How airbnb apartment can affect your holidays?
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Hello! I'm here to pen down my experiences for my accommodations booked via Airbnb. I stayed in a total of 3 apartments (2 from Melbourne and 1 from Taipei).
1) Melbourne (South Bank)
Entire Apartment, 3 Bedrooms, 1 Toilet
1) Melbourne (South Bank)
Entire Apartment, 3 Bedrooms, 1 Toilet
View from the balcony
These photos are taken from Airbnb site and the real apartment looks 90 percent similar. The location for this apartment is fabulous because it is very near the city and casino. Hence we don't have to park our rental car in the city which can cost a bomb.
Rented for 2 nights for about SGD$600. $50 per pax per night. I think the price is very affordable for the location.
We didn't get to see the owner of the apartment and he seemed an expert in doing this because he just send us a text message via airbnb with all the instructions needed (e.g.: carpark space/ locks).
I enjoyed my stay here and would definitely recommend to friends and family who are planning to go over. The only con: 1 toilet shared among 6 people!
2) Melbourne (Brunswick)
Entire Apartment, 3 Bedroom, 1 Toilet
Standing outside the apartment.
The walk way from the main door to our 3 bedrooms and living room. Weird dimension. Haha
3 Bedrooms, sorry for the mess.
Walkway to the toilet, kitchen and living room
Living room and kitchen
Messages from the host
Living room
This apartment is located 25 minutes drive away from the city, hence the rental was cheaper. Rented for 2 nights for about SGD$480. $40 per pax per night. There are some nice cafes located nearby.
The living room was packed with entertainments such as PS 2 or 3 (can't remember) guitar, DVD player etc.
The hosts were very kind but we didn't get to meet them on the first day because we were travelling from great ocean drive and only reached at 9 plus at night. They provide us with tea, milk and snacks which made us feel very welcome.
On the last day of our check out, the host was there to assist a smooth process for us. I really enjoyed my stay in this apartment.
The minus point for this apartment was the non carpeted flooring but they do provide heater. Hahaha the host did tell us about the noise from the tram located outside the house but I guess it didn't bother us and also 1 toilet shared among 6 of us.
3) Taipei (Ximending)
Entire Apartment, 1 Bedroom, 1 Toilet
My most recent stay in September 2015 in Taipei which is also the reason for this post. The experiences was a awful one. It's not like being in danger but I rather book a hotel than to stay in this apartment.
We stayed a total of 4 nights for $480. $60 per pax per night. When we stepped into the house with the host's friend, let name him Alex. as the host was not in town. There was an cockroach that welcome us which made us very awkward. What a bad start. Haha
Well, enough of his explanation of the existence of cockroach, we proceed with our plan out.
Return for the day and don't even want to sit on the sofa after I shower. The sofa stained with ?? and there were little small insect crawling on the floor.
The bed sheet with yellow stains all over. I know this is due to old bedsheets but I just felt disgusted.
Anyway we called Alex and he came over to change bed sheet for us and guess what, the bed sheet he changed was even more dirty than the initial. I guess he was really embarrassed and quickly offered to change to another bed sheet.
When we thought everything was finally okay, we went up to the bed and there was a awful smell. The smell of perspiration >.< Sigh! We were too embarrassed to call Alex over to change bed sheet again so we just lay a towel on top of the bed sheet and slept.
Next morning, Alex came over to make sure we had a good night sleep and we did complain about the smell from the bed. He did not hesitate to change bed sheet for us again which make me feel so bad. I offered my help to change and I realised the smell was from the mattress and not the bed sheet. Opps Need febreze!! I told him it's was alright because the smell is going to stay. I can see he was helpless and trying his best to accommodate our requirements.
Of course the toilet cleanliness was no better. On our last day, the ceiling from the toilet was peeling off which landed on the floor. Sigh..
We decided to stay on since there was no refund and I guess we were lazy to find another hotel. The accommodation really affected our mood and we dread returning back every day.
We were pissed because the photos from Airbnb appear to be so clean and had no bad reviews but the house was old and slightly dirty. We drafted up a bad review for the apartment but decided not to post it because how could we? Alex was so kind and nice. Sigh. So maybe that's the reason why there wasn't any bad review.
