Showing posts with label #2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #2018. Show all posts
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Tokyo Airports; Narita & Haneda And Best Option To Get To Downtown Tokyo


Apparently Tokyo has two main international airports; Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND). Almost all international flights will arrive at Narita, except AirAsia and ANA (All Nippon Airways) which are currently flying to both Narita and Haneda. So which airport is better? 

Many visitors mistakenly thought that Narita is within Tokyo city but the truth is, Narita is actually nearly 70km away northeast of Tokyo whereas the closest to the city is literally Haneda. So far, I only been to Haneda Airport once cause most of the times, I arrived at Narita International Airport since I flew with Malaysia Airlines.    

NARITA AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN TOKYO
Narita International Airport Terminal 2

Now, let's us start with Narita first since I more familiar with this airport rather than Haneda. Before deciding which is the best option to get to Tokyo from Narita, you should take these three factors into consideration; easiest, fastest and cheapest. 

1) Easiest and Convenient Options
Airport Limousine Bus is the easiest and hassle-free way to reach almost all major destinations within Tokyo and surprisingly, Yokohama too. For a single trip costs ¥3,200 (adult) and ¥1,600 (child), the buses drop-off at train stations and major hotels in each area, making this a very fine-tuned and breeze service. Depending on your destinations, it takes roughly around 75-125 minutes to travel from Narita Airport. You can reserve your ticket for Airport Limousine Bus from the official website (here). Alternatively, you get from Klook, my most favourite travel platform.

Airport Limousine Bus Check-In Baggage Rules:
Each passenger can only check-in baggage for up to 2 pieces in the baggage compartment.

Tokyo Airport Limousine Bus

2) Fastest Transfer (Two Options)
  • Skyliner under Kensei Electric Railway - 36 minutes to Nippori Station and 41 minutes to Ueno Station. One way ticket costs ¥2,470; or
  • Narita Express under JR East Company - Reach Tokyo Station under 55 minutes and also stops at other major stations such as Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Yokohama. A single trip costs ¥3,190 but if you bought the N'EX Tokyo Round Trip, the fare would be ¥4,000 for both return trip. Even more worth the value. 
  • Both of these two train stations situated on the basement floor of Terminal 1 and 2. As for Terminal 3, you need to walk to Airport Terminal 2 (the closest one) on foot for about 15 minutes, or catch the free shuttle bus which takes about 5 minutes. 
Tokyo Keisei Skyliner

Tokyo Narita Express

3) Cheapest and Economical Transfer
  • Airport Shuttle Bus - One way costs ¥1,000 (¥900 for advance booking from Tokyo Station and ¥2,000 for late night departure) heading to Tokyo Station and Ginza area. 
  • The Access Narita Bus - A single bus ride to Tokyo Station costs ¥1,000 (¥2,000 for late night fares).  
  • Kensei Limited Express/Access Tokkyu - The Access Express train will bring you to Oshiage Station under 47 minutes for the costs of ¥1,170 or to Nihombashi Station within an hour for a fare of ¥1,330. Another one, express train will can get you to Nippori Station (66 minutes for ¥1,030) or Ueno Station (70 minutes, ¥1,300) from Narita Airport. 
Access Narita Bus
Tokyo Narita & Haneda Airport to Tokyo Main Locations
If you want further info and details about Narita Airport to Tokyo, you can refer to this post. I summarise my post from there.

HANEDA AIRPORT TO DOWNTOWN TOKYO
Haneda International Airport

Like I mentioned earlier, I have been to Haneda Airport only once. And what comes to my horror is that my flight was delayed and thus, I landed at Haneda almost reaching to midnight. So if you are planning to fly with AirAsia to Haneda, always make sure to come out with backup plan - what if the flight is delayed?

If your flight arrive Haneda Airport on time, you can easily take the Tokyo Monorail running to Hamamatsucho Station for ¥470, and from there you can connect to almost anywhere in Tokyo under the JR Yamanote Line. The ride is about 20 minutes from the airport and the last train is around 11.30pm. Although the monorail is not under JR line, but it is fully covered with either Japan Rail Pass, JR Tokyo Wide Pass and JR East Rail Pass.

The other option is by catching the private Keikyu train line which runs to northeast of Shinagawa Station (15 minutes for ¥410). Some Keikyu trains from the Haneda Airport continue on to the Toei Asakusa Line to Nihonbashi and Asakusa Station. However, JR Passes are not valid for Keikyu trains.

