Hotel PaPa Whale

6/10

Pleasant

12 Mar 2026

deborrah

Buffet breakfast was the same every day for the 7 mornings that we were there.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2026

Eleanor S. Schofield and Robinson I Perlota

Very nice place and employee

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2026

Niwesh

Room was clean and the staff were helpful. Everything needed to travel in Taipei. The location is very close to MRT and good food locations.

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2026

Michael

we enjoyed our stay for 1 week, close to all entertainment area.
hopefully they have a changes in their breakfast buffet in the future, for 1 week I have to deal with the same breakfast line up.
Hopefully they will add, fish, shrimp etc.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Feb 2026

Travis

Nice, quiet room. Staff was professional and fluent in English. The breakfast buffet was great and had a diverse selection of Taiwanese food to choose from.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Kian Fun

Clean room

6/10

Pleasant

08 Jan 2026

Zhisong

The location of Hotel Papa Whale is great. The sink is difficult to use.

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2026

Nur Hisham

The rooms are big, especially the bathroom. The housekeepers are great & efficient. However, they could provide extra set of pillows would be great.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 Dec 2025

Wesley

Location and room were good. Service somewhat lacked the usual Taiwanese warmth and hospitality which I was accustomed to. Nice to have steamboat for breakfast, especially in cold weather. Poor soundproofing was a major minus.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

18 Dec 2025

Yenti

The hotel’s overall standard was normal and met our expectations.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

11 Dec 2025

BTISSAM

Lovely hotel, Rooms are a good size and great location. My only issue was the noise from other guests as there was constant slamming doors and talking loudly (walls are not sound proof). Take earplugs if you are a light sleeper.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Dec 2025

BTISSAM

Breakfast menu catered for Asian customers and no continental options like pastries or fried eggs. There was only one option of fruit each day and no option for teas.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2025

Ireneo

Hotel is accessible to MRT Ximen Station , short walk to the station and the hotel location is perfect for travelers, it's in Ximending Area, lot's of stores to explore if you want to shop around and they also have night markets in ximending. Rooms are clean and with strong internet access. Not a fancy hotel like Marriott but a good hotel to stay if you just need a place to rest, sleep and shower for daily activities in Taipei.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2025

SHUK YIN TERESA

wonderful

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2025

Edward

The only issue was sound insulation needs improvement. I could here my neighbor's conversation.

Self

2/10

Poor

28 Nov 2025

Helen

The rooms are not clean , the decor is prison like and the rooms have no windows so no view of Taipei. We left after one night .

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2025

Surapol

Clean and convenient

2/10

Poor

08 Nov 2025

Olivia

Terrible experience

10/10

Exceptional

29 Oct 2025

JAMIE

Staff were efficient and helpful. Hotel was amazing. Buffet breakfast has so many choices. Room was very nice

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Oct 2025

Alyssa

Clean room but still smell smoking
Staff not nice

10/10

Exceptional

26 Sep 2025

Amanda

The place was very clean, very nice and close to everything!

8/10

Excellent

09 Sep 2025

Kil

I love the location

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

01 Sep 2025

Tracey

Liked the industrial feel.
Cleaners were great, once i put the do not disturb light on but they still went in. No big deal.

Only downside is it echos and when people come back late at night it wakes you up.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2025

Uddomvichit

Absolutely love the concept of somewhat similar to a storage/warehouse. Such unique design.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jul 2025

YUFEN, ESTHER

Easy to get to Ximen

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jul 2025

Jake

Whilst I understood the basement rooms would not have windows, I was expecting the lights in those rooms to be better than they turned out being; not that I wanted to stay in the room all holiday but it was very hard to see in the room or use the mirrors to get ready to go out. The breakfast buffet was great. The automated check in and out though made the experiance feel impersonal.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

10 Jul 2025

Chiang Sim Adrian

simple concept but room is abit too small

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

10 Jul 2025

Tama goh

Great hotel for the youths.

I visit Taipei annually. Sometimes up to four times a year. Most of my stays are at Hotel Papa Whale.
I noticed some new front desk staff were not well trained lately.
The water pressure for shower were a mark different from before when they we not as strong.