Anyway to give some credit to the apartment is the location. Located in Ximending, really very convenient to travel around and of course the very kind Alex.
Moral of the story for myself is to take reviews from Airbnb as a pitch of salt. Hopefully my next experience will be an awesome one!
Good Night!
Labels: australia, free&easy, holidays, taipei, taiwan, thoughts, travelogue
Travelogue to Taiwan Part 3
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Day 4 (Taipei)
05/09/2015
Places visited: Jiu Fen 九份 ｜Wu Fen Pu 五分埔 ｜Rao He Night Market 饶河夜市
Food: ? Breakfast 问号早餐 ｜Formosa Zhang 胡须张
Breakfast at ? Breakfast place 问号早餐.
Haha food was not bad and very homely. Haha We had a full breakfast before proceed to Zhongxiao Fu Xing Station to take bus 1062 to Jiufen 九份.
I was hoping that the weather will be cooler or maybe rain but it was mad hot and crowded.
Ordered a cold brew coffee to quench our thirst!
Light and crispy pastry with taro paste from misty! Super love!
Tried their fish ball soup and tau pok with fish paste. I don't really fancy the fish balls because the texture is very dense and doesn't feel bouncy. Haha however the tau pok is quite special.
Something not to be missed in my itinerary was to eat taro balls. We tried the famous Ah Gan Yi Yu Yuan 阿柑姨芋圆 which is located uphill. It was a total disappointment. I tried every flavour before discarding into the bin. The standard must have dropped because there were many good reviews.
Took bus 1062 back to Houshanpi station to shop at Wu Fen Pu 五分埔 where is the garment wholesale area. The whole place was quiet which was unlike the crowd I had seen 2 years ago. Anyway we didn't buy any clothes. The clothes were either low quality or too expensive. I think we are so spoilt with the good quality clothes our local e-commerce can provide.
At Rao He night market that was extremely crowded which I find a little breathless. Tried this spring onion wrap with Taiwan sausage. It wasn't good. The spring onions were too raw.
Told my sister to get a bubble tea while I queue for a black pepper bun. She was looking around to choose which store and I told her that bubble tea can never go wrong in Taiwan. Just pick anyone. So this bubble tea from this store really cannot make it. Hahaha I should slap myself.
Not to miss the black pepper bun in Rao He Night Market. The queue was very long but fast!
05/09/2015
Places visited: Jiu Fen 九份 ｜Wu Fen Pu 五分埔 ｜Rao He Night Market 饶河夜市
Food: ? Breakfast 问号早餐 ｜Formosa Zhang 胡须张
Breakfast at ? Breakfast place 问号早餐.
? Breakfast 问号早餐
Hankou Street Section 2 Lane 83 Taipei 108
台北萬華区汉口街二段76号
Reason to return: Croissant Burger, saw someone ordered and we need to be back to try this.
Haha food was not bad and very homely. Haha We had a full breakfast before proceed to Zhongxiao Fu Xing Station to take bus 1062 to Jiufen 九份.
I was hoping that the weather will be cooler or maybe rain but it was mad hot and crowded.
Ordered a cold brew coffee to quench our thirst!
Light and crispy pastry with taro paste from misty! Super love!
Tried their fish ball soup and tau pok with fish paste. I don't really fancy the fish balls because the texture is very dense and doesn't feel bouncy. Haha however the tau pok is quite special.
Something not to be missed in my itinerary was to eat taro balls. We tried the famous Ah Gan Yi Yu Yuan 阿柑姨芋圆 which is located uphill. It was a total disappointment. I tried every flavour before discarding into the bin. The standard must have dropped because there were many good reviews.
Jiu Fen 九份
Jishan District Ruifand District, Xinbei Taiwan
瑞芳区基山街
Took bus 1062 back to Houshanpi station to shop at Wu Fen Pu 五分埔 where is the garment wholesale area. The whole place was quiet which was unlike the crowd I had seen 2 years ago. Anyway we didn't buy any clothes. The clothes were either low quality or too expensive. I think we are so spoilt with the good quality clothes our local e-commerce can provide.
