While visiting Tainan we stayed in the Yi Pin Yuan Hotel. It is an interesting hotel that has quite a bit of personality. The facilities are rather worn so it might not be suitable if you want some shiny new Tainan accommodation. However if you want an affordable room with a few quirks it is worth a look.
We walked to the Yi Pin Yuan Hotel from the Tainan train station. It is around a half hour walk but the sidewalks are well maintained and most of the way is in the shade. There is also the chance to pick up a snack or a drink along the way if you are in no rush. We also walked back to the train station when departing Tainan to continue our trip around Taiwan.
Breakfast was fine. A buffet with some Chinese breakfast options plus toast if the local options were not appealing. It was not great quality or variety but it was enough for us to fill our bellies and kick start our exploring.
Both the room and the lobby are quite tired. The whole place could do with renovating. On the upside that means that the prices are very reasonable. We can put up with a hotel being worn around the edges if the price is right.
The room's decoration was unusual. Columns, some rather romantic artwork plus a love heart shaped bath. Once upon a time this may have been a glamorous honeymoon suite. Alternatively, maybe this is where couples would go for some alone time. Regardless of the history we found the room quite entertaining. We did however decide against using the love heart bathtub and made do with the shower head over the bath.
From the Yi Pin Yuan Hotel it is around a 50 minute walk to the Anping Old Fort and the Anping treehouse. It is a little long but you have the option to either check out Tainan city streets or to walk along a canal. We headed out with the intention to explore all day so not being able to conveniently duck back to the hotel was not a problem.
I am not going to tell you that the Yi Pin Yuan Hotel is the greatest place we have ever stayed however it has its merits. Its location was reasonable, sitting between the train station and the various attractions in Tainan. The room was quiet. The staff were friendly. If you want a budget friendly place to stay in Tainan take a look at the Yi Pin Yun Hotel.
You may also like
2 thoughts on “Tainan Accommodation, Our Yi Pin Yuan Hotel Review”
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Your description of the hotel brings back distant memories of travelling in Taiwan in the 1970s and my first travels in China in the mid to late 1990s, where “quirkiness” was sometimes the kindest comment you could make! I did an around the island trip in 1970 or 71 with a group of university students, and it was great fun despite the “quirky” accommodation. Some of the bus trips were harrowing! We made stops at Taichung, Taroko Gorge, Lishan, Hwalien, and Kaohsiung, but didn’t stop in Tainan. I made two trips to Taiwan a couple of years back: one was on a press trip (very stylish accommodation, not like the hotel you described) and one was as an independent traveller. Ii couldn’t believe how much Taiwan had changed. Maybe it’s time to revisit the place. I’d love to do another round the island trip. I hear Kenting in the south is very nice.
Kenting is certainly very pretty. If you do get there make sure to go to the aquarium. Here is a little video we made during our visit. httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=g633MfSLYM4