When I was looking for a hotel for our Taiwan trip, Muzik Hotel was not my first choice. I had originally booked a different hotel and everything was all set. But then, just a month before our flight, we had some changes in our travel plans which required me to make changes in our accommodation as well. Since our travel date was getting closer, most of my preferred hotels were already booked and have also increased their rates. Thankfully, I found Muzik Hotel Ximending Xining, which seemed like a good choice and was within my budget!
I have read some reviews on Muzik Hotel in TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and Agoda, but I couldn’t find any blogs about it, which is probably why it never caught my attention before. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this hotel but it turned out to be quite a nice surprise!
There are actually two Muzik Hotels in Taipei — the Ximending branch and the Ximending Xining branch. I chose Muzik Hotel Xining because it offered the most affordable rates.
Muzik Hotel occupies the 3rd and 10th floor of a shared building, along with other small hotels. At first, it seemed a bit weird to me, but then I found out that this is a common thing in Taiwan. The building looks a little old, but don’t let that put you off! The hotel itself is modern and newly renovated.
The Lobby
When we reached the lobby at the 3rd floor, I thought, “Oh, it’s cute.” It was definitely small, with just a front desk counter, a bench to receive visitors, one public computer, and a shelf with snacks and drinks. Nothing fancy, which was fine with us.
It was also reeeeaaalllly quiet!
The hotel lobby. It’s small and cute.
Take some maps and travel guides for free before heading out!
They have a coffee maker, oven toaster, and a public computer that guests can use anytime of the day.
Free and unlimited instant coffee and milk tea
Snacks and candies are also free and unlimited! How fun is that? They have biscuits, noodle snacks, and candies.
Our Room
I booked a ‘Deluxe Double Room with Window on a High Floor‘ on their official website. Do note that a lot of hotels in Taiwan don’t have windows, and sometimes, even if you request for a room with a window, the hotel will tell you that this is “subject to availability.” One reason why I booked Muzik Hotel is that I know EXACTLY what I am getting. They tell you straight up on their website if the room has windows or not. I specifically paid for a room with a window on a high floor, so there would be no surprises there.
But I was wrong… There WAS a surprise. A really good one!
When we were escorted to our room, we were so pleased to know that WE HAVE BEEN UPGRADED! They assigned us to a lovely Family Room which had two double beds, which meant that Mike, Andi, and I no longer had to squeeze together in just one bed. On top of that, knowing that Mike and I were celebrating wedding anniversary, they even prepared some room decorations for us. They’re so sweet! What a great start to our Taiwan trip!
Upgraded to a Family Room! More space and more beds meant more comfort and restful sleeps.
The wonderful staff prepared this sweet surprise for us for our wedding anniversary.
Big windows in our room. This made our room feel bigger and brighter.
Not much of a view but I’m just happy to be staying in a room with a window and some sort of view!
A space to hang clothes, a safe, and a minibar stocked with free drinks everyday
A small but functional work space. This is where we would eat the snacks we bring in from 7-11 and the night market.
Mugs for your late-night instant milk tea fix. They have lids so they’re very sanitary.
They provide snacks and drinks in our room and mini bar… all for FREE! These are replenished daily.
Our Bathroom
The bathroom was small but it had everything we needed — towels, a hair dryer, toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel, and shampoo.
Not all of their rooms have a bath tub so I requested for a room with a tub because I’m one of those people who like to soak after a long day of touring. Because I booked directly on their website, they really made it a point to prioritize my request. I was so happy that we got a bathroom with a tub! Andi really enjoyed it too.
Our bathroom. The slanting layout of the wall and ceiling was a little strange and it made the bathroom feel a bit cramped, but it didn’t really bother us.
Sorry, guys. You can’t bring home shampoo and shower gel bottles from the hotel because they use a dispenser. 😀 I’d say this is a good attempt at being more eco-friendly.
Pros of staying at Muzik Hotel Xining:
1. Cheap and great value for money
Muzik Hotel ranks high in the list of Best Budget Hotels in Taiwan in the 2019 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards. For the quality of the room, service, and offerings, I can say that it was really worth the price I paid.
I spent a total of TWD 10,829 for 5 nights (PHP 18,000+)*. In case you’re curious, here is the cost breakdown of our stay:
03 Nov 2019 – TWD2,561 (PHP 4,269)*
04 Nov 2019 – TWD2,105 (PHP 3,509)*
05 Nov 2019 – TWD2,105 (PHP 3,509)*
06 Nov 2019 – TWD2,029 (PHP 3,382)*
07 Nov 2019 – TWD2,029 (PHP 3,382)*
*Conversion rate at the time of writing (November 19).