This weeks visit to Taipei, I checked in twice and checked out twice to visit Taichung.

The rooms are consistently well kept to high standards .

I will be back soon.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2025

sopheak

Great hotel. Room is mediocre but main waiting area, kind helpful staff and delicious breakfast makes up for everything.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jun 2025

MARIO

.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2025

Loong Chang

Nice and convenient. Love the decor

Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2025

Justin

Great place to stay in Ximen has access to everything! Had no issues throughout my stay.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jun 2025

Daniel

This hotel is very clean, but the room is small and has no windows. It feels oppressive to live in it. The service staff are kind and friendly.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2025

Cody

Very helpful staff, clean and comfortable room, located in a nice tourist friendly area. All within 10-15 minute walk of train stations.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 May 2025

Alicia

Convenient, affordable. However no windows

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

05 May 2025

Caroline Ann

The

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

03 May 2025

Darren

Unbelievably rude staff

Room was fine (basic, hostel style, quite stylish in a minimalist/industrial way) but staff at check in and breakfast were unbelievably rude and impatient. Very unusual for Taiwan. Staff's atrocious attitude left a bad memory.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2025

Stephanie Ly

was a great location for ximending

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

27 Apr 2025

Surafel Meressa

The positive thing about this hotel is the location. The hotel is walking distance from tourists attractions area (Ximending street) and less than 1km from the Ximen Metro station. We booked the hotel last minute and we were overpriced but it was OK considering the same level reviewed hotels around Ximen area.
About the things we didn't like, the hotel is very old, dark, industrial building setup (you see metal in everything-no concrete), the hand-wash have disturbing noise, very poor Wi-Fi (I couldn't connect on my entire stay), and the room is also very small. The hotel says they are concerned about environmental sustainability so they won't provide any hotel essential and they won't change jt towl if don't (forget) to drop thw used towel on the bathroom floor. The biggest issue I faced was the unwelcoming behavior of the reception staff at the hotel. The weren't friendly at all. When we arrive to the hotel, the welcomed us with attitude. Especially Mr. Scott Liu. To our entire stay he was aggressive, not welcoming, and not hospital at all. In contrary after our check out, when we return to claim our bag, Ms.

8/10

Excellent

27 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

An interestingly designed hotel in an excellent ar

The best thing about this place is its location. Ximen is a bustling shopping district, and my favorite part of Taipei. This hotel is located right in the middle of it, within walking distance of most of what you'll need in Taipei. The room itself had an interesting design but no windows. I think most rooms in this hotel have no windows. The internet is also weak for some reason, both the room wifi and my mobile data. For some reason there was bad reception throughout my stay. Other than that, it has the usual ammenties of any hotel and a bar fownstairs for guests.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Apr 2025

Taylor

The location is spot on. And very close to my favourite beef noodle joint

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

Easy access to Ximending without the noisy enviro.

First time staying. Room and toilet are acceptable based on the price paid. Room was clean. Lift need cleaning. They have washing machine and dryer. Breakfast was different but service can be better.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 Apr 2025

Branden

Easy to go everything and most of the place for us to go are walking distance

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2025

Daniel

The property is very well located, close to all the fun at ximending.
Unfortunately it does feel quite overpriced. The breakfast option was not great and did not change during my long stay, the cleaning staff is very kind but the hotel towels were not the greatest, some had holes, there's no body lotion or hair conditioner so bring your own. The room was great to sleep because it's very dark (they are windowless) and the AC works properly and can go very cold, the washroom in general is good, the shower was great, the water pressure and size allow a nice time, I just wish the room was bigger and had better lighting overall. Theres room for improvement for the current price.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2025

Yung Khang

We have enjoyed our stay at the hotel

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

18 Mar 2025

Shane

Unfriendly staff, poor quality sleep

Staff were unfriendly and unwelcoming at check-in. It seemed as if we were an inconvenience to her by seeking assistance with the do it yourself check in.
The room was clean however the bed was VERY firm and uncomfortable. The air conditioning didn’t work very well and the toilet was leaking the entire night and making noises which resulted in a terrible night sleep.

