The location is great, near Shihlin night market, and easy access to hiking trails and lots of greenery. The MRT (Chientan stop on the red line) is very convenient. Look for the exit that specifically has a sign for Chientan Youth Activity Center (I believe it's exit No. 2) . Walk under the overhead MRT tracks up a slight hill, away from the Shilin Night market, you'll see lots of YouBikes (bike share dock), walk through a small park; it offers a bit of a short cut, and is nicer than walking along the main drag of the busy Zhongshan North Road. The very grand Grand Hotel is visible from the property, and with the money you save by staying at Chientan, perhaps consider splurging on coffee/tea or a meal at the Grand Hotel. At the very least, take a look around the Grand (its open for tourists to do just that). The grounds of Chientan are nice, and the rooms are clean, but it all has a sort of tattered, lots of wear-and-tear kind of feel and look to it, from the rugs in the hallway, to the curtains in the room, to the general shared facilities, like the shared mini- kitchens, and cafeteria. But it is completely acceptable and serviceable for what it is, a hostel-ish type venue that houses many different groups from around the world (including student groups from all over Taiwan), and hosts large events for church groups, non-profits, etc. The included breakfast buffet is fine, not great, but again, it does the trick. Be sure to get there early, don't wait until 9 am or close to 9 am (when it closes) - because there may be very little left. That happened to me on a few occasions. Front desk staff and cleaning staff were all very personable and helpful. I speak Chinese, which helped a lot. The front desk folks seemed to have limited English, as others have noted. One cautionary note re transportation to the wonderful National Palace Museum (NPM), which is not far away and beautifully situated -- the bus they recommend, the 304 bus that leaves from the Chientan MRT station works great on the way to the museum (about a 20 min ride). It's a straight shot and the last stop is the NPM so you won't miss it. But on the way back, the 304 does NOT stop at the Chientan MRT station! (The Chientan front desk folks did not mention this "detail.") On the way back, take the 304 bus to the Shihlin MRT station -- you'll notice a lot of people get off here. This is the stop that connects you to the MRT. Then take the MRT (red line) one stop to the Chientan station. The 304 bus goes elsewhere, nowhere near Chientan, on its way back into town. So be sure to get off at the Shihlin MRT bus stop!

Chientan Youth Activity Center served as a venue for an international student congress I attended, and thus I stayed here for several nights.

The premises are quite nice, a pond and a green lawn in front of the housing buildings. The center is easily reachable by foot from Jiantan MRT statuon and several buses stop right around the corner. It is also a walking distance away from the Shilin Night Market. There are several 7-11s in the viscinity.

The English skills of some of the staff are somewhat lacking, and in the case of the night guards in the lobbies of some of the housing buildings non-existent, but they are all very friendly and willing to help you even if you do not have a common language.

The interiors were quite clean and constantly being cleaned, but you can see some wear and tear. The room I stayed was for two, spacy enough for the two people to share with separate beds and a bathroom. The room had a decent AC, as did the whole facility.

The breakfast was served rather early, finishing by 9 am, and consisted mainly of noodles, some sort of meat, some Taiwanese/Chinese vegetables and of sortments of pickled and dried foods. There was also some white bread and toast served with margarine, jam, peanut butter and chocolate spread. The food was good enough, but quite different from European perspective.

I enjoyed the stay and I think it worked quite well for the congress. There are probably several cleaner and more "fresh" places in Taipei for the same money if one is looking only for a place to accomodate.