Do note that hotels in Taiwan really do charge more on weekends so if you could avoid arriving on a weekend, that would save you some money. The room rate per night is not bad at all, though, considering I booked sort of at the last minute. Had I booked earlier, I’m pretty sure I could have gotten the rooms at a much lower price.
There are definitely much cheaper options in the area. But since it was our first overseas trip with a baby, I didn’t mind spending just a little bit more for comfort, security, and peace of mind.
2. FREE and UNLIMITED snacks and drinks
This alone justifies the rate I paid for the hotel! Aside from the free snacks and drinks provided in our room and in the lobby, in the morning, they also serve free rolls. At night, from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, they also offer free cup noodles for their guests.
These freebies are so helpful to families with toddlers. Everyday, before heading out, we would grab some snacks and bread. Anytime Andi would get fussy, we just handed her one of the snacks we took from the hotel. We were able to save some money because we didn’t need to keep buying food and water for her. It was also nice to have cold and refreshing drinks waiting for us after a tiring day.
If they could change up the snack offerings and add variety to it, this perk would even be more perfect!
3. Fantastic location
Muzik Hotel Xining is very strategically located near the Ximending Shopping District and Ximending Night Market. You walk out of the hotel and you’re right there in the middle of the action. It’s also right across two convenience stores (7-11 and Hi-Life) and there are plenty of restaurants just below the hotel. The famous Mala Hotpot (Hankou branch) is in the same building as the hotel. Really, it’s impossible to get hungry here!
It’s also a very short 10-minute walk to the Ximen MRT station (closest to Exit 6). You actually won’t notice the distance because it’s a leisurely walk. There is so much to see, so it’s actually fun to walk around. Even our toddler enjoyed looking around, especially at night with all the bright lights, loud music, and street performances. We were pushing a stroller around to get to and from the train station, but it was very manageable.
4. It’s quiet!
Mike is a light sleeper so I was worried that we would hear all the noises from the street and night market. But surprisingly, despite being in the center of the action, it was actually pretty quiet! In fact, it was so peaceful that we all slept soundly and had a hard time getting up in the morning. Andi slept through the night for all 5 nights!
5. It’s clean, comfy, and functional
Everyday, even if we don’t request for our room to be cleaned, we would come home from our tour to a fresh, spic-and-span room. Also, their beds, pillows, and blankets are so soft and comfy! They also gave us new towels daily.
Our room was carpeted but I think they cleaned it well because Mike has asthma and I have allergic rhinitis, and we were fine for the duration of our stay.
Room size was adequate for a small family like ours. While it wasn’t massive, Andi still had ample space to move around and play and we weren’t tripping over our luggage on the floor.
6. Good deals with partner establishments
Muzik Hotel collaborated with shops so that their guests can have discounts or freebies when they present their room key card. In fact, we were able to take advantage of this when we had dinner at Mala Hotpot. We got free Argentina Prawns, thanks to their tie-up with the hotel!
7. Wonderful service
I was very impressed with Muzik Hotel’s staff’s speedy replies to my e-mails. Their responses are always so detailed too! They were happy to assist me with anything, even making dinner reservations for me at Mala Hotpot. My preferred Mala Hotpot branch was fully booked but the Muzik Hotel staff proactively looked for an alternative branch for me.
The staff are all very approachable. They helped me with everything from directions to some establishments to recommendations for souvenir shops.
Speaking of souvenirs, they even have a free souvenir delivery service for popular Taiwanese delicacies. Simply fill out the order form found in the lobby and the items will be delivered to you either on the same day or the next day, depending on the time you order. Convenient!
8. Good facilities
Our stay was stress-free because they had everything that we needed.
Their Wi-Fi was very fast and reliable. We had no problems with our internet connection while we were there.
Having a laundry facility in the hotel is really handy when you’re traveling with a baby. Babies go through so many clothes, but I didn’t want to overpack (and pay for extra baggage allowance) so I only brought a few baby clothes. I didn’t get to do any washing done though, because the laundry room closes at 9:00 PM and I didn’t realize that it was already past 9:00!
They don’t have a sterilizer for baby bottles though, but their sister hotel, Click Hotel — which is literally right in front of Muzik Hotel — has one. You can always try asking if you can use Click hotel’s sterilizer if you really have to.
Check their website for a full list of their facilities.