Partner

4/10

Poor

06 Mar 2025

Verified traveler

Poor condition and unsanitary

Cracked and chipped painted walls, heavy odor unventilated rooms, hairs found in stained bedding sheet.

Self

2/10

Poor

04 Feb 2025

Verified traveler

Horrible staff

This place is cheap. That’s about it. The staff at reception weren’t friendly. I would go as far as to say they were ignorant and arrogant. Not a smile in sight. Not helpful at all. My room was also in the basement so no windows or natural light. They didn’t mention this.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

21 Jan 2025

sangsanae

This hotel is non-smoking, however there was someone smoking, which resulted in odor and smoke in the hall way. The staff members were exceptionally kind and accommodating, and I appreciate their helps a lot.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2024

Lewis

Great!

2/10

Poor

17 Dec 2024

Boo Tiong

Very old and poor room layout. Toilet was poor without bidet
The hotel is worn out and quite far from shopping area

Partner

4/10

Poor

16 Dec 2024

Glen William Watson

Grossly overpriced for hotel room without a window and bed on timber pallet crates, cheap and sparse furniture and mould in the shower. Nice staff generally although would not stay there again at over HK$2500 a night!! Whilst midweek at around HK$600 seems more reasonable, the hotel cannot justify X4 the cost for an overpriced storage type hotel. Very disappointing.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Dec 2024

Jeanne O.

Great stay!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Nov 2024

William

The hotel offers a great buffet breakfast. It is near different forms of public transportation and landmarks. Unfortunately, the basement units don't have windows, and the plumbing can be noisy at times where I stayed.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

27 Nov 2024

Yi-Chen

Its just average

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Nov 2024

Wenyi

This property was unique because the rooms don't have actual windows... which is both weird and unique. The inside of the hotels/walkways also look very industrial, like a warehouse which is a cool vibe. The beds however, are very short so if you are over 6ft tall, your feet will hang off the bed. The beds are also held up on pallets which is a cool vibe as well. The shower head was also very short so if you are over 6ft tall, squatting will need to be done. When it's the busy time, the hot water will also run out... shockingly. However, it is quite walkable to the MRT station and its located almost in the heart of Ximending so it's great all around for tourists. The people at the front desk are more than accommodating though which is awesome.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Nov 2024

Verified traveler

Near to XiMenDing

Walking distance to XiMen MRT station as well as XiMenDing shopping & entertainment district is a plus point. Room is spacious clean, however the wifi is weak & intermittent once away from the main lobby. So I have to get my work done & email sent at lobby in order not to use up my roaming data.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

22 Nov 2024

Maricel M

Cockroach in the room and buffet breakfast restaurant. Same menu everyday. What make it worse i saw cockroach in the buffet table server

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2024

Robert

Great Solo Trip Option

Everything about this hotel was good. They have coin laundry inside that makes a world of difference on a long trip. The check in and out are seemless and they provide free toothbrush, comb, cotton swabs, etc in the room alot with 2 bottle of water. I didn't have a window but that was clear from the time I booked so no issues, just pay attention to your booking if you care about a view. They didn't offer early check-in but they will hold bags so you can go explore while you wait. Area is great, very walkable and near 2 MRTs (10min walk or so). Would highly recommended. There is a bar in the hotel so you dont have to go far to meet people if that's your thing. Breakfast was included in my booking and provided a wide selection from steam buns to fruit to coffee to noddles, etc.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Nov 2024

Hsin-Haw

1. location is great in the hard of Ximen.
2. easy check in and check out.
3. usual daily room service with laundry room for use (cost extra).
4. The entire hotel is converted from a parking structure, no effort is made in decoration, feel like walking around the parking lot, and the room wall and ceiling are pretty much \"raw\".
5. initial room has no wifi connectivity due to extremely poor signal strength, and maximum shower temperature is \"warm\", so we requested another room and the second room has great wifi signal and nice fast hot water, so depends on your luck, we had to endure a bad room for first night.

