Hotel Papa Whale

Hotel Papa Whale in Ximending is a good, quiet, original hotel for short stays, a 7 minute walk from the busy streets and "The Red House". I got this room for 1.125 NTD a night. But make sure you ask for a "Double Elegant Room" on the third floor. The room I was first given on second floor smelled damp. I did not try the hotel dining or breakfast but you can walk from inside the hotel straight into a Starbucks for breakfast. The rooms have a unique, rough but elegant vintage industrial look with good size wall mounted TV, comfortable beds and nice three piece bathrooms with good water pressure. The rooms are clean but have vintage wear with many original details. I would stay again.

We booked for basement room for 3 nights. First day we check in late and we arrive at hotel around 12am - 1am something. The moment I going to sleep I saw a cockroach moving around my bed!!! And another cockroach was climbing on the floor! I reach out to the counter to change a room the counter was nice and they still allow me to change a new room at 2am that was good. Besides the cockroachs this location was pretty good, I can reach Ximending by walking distances.

Our experience at Papa Whale Hotel was deeply disappointing and fell well below the standard we reasonably expected of a property presented as four-star accommodation. The room initially assigned to us was dimly lit and visibly dusty. A prominent painting depicting a crow added to the unsettling atmosphere at the basement 1 level. Although decor is subjective, the poor lighting and apparent lack of cleanliness prompted us to request a change immediately as the mirrors and space looks dusty. While escorting us to the replacement room, the staff member lost her way, raising concerns about her familiarity with the premises. The third floor’s industrial-style design also resembled a workers’ dormitory in our view, rather than the welcoming environment anticipated from a hotel of this rating. Upon entering the alternative accommodation, we encountered a strong, offensive odour resembling sewage or a toilet. This made remaining inside extremely uncomfortable and further undermined our confidence in the property’s housekeeping and maintenance standards. We had given the hotel an opportunity to resolve our concerns by accepting a room change. However, after encountering separate problems in both spaces, we decided to cancel our booking and arrange accommodation elsewhere at short notice, causing considerable inconvenience and disruption. For clarity, we booked another property and did not stay at Papa Whale Hotel. Our departure resulted from the conditions encountered, rather than a simple change of preference. Our cancellation request was declined by both the booking platform and the hotel, despite the concerns raised about the accommodation conditions. Based on this experience, we do not believe the hotel’s four-star rating was reflected in the cleanliness, comfort, or service provided. We expect management and the booking platform to investigate this complaint promptly and provide an appropriate resolution.

Perfect location for food lovers! I stayed here with my sister and loved how central it was. It is right in the middle of Ximen, surrounded by an endless choice of restaurants and bubble tea shops. Highly recommended!

I’ve seen a lot of videos recommending this hotel so i booked it. Location is great but it’s not near to the station, you have to walk around 10-15mins to Ximen station and about 20mins to Taipei main station. Staffs were just neutral, not super friendly but they do their jobs. Check in was smooth (they have 24hrs front desk) and I requested for 2 additional pillows (they only provided 2 in the room) and they granted my request with no additional payments. What i didn’t know is how thin the walls are and We got unlucky with the room next to us. He set an alarm almost every minute with different ring tones. And he didn’t wake up from his own alarm 🥲I went down to front desk and earplugs were given for free. We ended up canceling our 1st day trip due to lack of sleep. By the next night, I sleep better (but still keep waking up because earplugs hurt my ears) ‼️thin walls and noisy ceiling (i think it’s from the pressure when someone is using the water idk) ✅super cold ac (good for summer)

I was not able to take a picture of the room but the hallway and reception early are spacious. You can wait their for your tours, checkin and checkout, or simply hanging around. Room I chose is also spacious because I am alone but chose a double bed room. Room is clean eveytime I return from my daily tour. Only shampoo and shower gel is provided so bring your other toiletries with you. Location is not bad. There are convenience stores in the area.

Location is fine , semi close to ximending, The room is ok but you need to have your bed spray or something because i have bites either from bedbugs or insects coming from your bed and not only on my legs but also both arms. Frontdesk or reception are ok As for the breakfast i suggest you add more choices , just like me i don’t eat hotpot for breakfast , since there are no other choices i went to Starbucks and forfeit my breakfast

Nice location, and price is very friendly. Soundproof is not that good, but acceptable for this price