Dandy Hotel - Tianjin Branch

It's rare for me to post a review so soon after checking in. However, I am so thoroughly impressed that I had to write this review. Dandy Hotel (Tianjin) is located in the Zhongshan area of Taipei. The hotel is located at the corner of Tianjin St and Nanjing E. Rd. Walk up in the adjacent alley and you find pubs, chill out coffee places and bakeries. Walk into another street and you have boutiques, restaurants and foot reflexology joints (the decent and not so decent kind, so I gather). The Zhongshan metro station is steps away; and so are shopping malls like Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. But what stands out is the number of food options in the area that is astounding. We arrived on a wet and rainy day, which does not make for a good check in with 3 kids, 2 grandparents, 1 wife and 10 pieces of bags. However, the hotel quickly showed why they are so highly rated. The staff ushered us into the dining area to wait as I proceeded to check in. The process was fast and painless. They were also very thorough in tryng to understand and explain sightseeing options we had on a rainy day. The rooms were not ready yet since we arrived juat after noon. In the lobby, there were some toys to keep the kids busy. Grandpa and grandma helped themselves to maps, guides, newspapers and food reviews as they waited. Grandpa also discovered the laundry room with 2 top loader washing machines, 2 dryers and 1 sink - all free to use with detergent thrown in. In the ground floor toilet, small packets of mouthwash, facial pads and dental floss were made available. At the reception counter, complimentary raincoat ponchos and face masks (to prevent spread of germs) are made available. Before long the staff worked their magic and lo and behold they got 2 rooms ready within the half hour. Brilliant. We got 2 rooms that would comfortably sleep a couple and 1 kid (or 2 kids under 7 years old). These rooms each had a balcony and had their individual decor. Rooms are not big, but the space is maximised to allow maximum comforts for the guest. The rooms were clean and well maintained. Another thing - slip under the blanket covers and I was amazed that my feet did not stick out from under the covers. Housekeeping put an additional sheet to prevent feet sticking out from under the covers, keeping your feet nice and snug. Amazing. A side observation - you know when a hotel puts in effort to cater to the smallest of details when you see boxes of toothbrushes color coded for easy identification by the housekeeping staff. And yes, adult toothbrushes come in blue or orange for easy guest differentiation. Everyday between 2-5pm, guests are invited to a free coffee, tea and snacks (biscuits and tea egg). And their staff also have access to the food, albeit you will find them eating in privacy, away from hotel guests. Breakfast was decent, nothing luxurious but on the contrary rather homely. A sufficient spread of usual favourites like scrambled eggs and sausages; plain congee with braised pork and condiments; breads and cereal; salads and juices. For the business traveller, they will not find facilities lacking in anyway when a public computer terminal, printer and helpful staff are on hand to assist. Formal conference rooms are not available, but I would probably have meetings in one of the many cafes around the corner. In short, this boutique hotel provides a homely feel to the weary traveller. It is perfect for small families and a fantastic alternative to living amidst the madness at Ximending. Special mention of Joanne and Lala (they speak very decent english too) who were extremely helpful in providing sightseeing tips that potentially saved us a lot of pain and money!

We can't say enough positive things about this lovely boutique hotel. The staff were delightful and so helpful. They even (without our knowledge) arranged a packed breakfast because we had a very early checkout. The breakfast buffet has something for everyone and the hot dishes changed daily. The food was fresh and replenished regularly (the little ham/cheese sandwiches are yummy). Our tastefully decorated deluxe room had a balcony. It was spacious and kept spotless and the spa was an added bonus. The location is close to the MRT and there are lots of local restaurants close by.

Nice place, friendly and helpful staff, good standard on rooms. Central location in a cosy district. Excellent for holiday trip, but also when travelling alone. Familes are taken good care of. Very recommendable.

What a wonderful surprise the Dandy Hotel is - every bit as charming as the numerous positive Trip Advisor reviews that led us here, but even better! Although the hotel itself is not new, situated in the historic quarter of Taiwan, it is completely renovated. The bathroom is amazing, with elegant hardware, a heated toilet seat, a beautiful huge bathtub, and a powerful shower. As we were en route home with a lot of luggage collected after four months of travel, we booked the very spacious deluxe elite room, but the less expensive deluxe room, although smaller, is also quite adequate, with large windows, a balcony, and a huge beautiful bathroom and bathtub. The hotel offers other smaller size rooms as well, so has accommodation to suit every budget. The hotel is unique in character in that it bases itself upon a theme of music, paying tribute to renowned musicians in its decor, honoring their contribution to the universal language of music by including etchings of several iconic artists on all of the balcony windows and in a music tribute etched in the hotel lobby. Beautifully creative, and much appreciated by this writer, who is a musician! The buffet breakfast is extensive and excellent, and the location in the heart of Taipei is perfect. But perhaps the best feature is the beautiful staff - extremely efficient, warm, and welcoming. A definite highlight of our brief stay in Taiwan was the opportunity to engage via the universal language of music. After a brief informal concert I was invited to share with the staff, one which they recorded live and posted on the hotel website, I was introduced by Sean, one of the staff, to a popular Taiwanese ballad. He both converted the Mandarin language characters to written lyrics and sang them for me. I am now going to learn to sing in Mandarin, in preparation for a return visit next year! I cannot recommend this charming hotel and its delightful staff highly enough!