All and all, it is not worth the price in my opinion.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

12 Nov 2024

Huiya

The hotel is very basic I would say. First of all, the WiFi is not really working. I got told that if there are too many customers, you won’t be able to link to the WiFi. The room is extremely small. We need to put our suitcase on the bed to open it as there’s no space. Service was also just ok. And the room is extremely noisy. I could hear ppl cough next door. I won’t recommend it to anyone.

Leisure Family_with_children

4/10

Poor

11 Nov 2024

Salvador

They never offer me neither the discount neither the upgrade.
Hotel it’s great and convenient but the service awful.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Nov 2024

Mohammed Fauzi Bin

I really enjoyed the rustic vibes of the hotel, which made it a cosy stay to rest up from all the activities in the city. It's also a really short walk from all the amazing shopping and food options in the Ximending area, which meant that I was basically spoilt for choice throughout my stay.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2024

LEOW

ok

overall ok breakfast everyday same food

Self

8/10

Excellent

22 Oct 2024

Ying Foo

Easy access to amnieties

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

20 Oct 2024

William

Ridiculous

Arrived early morning after 12 hour flight.
Did not expect room to be ready but was shown no respect for early check-in. Hotel policy says not before 3 pm.
Return at 2.50 to find hotel lobby crowded with 30 people and their luggage all waiting for 3pm! What fools this hotel is.
Got to room at 3.30 to find room large enough for single bed only yes 1.8m x 1.8m living area plus bathroom.
Bed was made from timber packing cases.
The whole place inside resembles a prison and my room was a cell.
Breakfast did not cater for western tastes an did not even provide knife to butter toast. Had to use a thin stick cofee stirrer.
The hotel did have a nice bar however I was never told about it and only discovered it after 3 nights.
I give it 1 out of 10 only for it's location.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Oct 2024

Jade

Beautiful hotel on the inside and out. A few warnings about having a room in the basement floor:
-There is a VERY loud noise (sounds like machinery) randomly throughout the day AND night. Very disturbing in the middle of the night.
-Rooms are pretty small but manageable. Not much room to open your luggages without it being in the walkway.
Pros:
-Easy walking distance from Ximending Night Market and shopping areas
-Fairly close walking range to train station
-Daily room cleaning aervice and refills of little room amenities

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2024

Paulina

Great experience! Rooms are small as expected but overall great specially for those whose purpose is to tour or be out all day.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2024

Paulina

I love the VIP experience. I love how everything was automated however, it was intriguing that the reception/ front management lost most if not all control to make adjustments to our booking when we were looking to upgrade. Other than that, we had a great experience. Thank you.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2024

Kenyon

Best location for foodies, close by major landmarks.

Leisure Self

2/10

Poor

10 Oct 2024

Dina

They are rude and arrogant. Never go back to this hotel..

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Oct 2024

Chad

Great mid-range hotel in a nice neighborhood. Close to Ximen and Beimen stations.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

05 Oct 2024

Wesley

Craft beer at Driftwood Brewing! Nice lovely people…

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

04 Oct 2024

Minjia

It’s a cool hotel, decorated with an old industrial building. For a solo traveler, the room is very small, feeling like a cell. Of course, it is not expensive.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2024

Philip

Staff are NOT pleasant nor are they friendly. The hotel otherwise is great.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2024

Scott

Really unique style like in an underground military facility or something. The room was fine though, decent bed and shower, I didn't hear noise from neighbours, etc. I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time in the room though, mainly just a place to sleep but go out during the day. Located on the edge of ximending area which is good. Seemed a little more expensive than it should be, but I didn't stay in other taipei hotels for comparison.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

27 Sep 2024

Boo Tiong

The room is small and toilet & bathrooms are very poorly organised. No bidet and the taps are always noisy when turned on. Hot water very hard to adjust to desirable temp

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Sep 2024

William

I enjoyed the breakfast buffet but the plumbing was noisy during the night that kept me up, which wasn't an enjoyable experience. The area is interesting with access to plenty of food and entertainment options. The staff were friendly and the decor of the hotel was interesting.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2024