Last option in the case where your flight is delayed and didn't manage to catch any of the trains above, Airport Limousine Bus is your final resort. Thankfully, it's not that expensive and time-consuming comparing taking from Narita Airport as Haneda is considerably closer to central Tokyo. The bus fares are vary according to your destinations, from ¥620 to ¥2,000. The first bus starts around 4.30am and the last bus will be around 2am.

Haneda Airport International Limousine Airport Bus

TRANSFER BETWEEN NARITA & HANEDA AIRPORT
Only two options are available at this moment:
1) Airport Rapid Express trains on the Keikyu Line. The cheapest way to travel between Narita and Haneda Airport for the fare of ¥1,760 within 90 minutes.
2) Limousine Bus. Although it is quite pricey for the costs of ¥3,200 one-way, but it operates more frequently than the train.

Wondering why I never talk about taking the taxi? Cause it's only cater for the crazy rich people. Taking taxi in Japan will cost you rather a lot of yen. For a ride less than 10-minutes, the fare is roughly around ¥1,000 (approx. to RM40). Imagine the distance from Narita Airport to Tokyo is about 70km away whereas for Haneda Airport is about 30km ride, I bet that even hasn't start your trip yet, you have already burned such a big hole in your wallet.


Other Posts Of Tokyo:
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Tokyo - 1 Japanese Inn, 1 Capsules, 1 Hostel, 1 AirBnB & 5 Hotels I Stayed Before

What a long title. Plan to simplify it but it seems like plain boring. 

Searching for accommodations can be pretty tedious, especially when Tokyo has been labelled to be one of the most expensive cities and to keep within budget it's not an easy task. For this scenario, I always set a price range between RM200-300 per night for a hotel room of two. Before one proceed to book any sleeping accommodations, here are few tips I would like to share:
  • Get to know the area you plan to stay cause Tokyo's main attractions are scattered around. Much of the Tokyo's budget stay including hostels can be found in the Taito area, especially Asakusa and Ueno. Taito area is not a bad idea to save your cost but bear in mind, in order to get to more popular areas like Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku might takes 40 minutes to an hour by train. 
  • The most cheapest option of course would be the capsule hotels but do take note, majority of them cater for male guest only. There are few can accommodate for female guests but quite limited. 
  • Search for more affordable local chain hotels like APA, Sunroute, Smile, Tokyu Stay, Toyoko Inn and more. The rooms are usually tiny and cramped, but most of them are conveniently situated near to stations. 

That's all for my sharing. Now it's time to check out the kind of sleeping accommodations I stayed before. To date, I've stayed and experienced 9 different type of sleeping accommodations throughout my 6 trips to Tokyo. And normally I don't book the same accommodation when going back to the same country/city, unless that particular stay creates the best, a pleasant and unforgettable one.
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Summary of My 2018 Autumn in United Kingdom & Europe Trip

Finally my long and never-ending travelogue has comes to an end. I can't believe it took almost 4 months for me to blog and complete My 2018 Autumn in United Kingdom & Europe posts where I covered 4 amazing countries - United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain and Italy and also cities such as London, Porto, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid and Milan. 



Summary of My Trip Itinerary

Day
Destination
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Kota Kinabalu → Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur → Muscat → London
London
London
London → Porto
Porto
Porto → Lisbon
Lisbon + Sintra
Lisbon → Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona → Madrid
Madrid + Segovia
Madrid + Seville
Madrid
Madrid → Milan
Milan → Muscat
Muscat → Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur → Kota Kinabalu

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The Last Stop: Milan of Italy

After travelling in Europe for 16 days, we then proceed to the next country which is Italy - the fourth country we intended to visit after United Kingdom (London), Portugal and Spain. Italy is our final stop before going back to Malaysia. Talking about Italy, actually I've been there 11 years ago and covered few cities like Florence, Rome, Orvieto, Verona, Venice and Pisa but surprisingly not Milan. Therefore for this round, I intentionally to include Milan as part of my itinerary. 

FROM MADRID AIRPORT (SPAIN) TO MILAN-BERGAMO AIRPORT (ITALY)
Madrid Airport is not far away from the city center. The best way to get to the Madrid-Barajas Airport is by taking metro. However, I decided to call for Uber cause it's a hassle for both of my mom and cousin to carry their heavy luggage up and down if we travel via metro/subway. For flight to Madrid, we took Ryanair due to its incredibly cheap fares. 

