New Taipei→Highness Hotel

It is not recommended to take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from central New Taipei to Highness Hotel. HSR is expensive, slow, and involves transfer hassles. Although there can be up to 61 trains from Banqiao to Taoyuan a day, running from the first at 06:34 to the last at 23:08, once service ends for the night until early morning, alternative transportation is still required. Assuming you depart from Banqiao District, New Taipei City, you may walk or take a bus—if available—to Banqiao HSR station. Including walking to the platform, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train, it takes at least 20 minutes. Then, take a 11-13-minute (13 min on average) HSR ride from Banqiao Station to Taoyuan HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$130 per person, followed by a 5-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 42 minutes with a fare of NT$700, you will arrive at your destination at Highness Hotel (Guishan District, Taoyuan City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Assuming one person traveling alone, the total transportation cost is NT$830. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, it will only cost NT$820, and the journey takes 40 minutes. Choosing the HSR over a private charter will not only cost at least an extra NT$10 in fares but also waste an additional 40 minutes on transfers and waiting. Book with Tripool now!

If you have a Taiwanese driver's license, are confident in your driving skills, and you need absolute flexibility in your schedule, and most importantly, if you plan to make a same-day round trip, then iRent, which allows you to pick up and drop off a car on the street in the New Taipei City area, is likely your cheapest option. After registering on the iRent app, you can rent a small car for NT$115-205 per hour with an additional charge of NT$3.2 per kilometer. The estimated cost from New Taipei (Banqiao District) to Highness Hotel is between NT$550 and NT$1000 (the price difference depends on weekday/weekend rates, car model, and how soon you make the return trip after reaching your destination). Although the estimate already includes potential eTag tolls and a roadside parking fee of NT$40 per hour, you are responsible for any additional car insurance and potential traffic fines. Furthermore, iRent by Hotai only offers basic models like the Toyota Yaris, Prius C, and Vios—functional, yes, but far from the comfort you'd expect for anything beyond a grocery run. If your group has more than four people, larger 7-seater or 9-seater vehicles are not available. Moreover, the most common complaint about self-service car-sharing services is the vehicle's condition; you might open the door to find trash left by the previous user or unrepaired dents. Every rental feels like opening a blind box—sometimes fine, sometimes frustrating. Additionally, you might occasionally face issues like the previous user not returning the car on time for your reservation, or being unable to find a parking spot when you need to return it. This poses a significant risk for those in a hurry or traveling with other passengers. Finally, while picking up and dropping off the car on the street seems convenient, it is restricted to specific operational zones. The available parking spots may still be some distance away from your actual departure or arrival point, making it very inconvenient in rainy weather or when carrying luggage.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the New Taipei City area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, Line Go, Yoxi, etc., and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets, such as 慶安車隊, 亞太衛星車隊, 皇冠大車隊 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$440 and 500. Although a metered taxi from central New Taipei to central Highness Hotel might be cheaper, you still face the risk of not being able to find a cab—or ending up with a driver who refuses to use the meter. If your group has more than four people, splitting into two taxis is inconvenient. In this case, Tripool, which offers pre-booking and reliable quality, might be a more suitable option for you. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from New Taipei to Highness Hotel in terms of both price and service quality.

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including Highness Hotel and New Taipei. Tourists are welcome to choose from point-to-point transportation service to 2~12 hours private trip service. The price is 100% transparent without any hidden fee. What you see on the website/app is the actual price. There is no need to email us or even make a phone call to verify. The full-day service price may not be lower than other providers. But if you only need a few hours or just a one-way transfer service, we can guarantee that our price is the most competitive in the market and tripool is the best choice. We offer 5-seater sedans, SUVs, and 9-seater vans. If your group is more than 9, we can arrange a bigger bus for you.

Among these options, Uber is the only one with broad and reliable coverage in Taiwan, available in major cities such as Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Grab does not operate in Taiwan. Didi previously entered the market but has since exited. Bolt has just launched in Taiwan and is currently limited to Taipei. Lyft is not available in Taiwan. If you are choosing among these five, Uber is by far the most practical and widely used option in Taiwan. However, for longer intercity transfers, airport rides, or day trips, tripool is often a better choice—offering transparent pricing, professional drivers, and coverage across Taiwan.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

Fewer travelers book hotels through traditional travel agents, and most go through OTAs (online travel agents). It is easy to filter areas, prices, types of rooms, special needs on OTAs' websites. Still, customers can also get a 20~40% discount compared to hotels' official websites. The most popular OTAs in Taiwan are Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com. In general, travelers can make reservations on websites or apps. Once finishing the online payment, everything is set, and there is not necessary to double-check the reservation by phone. However, some hotels may oversell their rooms on multiple platforms. To avoid being rejected by hotels once you arrive, choose high-rated hotels with more reviews online or make a phone call to hotels to confirm again. For B&Bs (also called minsus), locals prefer to book rooms through B&Bs' websites or contact the hosts directly. Sometimes, the price is better than OTAs. The downside is that their websites don't accept foreign credit cards or guests have to do wire transfers. If you want to save all these troubles and find decent B&Bs, Airbnb and AsiaYo (a local brand) are the best alternatives.