MercuryHotel

Is good price and comfortable. Simple breakfast is provided. Location near Taichung city. Is a good choice if all you need is a comfortable place to sleep. Shopping area is nearby by walking distance or by bus.

I was concerned reading some of the negative reviews, however these concerns were unwarranted. The hotel had large comfortable beds in spacious rooms. Some of the furnishing was dated but most items were new and in good shape. The hotel staff were friendly and helpful, and spoke English well. The hotel is located in an uninteresting part of town ( Taichung isn't exactly all that interesting to begin with) and there is little to do in the immediate area. There is a convenience store across the street but you will have to go some blocks to find restaurants. The breakfast buffet is great. Plenty of different Asian options to choose from. I say to the British dude that was complaining that there wasn't any cereal or eggs or other Western option: "Seriously? That is your complaint? You're in Taiwan, expect Asian cuisine. If you can't live without your corn flakes, pick up a box from Tesco before you leave home." Good choice for a hotel and it won't break your budget.

I was a little apprehensive before my stay after reading recent negative reviews. However I was relieved to find that the room I was given was spacious and clean. To get to the hotel from Taichung TRA station, take one of the many buses a few minutes walk north from the front of the station. Free ride if you swipe in and out with an Easycard. Get off at Renai Hospital or 2nd Market and it's a short walk across the one of the canal bridges to the hotel. Best to use Google Maps to locate it. I stayed 3 nights in a standard room on the 12th floor with no windows which didn't bother me - in fact it meant no outside street noise. The big king size bed was very comfortable with good quality bedding. Flatscreen TV with the usual cable channels and reliable wifi and kettle/fridge/safe in the room. Several of the reviews mentioned poor soundproofing. It's true that the room door has a big 2 inch gap at the bottom (very strange!) which I think is why noise from the corridor travels so easily. This did not bother me much during sleeping hours as it was quiet then but many guests, probably from tour groups, seem to get up very early at about 6am and made quite a lot of noise in the corridor every morning. If you are staying more than one night, you need to tell reception if you want your room cleaned every morning. I didn't bother as I just asked for fresh towels and extras from the cleaning lady who came up to the floor at around 9am. The only thing I was really dissatisfied with was the included breakfast. They had some variety (mainly Asian hot items or bread) but the quality was quite poor. The hot dishes were lukewarm and did not taste good. I decided to stick to toast but that was not easy as the only spreads available were margarine and jam and these tasted awful, being starchy, sweet and gloopy. Only the hot soy milk was ok. Suggest having breakfast elsewhere. Overall, I would still recommend the hotel for the comfy clean accommodation at a very reasonable price.