My husband and I were transiting in Taipei. So we were not inclined to splurge too much on accommodation as we were just spending the weekend of June 10th & 11th in Taipei. We are glad we found YMCA Taipei.

LOCATION. Great location. Not at all seedy, given it is near the Taipei Railway Station. This IS the HUB for rails, airport express buses, and the MRT. Extremely convenient. There's the Mitsukoshi Departmental Store nearby. Directly opposite the YMCA, you have a snack street. Everything local you'd like to savour of Taipei is found here. The fermented tofu, the fried buns, and even cold noodles can be found here.

ROOMS. OK, you get what you pay. No internet access in the hotel. You'd have to go to the shops outside the hotel. Towels are clean. They even provide tolietries, cable channels (the selection is mind-boggling), slippers in the room. The toilet/bathroom are a little small but everything works. We stayed the 5th floor. No views. Considering the location, there's hardly any views for this hotel. That's OK with us because we were out gallivanting most of the time.

STAFF. The front-desk staff are sincere, totally helpful and professional. I find them more forthcoming than the front-desk staff from 5-star hotels.

It's wonderful to have a win-win situation: By staying in YMCA, we are also supporting a good cause.