So far, after a couple of months, dozens of good hostels, best for me has been Meander 1948 in Taipei.

Turns out Taiwan’s in East Asian, not S.E. Asia — but BEST on my S.E. Asia trip 2025. 😀

BEST is the superb location, walking distance from Taipei Main Station, the biggest transportation hub in the country.

There are 100 restaurants within a 10-minute walk. And you get a voucher / day for any 8 of those restaurants ➙ much better than the free breakfast buffet at most hostels.

Most hostels don’t have enough common area. Meander 1948 is better. I can work on my laptop anytime I want.

Excellent staff. Special events scheduled for any guest who wants to sign-up.

For example, I joined in the Thursday hiking trip. Perfect for me.

Super clean and efficient. Hot showers with good water pressure.

Very large and quiet pod-style dorm beds.

FREE coffee 24 hours / day!

There are several Meander hostels. This one is designated 1948 because it’s housed in an historical building from 1948.

This is not the least expensive hostel, by any means. Over 7 nights I paid an average of USD $28 / night. High for S.E. Asia. Location, location, location saved me time and money getting to where I wanted to go with a (fairly expensive) transit pass.

Of course I prefer hostels over 4 star hotels.