Bear Hotel
A homestay-style hot spring by the Old Street
About this hotel
Bear Hotel combines hotel-level facilities with the warmth of a homestay, its exterior and rooms built around vivid natural colors, red brick walls, wooden furniture and calm-coloured sofas inspired by a bear returning to the mountains. Each room includes free wireless internet, air conditioning, a coffee table and sofa, with the private bathroom fitted with shower facilities, slippers and a hairdryer. The hotel's public hot spring facilities require swimwear, and checking availability by phone or at the counter in advance is recommended rather than expecting spontaneous access. Sanxia Old Street and its dried-fruit shops and teahouses sit within walking distance, with Qingshui Zushi Temple's carved facade just up the same street.
- Public hot spring facilities on-site
- Homestay-style interior design
- Walking distance to Sanxia Old Street
- Close to Qingshui Zushi Temple
Our take
This suits travelers who want Sanxia Old Street's red-brick shophouses and Qingshui Zushi Temple paired with a relaxed, genuinely local hot spring evening rather than a resort-scale spa. Booking ahead matters more here than in denser New Taipei districts, since Sanxia has far fewer hotel rooms overall. Travelers wanting a private, in-room hot tub rather than a shared public bath should look toward Xindian instead.
- ✓Call ahead or ask at the counter about hot spring availability rather than assuming walk-in access
- ✓Pack swimwear specifically, since Bear Hotel's public hot spring requires it for all guests
- ✓Walk Sanxia Old Street in the morning before Taipei tour groups arrive, then save the bath for later
Why we love it
- Public hot spring facilities requiring swimwear and advance inquiry
- Vivid, homestay-style interior design with red brick walls
- Walking distance to Sanxia Old Street's shops and teahouses
- Close to Qingshui Zushi Temple's carved wood and stone facade
Why guests love itTravelers staying here after a day on Sanxia Old Street tend to call ahead about the hot spring rather than risk it, since the counter-managed access fills up with other guests some evenings. The colorful, bear-themed decor is a genuine departure from the corporate hotel look found in bigger New Taipei districts, and it suits the small-scale, homestay feel of the whole stay. It is a simpler hot spring than Xindian's in-room taps, but the Old Street location more than makes up for it.