Taiwan 2019 Part 2

Since there would be 4 of us on this trip it was hard to look for a place that can easily accommodate four people, with ample space for all and won't break the bank. Which is why when I found this gem I booked it as quickly as possible.

+ Kingshi Hotel +

Kingshi is situated in Ximen. Most hotels are located around here and most fitting too because you would not run out of places to shop. It's location is also convenient since the subway is not too far from here.We didn't have any problems reaching out the spots we would like to go.

It was easy to locate Kingshi. However, there were no reception areas at the ground floor, just a cramped elevator. Thankfully it's not a busy weekend because when the four of us are on it, there's barely space for one more person. And obviously we had to take the lift because the reception is on the 7th floor!

We booked the family room somewhere in the 7th but they've moved us to the 9th. It was bigger, we all had separate large beds. We even had a tub. There are easily two cons though, the toilet is on a different part of the room (separate from the shower and bathtub), it has no bidet, extremely tight space and I think lacks proper ventilation. Thank goodness we're a family there. The other con is the way to the room is not appealing. It's as if they're still in the middle of a renovation. Everything else is OK though. Everything checks out: nice bathtub/shower with great water pressure, again large beds for four, spacious, lot's of areas to put up stuff, comes with a mini ref where they supply daily bottled water. And oh, no proper views? But that's not a deal breaker for me, and with how much we paid, I'm not expecting anything so.

The hotel is walking distance from Ximen station and honestly, it's easy to find. I was worried that it would not have an English marker but thankfully it does (just look up!). It's also near so many 7/11s and a few sit down restaurants as well. Although the area near the station has much more activity, it's easy to reach so you won't be tied to just those surrounding area. I love that we could stay up later  and walk around it's streets without worrying for time. More on that in a bit. 

Price: 11, 735.90 / 4 pax / 3 nights. Comes with a discount, should be 12, 185.58

+ Ximen +

Ximen is touted as Taiwan's Akihabara, and dare I say, rightfully so! It's much more tinier BUT, I would totally agree. It had that electrifying buzz in the air and it's actually hip. There are a lot of young people around which is why there are a lot of stores that could cater to them: anime/gaming related shops, themed restaurants and even street food. And for One Piece fans, a Mugiwara shop. We even had to take two trips, to which my sister burned most of her pocket money on. There's also a cinema there but we weren't able to try (nor attempted to, haven't researched if it's in English).

There’s also tons of arcade machines it’s super tempting to try! If only I have the skills to get those cute stuffed toys.

+ Taipei 101 +

After a quick lunch at KFC, we headed straight to Taipei 101. There’s a luxury mall downstairs which  surprisingly don’t have much people. We followed the signs on going up, which was unlike other towers where there are dedicated elevators from the ground. You still had to traverse some shop floors to get to where you can buy the tickets. Adults are priced to 600 NTD per person and unfortunately my family was against it. I love going to towers, we do have budget for it but for som reason they do not like to go up as I hoped. I would 100% go back for another attempt. Maybe without them form good measure.

Price: 600 NTD for adults

Since we’re not spending more time there I hauled their asses off to our next destination. As tourists I feel like it’s good going to recommended tourist spots especially if it’s a first time visit.

+ Chiang Kai Shek +

I love that you could actually see one of the buildings in the compound right from the subway, meaning it’s impossible to miss. Even the decors on the actual station are different than the rest, so you have a sense of feeling you’re going somewhere special.

Our timing could have not been perfect. It was cloudy and windy that you could appreciate walking around the park without the hassle of the harsh sun. There are so many landmarks in that place it’s easy to move around, perfect for taking lots of shots. I just hated that I lost space right in the middle of the day already that I had to transfer them as we are touring.

Like every old building it’s fascinating to me to see really larger than life architecture  that stood time. I liked that the park is beautifully thought and the manicured gardens is a plus. Without much people around it’s impossible not to get that perfect landmark photo.

It’s now almost 4PM. We decided to head back to Ximen, and maybe see that store my sister would not stop talking about.

+ Mugiwara Store +


A sweet surprise when after I booked our hotel I found out a branch of the famed Mugiwara store in Japan is a couple of minutes walk from us. My sister has long been a fan of One Piece and this as rightfully predicted made her burn almost all of her pocket money on day 1. I didn’t get to see how much she totaled but even if I have given her my widest luggage she had a hard time fitting all of her purchases when we packed up. She really went all in with her excitement for legit merch.