Wu Fen Pu 五分埔
Yongji Street, Xinyi District, Taipei
信義区永吉里
Avoid Mondays. I think you should just avoid it. Haha
Since we were near Houshanpi station, decided to eat Lu Ruo Fan 卤肉饭 at Formosa Zhang 胡须张
Delicious rice and pork chop!
Formosa Zhang 胡须张
No 533, Yongji road, Nangang District, Taipei City 115
台北市永吉路533号
Reasons to return: Lu Ruo Fan 卤肉饭 and try other dishes
At Rao He night market that was extremely crowded which I find a little breathless. Tried this spring onion wrap with Taiwan sausage. It wasn't good. The spring onions were too raw.
Told my sister to get a bubble tea while I queue for a black pepper bun. She was looking around to choose which store and I told her that bubble tea can never go wrong in Taiwan. Just pick anyone. So this bubble tea from this store really cannot make it. Hahaha I should slap myself.
Not to miss the black pepper bun in Rao He Night Market. The queue was very long but fast!
Rao He Night Market 饶河夜市
North end of Kee Lung Road, Taipei
松山区八德路四段及撫速街间
Good night!
Labels: free&easy, holidays, taipei, taiwan, travelogue
Travelogue to Taiwan Part 2
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Day 2 (Taichung)
03/09/2015
Places visited: Sun Moon Lake 日月谭 ｜Feng Chia Night Market 逢甲夜市
Food:
Started our day having breakfast at the hotel cafe which wasn't fantastic. Took bus 106 opposite Macdonald (near our hotel @ Feng Chia night market) to HSR Taichung station to purchase the tickets to Sun Moon Lake. From there, you can take the Nantou bus.
At Xuanguang Temple, nothing much over here except there's a famous tea flavoured egg 茶叶蛋. Personally don't find it amazing. Good tourist location.
Off to Ita Thao Pier where there were more food here.
Salmon Ikura Don which cause less than 10 dollars.
Yummy yummy clams that you can find in the night market! Choose Garlic! :D
Day 3 (Taichung, Taipei)
04/09/2015
Places visited: Taipei 101 | Ximending
Food: Lai Lai Soyabean Milk Shop 来来豆浆 | Dazzling Cafe (Sunshine)
Good Morning!
Took a bus to Lai Lai Soyabean Milk Shop 来来豆浆 to have breakfast!
Assorted breakfast in Taichung.
Salty bean curd which I was not use to it. Definitely an acquired taste. The food was good but the ironic was the soya milk was crap. There was a burnt smell which ruin the whole taste.
03/09/2015
Places visited: Sun Moon Lake 日月谭 ｜Feng Chia Night Market 逢甲夜市
Food:
Started our day having breakfast at the hotel cafe which wasn't fantastic. Took bus 106 opposite Macdonald (near our hotel @ Feng Chia night market) to HSR Taichung station to purchase the tickets to Sun Moon Lake. From there, you can take the Nantou bus.
We purchased the 990 TWD because I wanted to sit cable car. Haha This ticket includes the bus to and from Taichung HSR, unlimited boat rides, unlimited bus rides and of course the cable car tickets.
At Xuanguang Temple, nothing much over here except there's a famous tea flavoured egg 茶叶蛋. Personally don't find it amazing. Good tourist location.
Off to Ita Thao Pier where there were more food here.
This yummy boneless chicken stuffed with fragrant glutinous rice and the chilli and spring onions add another punch to it.
This deep fried mushroom was terrible :( my sis was eating and spilt out many pieces of plastic. Ahhh! There was a kid who ordered it too. I hope he knows how to differentiate and don't swallow it.
Take 106 back to feng chia night market from Taichung HSR.
Salmon Ikura Don which cause less than 10 dollars.
Dine at this store as we were craving for Japanese food. Food was normal but good pricing.
A better view of the Jap eatery at Feng Chia Night Market. Ended the night with lots of good food at the night market!
Yummy yummy clams that you can find in the night market! Choose Garlic! :D
Day 3 (Taichung, Taipei)
04/09/2015
Places visited: Taipei 101 | Ximending
Food: Lai Lai Soyabean Milk Shop 来来豆浆 | Dazzling Cafe (Sunshine)
Good Morning!
Took a bus to Lai Lai Soyabean Milk Shop 来来豆浆 to have breakfast!
Assorted breakfast in Taichung.