9. It’s safe
Since Muzik Hotel is in a building with several other establishments, you might be worried about its safety and security. Taiwan in general is very safe, and the hotel does have a 24/7 building security guard. Also, only guests with the hotel key card can actually access the hotel floors. And if you’re staying on the 10th floor like we did, security is even tighter because you’ll have to go through another door which can only be opened with your key card.
There is also a small safe inside the room to store your valuables.
10. Great perks when booking direct
When you book directly via their website, you get to enjoy these perks:
- Best rate: Cheaper than booking through Agoda, Booking.com, or other sites.
- Early check-in OR late check-out: Hotels in Taiwan allow you to check in only at 3:00 PM (whyyy?!) so if you have an early arrival in Taiwan, you’re going to be waiting a while before you can rest in your room. An early check-in of 1:00 PM is such a big help! Similarly, a late check-out is also nice, giving you more time to rest.
- Breakfast vouchers: Muzik Hotel does NOT have free breakfast. However, guests who book direct are given FREE breakfast vouchers worth TWD 55 per person which you can use in their partner restaurants
- Your requests are prioritized! While the hotel cannot promise to grant all of your requests, if you book directly with them, they will definitely prioritize you.
What’s not to love about Muzik Hotel Xining?! If there are any cons to staying here, they’re very minor.
Cons of staying at Muzik Hotel Xining:
1. No restaurant inside the hotel
This means that if you get takeaway food from the restaurants or night market, you’ll have to eat your food in your bedroom (so it might not be a good idea to bring back some stinky tofu!). I was concerned that the room would smell of food and we’d have ants or roaches in the room because of the food, but there was none of that, so it was all good.
2. You can hear the shower from the next room.
It was a bit loud but it never really disrupted our sleep and our stay, so it wasn’t an issue.
3. Can do with some upgrades in the bathroom.
It would help to have some small hooks for hanging clothes, small towels, or a toiletry bag / kit. A bidet would also be a nice touch. But again, these are very minor things and we were not inconvenienced by the lack of these items.
4. No wardrobe or cabinet for clothes
Honestly, we didn’t mind this at all since we usually don’t hang our stuff anyway when we stay in hotels unless we really have to. We’ve survived by just keeping our clothes in our luggage and taking them out on the day that we will be wearing them. But I guess some people are very particular about hanging their clothes so this might be a flaw for them. They do have a small rack with hangers for this purpose though, and we found this to be sufficient for all three of us.
IS IT BABY-FRIENDLY?
While it doesn’t have a play area for kids or a huge lobby for them to run around in, I would say that it’s still a baby-friendly hotel. They do offer the following for guests with babies, though it’s best to confirm with the hotel since these facilities may only be offered to certain room types:
1. Children Clothes Hanger
2. Play Tents
3. Children Toilet Seat
4. Baby Bed
5. Baby Tub + Tiny Stool
Note that they do not have a high chair in the hotel.
If you need more baby-friendly facilities, it might be best to stay at the Click Hotel across Muzik Hotel.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After having a satisfying and pleasant stay at Muzik Hotel Xining, I wondered why it wasn’t rated higher in hotel booking sites or featured more in blogs. It really deserves more recognition! If you’re looking for a good, comfortable budget accommodation in the Ximending area, I think you’ll be happy here. It’s a no-frills hotel but with neat little extras that can make your trip more convenient and comfortable. For a family with a young child, the most important considerations for us were the hotel’s cleanliness, safety, and accessibility, and Muzik Hotel ticked all three boxes, plus more.
Muzik Hotel Ximending Xining
3F., Xining S. Rd., Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan
Telephone: +886(02)-2361-6999
Website: https://www.muzikhotel.com.tw/en/room.php?cID=2 / https://www.muzikhotel.com.tw/en/
How to get there:
OPTION 1: BY BUS
You can take Bus #1819 from the airport to Taipei Main Station, then take the MRT to Ximen station.
You can see the time table at their official website.
The cost for public bus for each is around TWD 125
Travel time by public bus takes about 1 hour
OPTION 2: BY MRT AIRPORT
You can take the Airport MRT directly from airport to Taipei Main Station, and transfer from Taipei Main Station to Bannan line (blue line), then take one more station to Ximen station.
The cost for MRT is around TWD 160.
Travel time by Airport MRT takes about 45 minutes
—– NOTE: For travelers with a large amount of luggage, you can also take a regular taxi to to the hotel when you arrive at the Taipei Main station. This is what we did and our cab fare was TWD 85. —–
OPTION 3: AIRPORT TRANSFER
For more convenience, you may avail yourself of the hotel’s airport transfer services. Check their website for rates.
NOTE: This is NOT a sponsored post. I paid for our entire stay. All opinions are my own.
