Whenever I stay at a hostel, my biggest headache is where to put belongings like glasses and watches. If I leave them by the bed, I’m afraid they’ll fall off in the night; if I put them in my backpack, I have to climb down from the top bunk when the alarm goes off, which is a hassle. The place I’m sharing today, Dwell Hostel, is in Kaohsiung’s Sanduo shopping district. Transportation is convenient, and it’s only four stops from Kaohsiung Station. If you get hungry at night, a night market is right downstairs, and the hostel even offers free instant noodles just in case. Most importantly, they’ve thought of all the little details: there’s a small bag by each bed so you can keep your valuables safe, and the front desk sells toothbrushes and other toiletries. This time, for the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday, I didn’t prepare anything. I grabbed my luggage and rushed to the high-speed rail to Kaohsiung, and only after I got on the train did I realize I had forgotten my toothbrush and towel! Ahhh!!!!! It was so touching that the hostel had them for me!!
Dwell Hostel Information
- Official website: http://dwell-hostel.com/
- Phone: 07-335-9006
- Address: No. 211, Sanduo 3rd Road, Qianzhen District, Kaohsiung City
- Price: Depends on the room type. The 4-person backpacker dorm I stayed in during the holiday cost NT$550 per night.
Once inside, go up to the third floor, leave your shoes outside the door, and press the doorbell. A staff member will open the door for you. Dwell is very strict about access control: you need to swipe your access card to enter the rooms and the common areas.
The front desk displays the flags of the guests staying there today. Dwell is also a hostel that is very popular with backpackers from around the world. In its first year, it was ranked the top-recommended hostel in the Kaohsiung area on TripAdvisor!
Dwell has three floors. The common lounge, a drying room, washing machines, and dryers are all essential facilities. The lounge is quite spacious, and there are public computers for guests who need them. Wi-Fi is of course available, and it’s fine for personal use, but since there’s no 5GHz band, don’t expect much speed. Interference is quite heavy.
Free toast and jam are provided in the morning, so you can make your own breakfast.
There are board games to play. Now this is what a backpacker’s lounge should be like (lol).
There’s a refrigerator for guests to store food, but remember to write your room number, name, and check-out date on it.
The rooms are mixed dorms, like most backpacker hostels. The bedside has a small bag for your belongings, and each bed has two power outlets for charging. It would be even more thoughtful if they offered USB charging ports (wishful thinking).
The mattress is a bit firm, but it’s comfortable to sleep on. It’s the kind of firmness that supports your body so you don’t sink in. Personally, I’m quite satisfied with it!
The third and fourth floors both have bathrooms. The men’s and women’s bathrooms are separate, so don’t walk into the wrong one (lol).
Coin-operated washing machines and dryers are available for guests.
The number of bathroom facilities is adequate, but I found the hot water a bit unstable. Maybe it’s because I showered in the morning. It also takes a little time to figure out the faucet the first time you use it… The front desk sells paper towels, toothbrushes, and so on. (If they could offer towel rentals, I’d happily pay a bit more, since paper towels really aren’t great QQ.) The bathroom has built-in body wash, shampoo, hair dryers, and so on.
Oh, and the bathrooms are super clean!!
Overall, I’m satisfied with Dwell. Before, whenever I came to Kaohsiung, I stayed at the Single Inn near the train station, but that place leans more toward a business hotel and lacks the warm, personal feel of a hostel. What I love about Dwell is exactly that hostel warmth!