Swiio Hotel Ximending

This Ximending hotel takes up the two top floors of a corner building in central Taipei's Wanhua District. When you first enter, however, it can be hard to tell exactly where you are. The shabby chic lobby has classic wood paneling that wouldn’t look out of place in a posh London men’s club plus crushed crimson curtains that could have been imported from a New Orleans bordello. Look up and the exposed, matte black piping calls to mind a New York loft. The actual furnishings are equally unexpected: a collection of mod, mismatched chairs makes up the seating area, while the tables are comprised mostly of packing crates. The end result (like the vacationing guests who gather in it) is young and fun. But the common areas here are functional, too, thanks to helpful features like a communal kitchen, public computer station, and coin-operated laundry facilities.

The Swiio Hotel in Ximending is accessed through one of Taipei’s typical commercial arcades, meaning that assorted eateries, shops, services, and entertainment options are all nearby. Popular tourist attractions are within walking distance as well -- the Presidential Palace, National Taiwan Museum, and Longshan Temple among them. If you want to go further afield, two MRT stations (Ximen and Zhonghualubei) can be reached in five minutes on foot. Airport transfers can be arranged directly through the hotel. 

• Five-minute walk to Ximen or Zhonghualubei MRT station
• Five-minute walk to the Red House Theater  
• Six-minute walk to Zhongshan Hall
• 13-minute walk to 2/28 Peace Park
• 14-minute walk to the Presidential Office Building (aka the Presidential Palace)
• 14-minute walk to the National Taiwan Museum
• 16-minute walk to Longshan Temple
• 18-minute walk to the Huaxi Night Market (aka Snake Alley)
• 20-minute walk to Taipei Railway Station (five minutes by public transit)
• 10-minute drive to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (19 minutes by public transit)
• 17-minute drive to Taipei 101 Observatory (38 minutes by public transit)
• 18-minute drive to Taipei Songshan Airport (37 minutes by public transit)

Guest rooms here offer a marked departure from the common areas because the decor is restrained and the ambiance soothing. Decorated in a chic style that’s minimalist and, in certain cases, almost monochromatic, all are outfitted with air-conditioners, digital safes, mini-fridges, tea/coffee-making equipment, free bottled water, 32-inch flat-screen TVs with 70-plus channels, Bluetooth speakers, and free Wi-Fi. The sleek bathrooms -- some strikingly done up in black tiles -- have walk-in showers with rainfall heads and are separated from the sleeping area by a glass wall covered with privacy blinds (hairdryers and toiletry kits are welcome extras). The downside is that they’re tight on space, as are the accommodations on a whole. Standard Doubles are a meager 140-square feet and offer little room for storage; even the largest options, measuring 269-square feet, still qualify as small given that they are designed to sleep three. In addition, travelers should note that rooms have either small windows or no window at all and tend to be dark. Some issues with inadequate soundproofing have also been reported.

Admittedly, there aren’t a lot of features here: You won’t find a breakfast or fitness room, for example. But the hotel makes the most of what it does have. Take the main level common areas: these include a public computer corner for guests' use, a 24-hour communal kitchen with a coffee machine, drinks dispenser, microwave and full-size fridge, a seating area where movies and music videos are projected onto a huge screen, plus an enclosed smoking room papered in vintage advertising posters and gallery-like hallways showcasing works by young Taiwanese artists. Other on-site features include an around-the-clock reception desk manned by friendly staffers; luggage storage, copy/fax and currency exchange services; dry-cleaning service and coin-operated laundry facilities; free coffee, tea and newspapers in the lobby and free Wi-Fi throughout.