2018 Italy Milan RyanAir to Bergamo Flight
#1: With RyanAir from Madrid to Milan Bergamo

As for Milan, there are four different airports; Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo and Parma. RyanAir will be flying into Bergamo Airport, which is about 45km away from Milan city center. In order to reach Milano Centrale Station, the ideal option is by taking bus which can be found immediately outside the arrivals section of the airport. A single-trip costs €5 per person and the bus generally run every half an hour during the day but less often during night, sometimes might taken an hour or more. 
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Fourth Day In Madrid - Our Last & Final Day

Since it's our last day in Madrid, we try to make a relaxed and laid-back one. No more another an hour long day-trips like we did to Segovia and Seville two days before. Plus, we had been travelling for more than two weeks, it's our 15th day here in Europe and so, we want something which is free and easy type. My mom and cousin would love to visit Primark (not again!) for another shopping spree and so, I proposed that we do the sightseeing activities first before end our day at their favourite shopping store.


Before we get ready for the day, I accompany my mom to few nearby supermarkets to get groceries in order to prepare for our breakfast. As you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we should eat like a king. My mom told me that she is pretty satisfied with the place I booked in Madrid because not just that she can cook and utilise their modern and fully equipped kitchen, she is also enjoying using their washing machine. I'm wondering, so many things to wash meh?
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A Day Trip to Seville - Royal Alcázar & Plaza de España

On the second day in Madrid, we head to Segovia, a historic city on the northwest of Madrid.
As for the third day, we proceed to Seville, the capital of southern Spain's Andalusia region. 
Because the train ride from Madrid to Seville takes almost 3 hours even with the high-speed AVE train, we need to get up and leave our place in the early morning. Not even got the opportunity to witness the sunrise in Madrid itself.



FROM MADRID TO SEVILLE 
Just like what I shared on my previous post, there are two different two stations in Madrid - Chamartin and Atocha. The first one served those trains mostly from northbound whereas the latter served trains from southern Spain. Therefore in order to get to Seville, we need to depart from Atocha. Luckily is just less than 10 minutes walk from where we stayed without the need to take any metros. For our round-trip high-speed AVE train tickets between Madrid and Seville, we purchased in advance from Renfe website
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A Day Trip to Segovia From Madrid

If you ask me are there many things to do and see in Madrid, I have to be honest with you - My answer would be "No!". But what's the reason behind I stay in Madrid for 4 nights? It's because I want take this opportunity to visit those nearby cities without the need of frequently hop on and hop off along with my heavy and bulky luggage together. 

There are few stunning and amazing cities you can do a day trip from Madrid; cities like Toledo, Segovia, Seville, Avila, El Escorial and more which are perfect getaway to escape from this hustling and bustling capital city of Spain. But because we're pressed for time, we can only pick and visit 1-2 cities only. And so, I began with Segovia first. Oh well, it was actually last minute decision to proceed with this plan after discussed with both of my mom and cousin on the night before we depart to Segovia. Luckily nowadays all the tickets can be purchased through online without the need to get to the train station. I purchased my train tickets online from Trainline.

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Farewell Barcelona! And Our First Day In Madrid

"So long, farewell. Goodbye! I hate to go and leave this pretty sight."

HOW TO GET TO MADRID FROM BARCELONA
No matter how you adore a city or a country, you can't stay forever. So it's the time again for us to waive goodbye to Barcelona and hop on to the next city of Spain - Madrid, the nation's capital city. There are several options to get from Barcelona to Madrid; from plane to train and bus. Of course, the best way to travel between these two cities is by taking the AVE high-speed train. It's the fastest way to reach the destination in just under 3 hours with its modern and luxurious train. 

2018 Spain Barcelona Sants Train Station
#1: Barcelona - Sants Train Station, the main and primary train station in Barcelona 
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Barcelona Other Top Attractions

For Barcelona, I felt like spending 4 days and 3 nights are absolutely not enough to discover and explore this city cause there are plenty of things to do and see here. If not because we're pressed for time, I would definitely would love to spend almost a week here. Minus the overcrowded population, this city offers numerous of awe-inspiring and magnificent buildings which impossible for me see in elsewhere and this indirectly make me fall in love with the city even more. 