Salty bean curd which I was not use to it. Definitely an acquired taste. The food was good but the ironic was the soya milk was crap. There was a burnt smell which ruin the whole taste.
Lai Lai Soyabean Milk Shop 来来豆浆
No 91-2 Section 3, Wenxin Road, Taichung
台中市四屯区文心路3段91-2号
Reason to return: Try other stuffs!
Took a bus to Taipei after checking out. We checked in to our Airbnb apartment upon reaching Ximending which both of us wasn't happy about it. How the apartment can totally ruin your holiday.
Travelled to Taipei 101, did some shopping before proceeding to Dazzling cafe.
Was very excited to try because of the hype in Singapore. You can totally skip this. The toast was so hard and dry. The taste wasn't flavourful. Nothing nice at all. I don't know if it is the same kind of standard in Singapore because I haven't tried yet and I doubt so after this experience in Taiwan. After you dessert from Thailand is at least 10 times better than this.
Dazzling Cafe (Sunshine)
No 11, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, Zhongxiao E Road, Da'an District, Taipei City 106
台北市信義区松壽路11号
Reason to return: Noooo.
Ended our dinner with a comfort beef don located at the basement level of Dazzling cafe. Dread going back to our apartment. Sigh!
Had a long discussion with my sister whether to move out but we decide to stay because host's friend was really nice and he was trying his very best to make us feel good about the apartment and of course strictly no refund. I will share more about it next time.
Labels: free&easy, holidays, taichung, taipei, taiwan, travelogue
Travelogue to Taiwan Part 1
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Booked a promotion ticket for $250 all in per pax including excess baggage via Jetstar. Hehe :D
Though it wasn't the first time for me to fly to Taiwan, I was actually quite excited because I would be travelling with my sister.
Day 1 (Taichung)
02/09/2015
Places visited: 一福堂老店 | Miyahara Ophthalmology Department 宫原眼科 |Gaomei Wetlands 高美湿地
Food: Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 | The Forth Credit Cooperation 台中第四信用合作社 | Elixir Health Pot 无老锅
Flight was midnight and we reached Taoyuan airport early in the morning. Great thing about Taiwan is the unlimited free data at affordable price and they do everything for you (change sim card, activation).
My sis opted for bus to Taichung instead of High Speed Rail which I planned. The bus seat was really comfortable and spacious.
Upon reaching Taichung Main Station, we placed our luggages at the baggage services before exploring places near the station.
First stop in Taichung - Chun Shui Tang 春水堂
We have to visit this store because it's where the first bubble milk tea originated. Haha Head to the pioneer outlet at Siwei street.
The store wasn't crowded and there wasn't much choice of food because we went during breakfast time.
We ordered some light snacks to share Siew Mai, 甜不辣 (Fish Paste), carrot cake. Personally love the carrot cake but others were mediocre. Of course not to miss the pearl milk tea which consist of too many pearls!
Though it wasn't the first time for me to fly to Taiwan, I was actually quite excited because I would be travelling with my sister.
Day 1 (Taichung)
02/09/2015
Places visited: 一福堂老店 | Miyahara Ophthalmology Department 宫原眼科 |
Food: Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 | The Forth Credit Cooperation 台中第四信用合作社 | Elixir Health Pot 无老锅
Flight was midnight and we reached Taoyuan airport early in the morning. Great thing about Taiwan is the unlimited free data at affordable price and they do everything for you (change sim card, activation).
My sis opted for bus to Taichung instead of High Speed Rail which I planned. The bus seat was really comfortable and spacious.
Upon reaching Taichung Main Station, we placed our luggages at the baggage services before exploring places near the station.
First stop in Taichung - Chun Shui Tang 春水堂
We have to visit this store because it's where the first bubble milk tea originated. Haha Head to the pioneer outlet at Siwei street.
The store wasn't crowded and there wasn't much choice of food because we went during breakfast time.
We ordered some light snacks to share Siew Mai, 甜不辣 (Fish Paste), carrot cake. Personally love the carrot cake but others were mediocre. Of course not to miss the pearl milk tea which consist of too many pearls!
Chun Shui Tang 春水堂
No 30 Siwei Street, West District, Taichung City 403
四维街30号
0800 - 2200
Reason to return: try the lunch/ dinner menu!
