Taipei is my hometown, so I knew...
Taipei is my hometown, so I knew we would be having a number of guests over to visit. I specifically wanted a hotel that was nice: pleasant, clean, upscale but not flashy, to make a good impression for the family and friends who we'd be meeting. San Want was perfect for this, it is central so that people knew it and could find it easily, plus there were many good restaurants nearby to go to (while the restaurants IN the hotel are fine, they did not suit our needs/moods at the time). Service was always friendly and efficient, although the maids were a bit overeager to clean the rooms. Since it's very, very hot in Taipei in the summers, we tended to sleep late and stay out late. Most days, the housekeeping team were knocking on our door, or sometimes calling us, to see if they could clean the room by 1pm, which is a bit earlier than we wanted to leave. We checked, and they're supposed to have until 3pm to clean them (plus, we were staying for a full week, so most of the time, turnover was not an issue).
The rooms are very, very spacious, there is a fully furnished (couch, coffee table & chair) and separate sitting area in addition to the bed(s). The mini-bar is minimal, so you have room to stock the fridge with your own stuff (and prices are reasonable in case you don't get around to the convenience stores around the corner). VERY nice flat panel television with plenty of English stations on satellite.
Very large baths, with full tubs, handheld shower nozzles, nice spacious counter around the sink to hold your toiletries. My only concern is that the floor in the bath is VERY slick, the slightest amount of water and you could slip and crack your skull, keep it dry and step carefully.
The only aspect of the hotel room that dissappointed me was the lack of a view. There is a large, central atrium that the inside rooms look into, and while it's light enough, all you can see is the big chandelier in the lobby if you stare straight down. I would imagine the outside rooms do better, but this is not a high rise view hotel, if that's what you're looking for.
All in all, this was the best hotel I've stayed in out of many (over a dozen) in my trips to Asia. An excellent value.