2018 Spain Barcelona Top Attractions

Apart from Plaza Espana, Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia where we're successfully went and visit during our stay in Barcelona, there are also other few top attractions we managed to squeeze in into our itinerary and catch a glimpse, like: 

1) Casa Mila - Popularly known as La Pedrera or "The Stone Quarry" was the last private residence designed by none other than Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. However, I decided not to pay visit because I would prefer to visit in the early morning cause as you know, by the noon time, the crowd is getting uncontrollable. So the only thing we did to keep as a memory is by taking the signature pose right in front of the building. Say cheese! 


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La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's Unfinished Masterpiece

Like they said, a trip to Barcelona is definitely incomplete without visit any of Gaudi's masterpiece of architecture. So we went and visit Gaudi's awe-inspiring park, Park Guell on the second day, how about on the third day? 

Luckily on the third in Barcelona, we don't have to wake up pretty early like we did on the day before cause one of the Spain's landmark monuments that we intend to visit will open to public at 9am onwards. And the one I mentioned is none other than the impressive enormous unfinished Roman Catholic church, La Sagrada Familia

2018 Spain Barcelona La Sagrada Familia 01
#1

Do you know that La Sagrada Familia has been under construction for more than 130 years and yet, it's still on-going project even today? It's expected to be completed in 2026 marks the 100 year centenary of the death of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi in 1926. When the church is finished, it will be 144 years after the first stone was laid. 
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Park Güell - Gaudi's Iconic Park in Barcelona

4.30 in the morning - that's where my alarm rang.

Normally, I'm not a morning person but for the sake of travelling, I can get up early than my usual working hours. That shows how powerful travelling is. I prefer to arrive those popular tourist attractions as early as I can in order to beat the crowd. 

So, what's the agenda on the second day in Barcelona that causing me to wake up so early? None other than Park Guell, one of the top rated tourist attractions of Barcelona. It's remarkably popular among the visitors and to be wise, it's best to get there earlier. 

HOW TO GET TO PARK GUELL
To reach here, the nearest metro is either Lesseps or Vallcarca Station under the Green Line (L3). However, both stations require 20 minutes walk to the park. In case you are lazy to walk so far away, you can continue by taking bus 116, 24 or H6 from any of the two stations mentioned earlier. 

2018 Spain Barcelona Park Guell 02
#1: Park Guell before the sun rise
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Adeus Lisbon and Hola Barcelona!

Continue from here...

After spending two nights in Lisbon including a day trip to Pena Palace of Sintra, it's time to bid goodbye to Portugal and proceed to third country for this leg of our trip - Spain! 

FROM LISBON CITY CENTER TO LISBON AIRPORT 
Generally for a budget-conscious traveller, it's always better to use public transport - buses or the metro system. You can take metro from any place in Lisbon city center directly to Aeroporto Station (Lisbon Airport) for just €2.00 (including €0.50 for the reusable card). But because you know, we had quite number of luggage with us plus they were heavy too, we opted for Uber. There is no issue in getting an Uber cause it is available throughout the city. From where we stayed in Lisbon straight to the airport, the Uber fare was €6.45 - it's relatively affordable cause we don't have to go through the hassle of changing station. 

FLYING TO BARCELONA WITH TAP PORTUGAL

#1: Barcelona, wait for me!
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Pena Palace of Sintra, Portugal

"To beat the crowds is by getting there early - the rule of thumb for visitors."

On our second day in Lisbon, we woke up pretty early in the hope of catching the earliest train to Sintra. Our main highlight of the day is to visit Pena Palace (Palacio Nacional da Pena), one of the finest tourist attractions in Portugal and exemplifies the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture. Definitely must-go when in Portugal. 

HOW TO GET TO PENA PALACE FROM LISBON 
Pena Palace is doable as a day trip, although the journey from Lisbon to Sintra might be slightly long. Hence, it's advisable to start your day trip as early as possible. In Lisbon, we head to Rossio Railway Station. You can reach Rossio Railway Station by taking metro under blue/green line and align at Rossio Metro Station. To pay for the journey from Lisbon to Sintra, you can use Viva Viagem card and a single fare costs €2.25. The train runs every 30 minutes and it takes approximately 40 minutes to reach Sintra. 

2018 Portugal Lisbon Rossio Railway Station 01
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Keep Safe & Stay Vigilant When Visiting Lisbon, Portugal (2018) - Part 3

So, now I've seen the best of Portugal's second largest capital, Porto and wondering what will Lisbon be? Will this capital city of Portugal as charming and beautiful as Porto, or it's just another overrated city to visit?