What you cannot miss in taichung if you love pastries is sun biscuits 太阳饼! We went to the famous 阿明师老店太阳堂 which many blogs recommended. I find the 太阳饼 too sweet for my liking so we didn't purchase any.
Walked along the streets and we found other pastries stores.
We bought all our sun biscuit from 一福堂老店. It's so far the best we can find along the street. Haha the 太阳饼 aren't too sweet and moist inside. Thumbs up! The lemon tart looks tempting but we didn't get any because there wasn't sample to try.
Walked along the streets and we found other pastries stores.
一福堂老店
No 67 Zhongshan Road, Zhong District, Taichung City 400
台中市中区中山路67号
0900 - 2200
We bought over 40 pieces of sun biscuits but was decline when we requested for 3 small boxes (just hard cupboard type) to repack it at first. I don't know but I feel that the service staff or maybe the boss is too stingy? Just 3 hard cupboard box and it seem like the boxes cost a lot? Hmmm. Anyway we managed to get 3 boxes after some "teng-ing" -.-
Nice interior design in Miyahara Ophthalmology Department which sells pastries. This store as the name suggests was an ophthalmology clinic in the past. The store started out selling cheese cakes to many different pastries now! They also sell ice cream and tea now.
We walked 10 minutes to the sister branch of Miyahara which is call The Forth Credit Cooperation 台中第四信用合作社
There were so many ice cream flavours to choose but no tasting allow. Hence we just went with the recommended flavours shown on the menu. The dessert is photo worthy but the ice creams taste like crap! The ice creams weren't creamy. The only yummy toppings were the cheesecake and butterfly! 好看不好吃 Definitely not going back for dessert next time. Maybe can consider buying the box of butterfly biscuits.
Miyahara Ophthalmology Department 宫原眼科
No 20 Zhongshan Road, Zhong District, Taichung City 400
台中市中区中山路20号
1000 - 2200
We walked 10 minutes to the sister branch of Miyahara which is call The Forth Credit Cooperation 台中第四信用合作社
There were so many ice cream flavours to choose but no tasting allow. Hence we just went with the recommended flavours shown on the menu. The dessert is photo worthy but the ice creams taste like crap! The ice creams weren't creamy. The only yummy toppings were the cheesecake and butterfly! 好看不好吃 Definitely not going back for dessert next time. Maybe can consider buying the box of butterfly biscuits.
The Forth Credit Cooperation 台中第四信用合作社
No 72 Zhongshan Road, Zhong District, Taichung City 400
台中市中区中山路72号
1000 - 2200
Reasons to return: Nope. you can totally skip this.
We went back to Taichung Main Station to take our luggage before taking public bus to our hotel. We stayed near Feng Chia Night Market (remember to purchase a you you card if you are planning to use their public transports)
The moment we reached Le Parker Hotel, we bathe and dozed off. Hahaha totally cancel our plan to Gaomei Wetland. Maybe next time? :(
Woke up in the evening and decided to shop around at Feng Chia before heading to our dinner place. The road to our dinner place was extremely tiring! From Goggle map, it showed 10 minutes walk to destination but ended up walking 1 hour and 45 mins to our dinner place. Hahahaha! Got nagged by my sister and guess what happened?
Our table full of food and this was only one side of our table. My sister said YES to everything the waitress recommended. I made her walked too much.
Everything was delicious on the table. This steamboat place call 无老锅 is a must try! We ordered the beauty pot soup as we were afraid that the mala 麻辣 would be too spicy for us to handle. They serve free flow of duck blood and bean curd skin. You can omit the duck blood if you aren't a fan of it. Personally feel that it's better than Hai Di Lao!
You will like it if you love the collagen beauty pot in Plaza Singapura. The soup base at 无老锅 isn't as thick as the collagen beauty pot which wouldn't make you feel jelat drinking it.
Elixir Health Pot 无老锅
No 74, Section 2, Gongyi Road, Nantun District, Taichung City 408
台中市南屯区公益路二段74号
1130 - 0400
Anyway remember to make a reservation if you don't want to feel disappointed. There wasn't much people when I went during dinner time at 8pm. So good luck!
Labels: free&easy, taichung, taiwan, travelogue
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