This was our first time staying at Dandy, and I have to say it was a great find and good decision to stay at the Dandy - Tianjin branch location. It's like a little gem in a big city. First of all, Dandy Tianjin branch is at a great location, there's many convenient stores on Tianjin Street, also plenty of restaurants, eateries, coffee shops and bars as well. There's a bakery/cafe called "Mita" right at the entrance of Tianjin street. Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi department store and Zhong-Shan MRT station is within 5 min walking distance from the hotel. (P.S. Zhong-Shan Police station also near by! LOL!) Through out the years I've stayed at a few well known hotels in Taipei, but none of them has given me the feeling of being treated like family, here's why: The day we arrived to check in, we met Queenie and her warm smile. It was very thoughtful of her to give me a pair of small size slippers for my 5yr old to wear as their standard provided in the room was adult size, so Queenie was concerned about my 5yr old's potential tripping with the bigger size slippers. I was very touched by her thoughtfulness, and instantly this makes Dandy stands out in my mind compare to other places I've stayed before. We stayed in room 305 the first couple days. The room had a nice floor to ceiling window, it's facing a side street but very well sound proofed as I didn't hear much street noises day or night. There's no closet in the room but a cross bar that's hidden behind a skinny sliding door for hanging clothes. The room equipped with standard hardware things like a digital safe, flat screen TV, fridge, tea kettle with instant coffee packs and tea bags, also 2 bottles of water they replenish daily. Of course, free wifi every where inside the hotel. I super loved the bathroom in 305. The shower area was Huge, with the sunflower shower head but also a handheld one as well! And of course, the nice modern looking tub. The only thing 305 didn't have is space. It's fairly tight for 2 people with 4 luggages so after couple of days I asked for a different room and moved to 311. 311 had similar things as 305 but much bigger space, there's a bench sitting area next to the desk. There's a window but it's facing the fire escape alley, I didn't mind there's no view in 311 since we only back at night to rest. Bathroom wasn't as modern and big as the one in room 305 but I was fine with it. Buffet breakfast served at the hotel daily between 7-10am, they also offered afternoon snakes but we were never there to check it out. Breakfast menu offers hot and cold items, including plain white rice (that's kept in a rice cooker), congee (rice soup), bread/toast, cereal, different stirred fried vegetables or meats, scrambled eggs...just to name a few. Also a coffee expresso maker. Their hot food portion size not super big so the staff would periodically replenish various dishes which kept it fresh for other customers. The staff were there to clean and tidy up the eating area at any given time. During our stay at Dandy, it was also my dad's birthday. Queenie and Joanne had approached me about them wanting to celebrating my dad's birthday. Every year around my dad's birthday he's usually over seas, and I don't think he has ever had hotel staff remembering his birthday and not to mention about celebrating. So that afternoon of my dad's birthday, they came with candle lighted birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday" with us to my dad. That just made us feel even more special and welcome. This was our first time at Dandy Tianjin branch, but I'm sure we will come back to them whenever we are in Taipei. Of course I highly recommend this place. I want to say "Thank you" to Queenie, Joanne, Bessie, Maruko, Lala and the rest of the team members at Dandy - Tianjin branch. You guys are an awesome group. Thank you for everything. Hope to see you guys again soon! :)

All the staff are nice, friendly, patient and really very sweet! Thanks them a lot!! The room is really tidy and clean. Breakfast is delicious as well. Around the hotel there are a lot of good restaurants as well. Highly recommend!!

My wife and I stayed at Dandy Hotel Tianjin Branch in March 2017, firstly 3 nights then another 5 nights after we had come back from a 5-day tour. The Hotel is only a few minutes to Zhongshan MRT Station, thus making it very convenient to reach virtually any part of the city. The rooms we stayed in were not particularly spacious but very clean and comfortable, especially the bed. They could do with a better arrangement with the cupboards (e.g. wardrobe) and drawers. The staff was truly knowledgeable, polite, pleasant and helpful; any information we sought they would immediately supply or search online, then print out the relevant pages and mark on them directions and transportation selections, etc. – we could not really have expected more, even to frequent travellers like the two of us. Well done, Joanne and your team. Many thanks for making our stay ever so enjoyable. Chuei from London, UK

The staff at hotel really wow me with their services. They are always friendly and ready to assist you if you have any needs. Room The hotel amenities are wonderful. They provided toothbrush set, disposable shaver and others. All good quality. Bathtub was big. Room are clean and spacious. Provide hard and soft pillows. For those staying in room facing the side road, do be prepare to hear some car noise. However it not to bad as it side road and not the main road. For those non-chinese speaking guest, there vod for you to select. There adults and kids movies just great for families with kids. Dinning The dinning area is at 1 floor at corner. It also where the laundry room and public toilet can be found. There a corner where you can borrow games to play while you dine or do your laundry. The selection of games are ok like chinese go, pirate in barrel and stack. However, I hope they would consider adding cards games. Breakfast was ok. Due to sizes, it can't possible provide a spread. But it is sufficient. Every night they prepare taiwan eggs or braised pork meat for those who are hungry. Coffee 24/7. And if you are leaving early, they will prepare breakfast for u to eat along the way. Cool right. Front Desk The front desk is staff 24/7, so there always someone at desk to answer you questions. The staff can speak and communicate in english. At the front desk, you can find different offering depending on the timing. For example, at midnight, you can find free instant noodles. In morning to afternoon, there raincoats for those who need it. Laundry There a washing machine and dryer for those who need to do laundry. Wifi Hotel provided wifi. Connections is good. The only issue that it is not secure. Meaning to say it is open network which anybody can tap if they are within the range. So it is safe to sat that i would stay in Dandy again if i visit taiwan again.

I've visited 89 countries, and cannot fathom a better hotel for Taipei than this one! The location is the best you could find with at most one stop on MRT to anywhere. Five minute walk to the MRT station. Perfect room (but no view). Wonderful staff. Incredible breakfasts (or should I say dinner, as there was a freshly cooked fish, chicken, or pork dish every morning). Great bathroom and shower. Free washer/dryer and perfect strong wifi. And all for about $100 per night for a week.