Let's find it out now.

IMG_20181011_171550

FROM PORTO TO LISBON WITH HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
2018 Portugal Train Porto to Lisbon 01
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2 Days in Porto, Portugal (2018) - Part 2

When comes to talking about Portugal, the first city will instantly hit one's mind is none other than Lisbon. But then, have you ever heard of Porto before? Neither do I. I never knew about Porto until Mytravelmatez shared with me about this coastal city and he said I should make a visit there. And so here I am in Porto for another new discovery and adventures together with my mom and cousin all the way from London after spending three days three nights there.



























FLYING WITH RYANAIR TO PORTO FROM LONDON STANSTED
First time with RyanAir. I heard so much about RyanAir but never have I ever experienced it eventhough visited Europe couple of times, not until this trip. One way trip from London Stansted to Porto can be so cheap - it's like £17 (approx. to RM94) but after all those add-on such as baggage fee and seat selection, ended up in average we paid £46 per pax. Wondering why we rather pay for the seats instead of waiting for the time to check-in? Read below:
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A Repeat Trip To London With Oman Air (2018) - Part 1

It's always one of my wishlists to bring my mom to London and Europe cause she never been to any angmoh (Western) countries before, including Australia due to family commitment. And finally my wish being granted when I happened to stumble upon cheap fare offered by Oman Air. A return airfare whereby fly-in London and fly-out Milan for RM1,800 which is certainly so hard to resist with this kind of temptation. And so happened at the same time, Malindo Air was having promotion where a return flight for Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur for RM225 only. All-in-all, the total fare cost RM2,025. Absolutely a great steal! 

(P/S: By the way, please don't keep asking me how I always manage to get all these cheap deals cause to be honest, it really depends on luck and also flexibility.)

It's my virgin experience flying with Oman Air, a national carrier of Oman based at Muscat. Normally I don't have any expectations towards any airlines I will be flying with cause for me, my priority is always the fare itself. But after flying with Saudia Airlines earlier this year to Morocco, I realised Oman Air is much more better than the Saudia honestly speaking.

2018 Oman Air 01
#1: Virgin experience flying with Oman Air

Oman Air's Amenities & Services
  • For economy class passenger, each is entitled to check-in luggage per-bag weight of up to 23 kg.
  • Access a full range of complimentary in-flight entertainment and in-seat USB ports for passenger to charge their electronic devices. 
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Star Hostel Taipei Main Station

When come to staying in Taipei, I can't deny Ximending is always my top choice. But because of my recent trip where I travelled alone and arrived Taipei quite late at night, I decided to stay somewhere nearby the Taipei Main Station then. 

I almost booked other hostel until I saw this, it's like love at first sight...

#The inviting lounge/common area

Lately, I'm addicted staying in the hostel due to the lounge or common area. So when I saw Star Hostel with its inviting and cozy lounge/common area, immediately I booked without thinking any longer. Artistically furnished in the wood element with zen and roomy ambiance, I believe for sure it makes everyone instantly fall for it. Almost every morning before having breakfast, I spent my time here doing some travel research. I even spotted few guests spent their time here until 4am in the morning - wondering did they ever go to their bed to sleep? 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 02
#A small-scale and compact cottage whereby guests can climb up to relax and chill in 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 04-1
#Overview

2018 Taipei Star Hostel Main Taipei Station
#Movie time in some nights

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 23
#Weekly event every night

RECEPTION & CHECK-IN

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 07
#Front desk

The reception runs 24 hours and therefore, you don't have to worry when you arrive the hostel late at night. The check-in process is kinda fast and hassle-free; just handover your passport and booking reference number. However, you are only allow to enter into your room at 3pm onwards. Fret not, as the hostel staffs are very helpful and friendly cause they allow the guest to leave their luggage in the hostel storage for free of charge. They even allow the guests to sit at the lounge as well, eventhough the check-in time hasn't come yet. 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 08
#Souvenir & snacks corner

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 20
#Shoe cabinets

Before entering into the room and other common facilities, all the guests are required to change their footwear to the indoor slipper provided by the hostel. As for our footwear, just keep in the cabinet according to the assigned room number. Such ingenious idea cause not just it makes the whole hostel clean, but also prevent the floor from getting dirty. This hostel even being so thoughtful by providing hand sanitizer. 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 09
Entrance to the hostel