Donald

Initially this place takes you for a loop as it is very basic with its design and decor. After a day or two it kinda grows on you. The uniqueness is interesting and so very different. You get to appreciate the vast difference from other hotels.
Very good staff and very clean.
The breakfast for me was too Asian and not at all western apart from toast. But then, no knife to spread butter or jam.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2024

Samuel

it's close to Ximending which is very convenient. and it's a walkable distance from the Taipei Train station to connect to the Airport MRT easily.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

24 Aug 2024

Joanna

Will not stay again

Hotel staff is not accommodating. Doesn’t feel safe.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

19 Aug 2024

Natasha

Very nice experience! Great area for walking and being central

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2024

Ramon

I stayed 9 nights. I liked it.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

13 Aug 2024

Ramon

Comfortable stay!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2024

wojciech

Everyone was excellent and especially employe name Kol . Always ready to help made our stay unforgettable.. Thank you all

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

29 Jul 2024

HAN CHUNG

The WiFi signal in the room is very weak and unstable. I reported it to the front desk on the 2nd day but it didn’t improve during my entire stay. Even cell phone signal coverage is very poor.
I had to go to nearby coffee shop to do my work.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2024

Lewis

Great!

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2024

Lewis

Friendly and helpful staff, clean and cozy rooms with coin laundry services. Conveniently located near Taipei train station and ximen station for MRT and other longer distance trains. Reasonably priced. Will definitely book again! Also a cute bar downstairs with a good selection of beers.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jun 2024

Ramon

Comfortable stay on Kunming Road minutes walk from the heart of Ximending. Easily walkable from Ximen Station Exit 6. Restaurants and Driftwood Beer Bar are connected to the hotel. Spacious lobby to chill out. Hope to stay again.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 Jun 2024

wilfred

The reception staff was polite and friendly for Breakfast you needed to leave the Hotel and go next doir ,the breakfast staff was not as inviting maybe it was me but i did not see any of them smile ,which for me is unusual for Taiwanese ,the Buffet Breakfast was very goo

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2024

Chien Chien

locations perfect.

Business_and_leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Jun 2024

betty

In the area of many food options

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

11 Jun 2024

Robert

Bed bugs or mites bit my wife all over her arms and body.
After suffering for 2 nights, we decided to file a complaint. They gave us another room and it was a little better, but my wife still got bit. I can see their problems, that they are using wooden skids as a base of the beds. Bed bugs and mites are attracted to bare wood. The paint on the walls of the washroom was piling off. The elevator floor was very dirty.
I took some photos of the rundown hotel for proof.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2024

Dimarko

Had a great day

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

07 Jun 2024

Quintak

Quiet. Hot water for shower.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Jun 2024

CHEE YIN

The room very dusty. The breakfast very poor everyday also same food option, not change since I check in until check out the breakfast also same thing. Reception staff not friendly. Location is good near by Ximending

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jun 2024

Jean Jacques

The rooms were bigger than what I was expecting based on the reviews. The interiors are awesome with all of the vintage stuff. Everything looks clean. There is a lot of space in the lobby too. The shower is perfect - water temp control to your liking, rain shower head with heavy water pressure. Complete toiletries including slippers that they change everytime the room is made up. Free breakfast is not bad. Highly recommend and would definitely stay here again.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

02 Jun 2024

exequiel

Not bad for one night

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

19 May 2024

Brandon

Excellent

👍👍👍

Friends_and_family Friends

2/10

Poor

11 May 2024

Zhuo Feng

I normally don’t write reviews regardless of any experiences but this one gotta be the most unorthodox hotel. Prison themes with prison wifi. Only picked this because I had unpleasant experience with nearby Airbnb and papa whale just happens to be near it. 4 stars hotel my ass. I’m not expecting any 5 star treatments nor red carpets but this is WAY below standard 3 stars. Only good part about this prison is the location; Ximending. This hotel is a huge tourist trap. Trust, don’t go

Leisure Partner