not have a bidet.
The accomodation includes free breakfast however it has the same menu daily. Like literally same exact menu.
My flight out of Taiwan is scheduled at night.. i asked if its possible to do a late check out but I was told that it's $400 per hr. I was hoping to get an approval for even at least an hour since we stayed for a few days but my request was turned down.
So if you plan to stay here in the futre, note that if you ask for the same request, you might also get a rejection to your request.
For us, it's an experience and would probably be the last.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:No bidet
Limited english tv channel
Breakfast is the same
Dont expect free late check...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very accesible if you are exploring TaiPei walking to MRT and XiMen Market and various other places. The room at the 5th floor has no window but comfortable and ia very clean .Very functional toilet separate dry and wet areas which i find intereating. The toiletries are regularly stocked for our use. The room cleaning is well done and superb. The breakfast is also very good with spot on cuisine and choices..I have only 2 issue: the internet frequently goes out on this room and the walls are not well insulated enough. I will use thia hotel when i visit again taipei soon.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hotel is only 5min walk to Ximending, a popular shopping district. It is an industrial type of hotel that offers laundry service and free water refill. Breakfast caters more to Chinese cuisine and less selection for other foreign cuisines. Hotel price is quite costly for a 16m Double Elegant Room.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Across is 7-eleven
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I don't recall being asked to pay a deposit. My booking was prepaid so maybe that was why. You can always email them.
The hotel access page says from Exit 6 walk 10 minutes. Not difficult, ask as you walk along. Better still get a travel wifi
"No bidet
Limited english tv channel
Breakfast is the same
Dont expect free late check out
5minutes walk to main Ximending area
Has wifi
Offers free baggae storage "
There are more places to choose from in the Wanhua area.
PRICE RANGE
₹4,901 - ₹8,255 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
TaiwanTaipeiWanhuaWanhua District
NUMBER OF ROOMS
355
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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