6-BED DORM 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 10

Star Hostels reminds me of my most favourite hostel in Europe (Dream Hostel of Warsaw) where each bunk bed has its own privacy curtain, personal light lamp and socket for electricity. There is even a small shelf for you to place some small and light items like glasses, handphone, watch and so on. The bed is pretty comfortable, meticulously clean and most importantly, it's fairly spacious too which it doesn't make me feel stuffy and squeezed at all. 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 10-1

Private locker is provided for each guest to store their bags and personal belongings. And you know what, you don't have to use your own padlock to lock the locker cause it can be opened and locked by just using your room card. That is so cool! On my first night, I didn't realise about this until I saw other guest did so by just using their card. Silly me! But because my locker was on the top and my luggage bag was kinda huge (24 inch type) which obviously heavy too, I didn't manage to squeeze my bag into the locker, so at the end I just simply placed it outside. Luckily the room is relatively spacious. Another thing I love about the room is that they consist of air-conditioner, towel hanger and long mirror. You know lah, lady loves mirror so much, particularly the long type. 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 11

SHOWER ROOMS & TOILETS 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 19

As my room was located on the 5th floor, I only bother to check out the shower rooms and toilets on my respective floor. Overall, there are 5 shower rooms to be shared but being lady, we have the right to use all whereas for the guy, they can only use 2 out of the 5 shower rooms. I found pretty funny when I saw "Gender Friendly" signboard, which indicates both female and male can enter that particular shower rooms/toilet. Both female and mixed gender shower rooms have a vanity area where it equipped with hairdryer. 

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 12

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 29

KITCHEN, CAFE & BREAKFASTS

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 05

The guest kitchen is open 24 hours but I'm not sure whether the guest is allow to cook or not. Cause so far from what I observed during my stay, none of the guests tend to cook here. The kitchen is so modern and spacious and most importantly, it's well-equipped with refrigerators, microwave, oven, coffee machine, tap with drinking water and more that you could ever imagine of.  

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 06

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 03
#The cafe area or known as Star Cafe

Little did I know that my booking comes along with free breakfast. At first I thought it's just a simple and basic breakfast until I saw the breakfast menu on the board. Different meal every day of the week so you won't get bored even stay for couple of days here. Breakfast starts from 8am to 10am everyday.

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 13
#Breakfast menu

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 14
#Friday breakfast

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 15
#Saturday breakfast

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 18
#Unlimited juices, coffee, toasts and buns.

PREFER MORE PRIVACY?

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 17

In case you don't feel like want to stay with strangers, don't worry cause this hostel even houses private rooms ensuite with bathroom. Plenty of options to choose from; single room, double or twin room or even quadruple room. 

LOCATION

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 24
Like I mentioned earlier why I chosen to stay in this hostel is because of its excellent and great location - less than 10 minutes walk to Taipei Main Station, the main transportation hub for all public access; like Metro, Taipei Railway, High Speed Rail and Bus Station. Star Hostel is even very close to the newly built Taoyuan Airport MRT Station.

There are three Metro lines within the vicinity; Tamsui-Xinyi Line and Bannan Line in Taipei Main Station and Songshan-Xindian Line in Taoyuan Airport MRT Station.

WHAT NOT SO GOOD?

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 28
Although you can access up to the hostel by lift, but still you need to climb up the staircase if your room is located on the 5th floor - so that's the one and only downside of it. However, if your room being assigned on the 4th floor, then you hit the jackpot!

Another thing is the hostel doesn't provide towel for free - you need to rent for it. But since I brought along mine, so it wasn't big deal for me. 

DIRECTION
Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 25
#Travelling from Taoyuan International Airport

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 27
#Direction from Taipei Main Station

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 16

Normally I don't go back and staying the same hotel/hostel as I like to experience different kind of environment but Star Hostel make me come back for more. Minus the staircases, this hostel is absolutely perfect and fabulous. So if Dream Hostel of Warsaw is my favourite hostel in Europe, I can conclude that Star Hostel is my most favourite hostel in Asia.

I was consider pretty lucky manage to book the room at the very last minute (although I being requested to change different rooms in between) cause this hostel filled up very quickly. So be sure to book early!

Star Hostel Taipei Main Station 26

For more info, you can check out their official website here.
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