A Hidden Gem Near Taipei’s Ningxia Night Market—Hello Kitty Fans Will Never Want to Leave

Text/Photos byAmon

Hotel: 191 Hotel
Phone: 02-25559711
Address: 6F, No. 165, Nanjing West Road, Datong District, Taipei City
Website:http://www.191hotel.com/
Travel Date: October 2014

I received an invitation to stay at 191 Hotel this time, and since I had business in Taipei anyway, I thought I’d check it out. Located on Nanjing West Road, it’s about a 10–15-minute walk from Zhongshan MRT Station, and you’ll pass by Ningxia Night Market along the way. With the recent opening of the Songshan MRT Line, it’s also just a 10-minute walk from Beimen MRT Station. However, the hotel entrance is tucked away in an alley, so the easiest landmark to spot is the PX Mart downstairs. Before heading back to the hotel at night, you can grab some snacks or drinks there, and you won’t go hungry inside the hotel either. There’s also a convenience store right across from PX Mart, so the area is very convenient.

Go straight up to the hotel via the elevator from the entrance. Once you exit the elevator, you’ll see the front desk here, where you’ll check in. The staff taking shifts here are all friendly, so don’t worry about not being able to find anyone if you have an issue with your room late at night.

On the left side of the elevator, there’s a lounge area with sofas where guests can rest for a bit while checking in. There’s also a cute bear for company—lots of guests were taking photos with it XD.

Although it’s located in a building, 191 is a fully licensed hotel.

The front desk has plenty of Taipei travel information, including MRT maps and sightseeing guides for the city. For areas a bit farther out, there are also chartered tour services to spots like Pingxi Sky Lanterns, Qingshui Old Street, and Yehliu Geopark—but you need to book them the day before. If you’re unfamiliar with Taipei, you can just ask the front desk for help.

Stamp collectors will be happy to know that 191 Hotel has its own souvenir stamps too—don’t forget to bring your stamp book and collect them.

There’s a stand on one side of the lobby filled with Taipei travel brochures, all available for guests to take. The travel information provided is quite comprehensive.

The lobby also has a world map covered in Polaroid photos taken by guests from around the world—it’s pretty cool.

After checking in, you’ll head to your room. 191 Hotel offers two types of rooms: standard rooms similar to regular hotels, and Hello Kitty-themed rooms. There’s a slight price difference between the two, so it depends on your preference when booking.

A typical standard room has a neat layout with ample space. In addition to a double bed, there’s also a sofa bed.

The Kitty rooms come in 2-, 3-, and 4-person configurations, each with slightly different decor. I stayed in Room 629, which is a triple room.

Room 627
Although both Room 627 and Room 629 are triple rooms, their styles differ slightly. Let’s take a look at Room 627 first. The room features one large bed and one small bed, with a color scheme of pink and white. The walls are adorned with patterns of Hello Kitty’s bows, which are really eye-catching. The room is fully equipped with amenities like a safe and a refrigerator.

Hello Kitty Exclusive Pillow
Each Hello Kitty room has one, but they come in different designs XD.

The semi-transparent glass divides the toilet area, and even the shower curtain features Hello Kitty ^^

The tea set in the room doesn’t skimp on details either—there are Hello Kitty mugs. Oh no, seeing this makes me want to take it home. This mug is so pretty >~<，不过这是属于饭店的东西喔，不能偷偷带走。

The bathroom is separated into wet and dry areas and is covered in Hello Kitty motifs. If you’re a Hello Kitty fan, you might never want to leave the room. It’s truly a dreamy space—everything imaginable is Hello Kitty-themed. You can really tell the hotel put a lot of effort into this.

Room 629
It may look similar to Room 627, but the wall colors and patterns are different. Here, it’s a sunny yellow with heart designs, giving off a more romantic vibe. The room also has one large bed and one small bed, plus a window for ventilation. This was the room I stayed in.

The large LCD TV makes watching shows in bed very comfortable. There’s also a pink bow on the TV—so kawaii. Below the TV is a small vanity, and the chair is a bit hard, but the nearby sofa chair is more comfortable. The room has stable Wi-Fi, so you don’t have to worry about internet access.

The teacup set here has a different design from the one in Room 627, and I actually prefer this set XDD

Bottled water, coffee packets, oolong tea bags, and the like are all prepared for guests.

When you open the cabinet, there are toiletries and welcome cookies, but I got too busy later on and forgot about the cookies, so I ended up going downstairs to PX Mart to buy snacks—how embarrassing.

If you like the Kitty-themed toiletries in the room, they’re also available for purchase at listed prices—you can inquire at the front desk.

The Kitty toilet seat cover might not be for sale though XDDD, but you can take a photo as a souvenir.

The rhinestone-studded Kitty bow is super shiny and dazzling.

The toiletry cups in the bathroom—I thought all three would be translucent, but found out one wasn’t @ _ @.

The bathroom features a wet and dry separation design, with stable water pressure and hot water from the shower. Taking a hot shower late at night was no problem at all.

I also liked the pillows in this room more—they look cuter, haha.

All the power outlets in the room are three-pronged, so there’s no need to bring an adapter. Any three-pronged electrical appliances can be used directly—that alone is a huge plus.

There are quite a few Kitty puzzles in the room and along the hotel hallway. If a price tag is displayed above a puzzle, it means it’s for sale—you can purchase it directly from the hotel.

Safe, refrigerator, electric kettle

The hangers in the room for hanging clothes are also part of the Kitty series. It really makes you feel that the hotel put a lot of thought into even the small details.

The bed was quite soft to sleep on, and the quilt was very warm. There was no dirt or any mysterious dust or stains, and the room’s soundproofing was fairly decent. Unless you’re right next to the door, you won’t hear sounds from outside, so it didn’t affect me at all—and I slept pretty soundly that night.

The next day, I woke up and checked out around 11 AM. Before leaving, I took a look at this Hello Kitty double room. The bed setup is one large bed, with Kitty quilts and a bedside table. The setup is different from the triple room, and this room follows a white color scheme, which makes it look brighter.

The bathroom is also designed with wet and dry separation, but the double room isn’t as pink as the triple room, and has fewer patterns. Then there’s even a pink Kitty face basin k8!? It just depends on which one you prefer.

Overall
The reception service at the front desk is great, the rooms are spacious and comfortable, the internet signal is stable, it’s not far from the MRT station, and there’s also Ningxia Night Market and PX Mart nearby. The living amenities are good, making it quite suitable as a rest stop for group trips. The above is just my personal opinion for reference.
 

Ahmon Traveling Around Taiwan~ Food, travel, photography, outdoor shoots
Walking around with a camera~ snapping photos casually~ capturing unexpected moods