I’m moving to Taipei in January with my family and trying to find out how possible it is to find a place to live with a pool?
My partner previously lived in Singapore where a shared apartment pool was a common amenity but from looking at a few local accommodation sites it doesn’t seem to be the same case in Taiwan?
So wondering if they do exist and I just need to search harder or should I give up, manage my expectations and find somewhere to live close to a public pool?
In case it’s important our accommodation allowance is quite generous (180k TWD /month) and we’re thinking mainly about Shilin or further north to be close to international schools and yangmingshan/green areas (but we’re not opposed to widening our search)
Relatively common in larger community style places, at 180K a month you can definitely rent one be aware that outdoor pools are generally only open for a few months in the summer and even indoor may not be open all year round.
Take a look on 591 or other rental sites to get an idea before you arrive, high end rentals can be sparse on websites but a good agent should be able to find what you need. https://rent.591.com.tw/?kind=1&showMore=1&rentprice=120000,180000®ion=1§ion=8&searchtype=1 Join some of the local Facebook groups for those areas and the schools you are looking for and someone may be able to help.
They’re around, but not that common. A couple of caveats: they’re quite possibly closed at least six months of the year, even if they’re inside (oh, @SuperS54 just said that); and I’ve seen a number of complexes where the pool gets shut down after a few years (lack of funds for upkeep? not sure) - so it becomes an ugly eyesore.
Haha, common trend it seems my mither in law lives in a highrise and the pool is empty most of the year.
That said, for 180k/month you should expect a pool, on sight massuese, large square footage and so on. I think the real issue here is most Taiwanese condo/apratment contractors havent figured out how to heat pools yet, unlike resorts. So dont ever expect a heated pool unless you specifically asked and they specifically answered.
Set the filter on 591 to a high floor (10+) and look for newer buildings - these places are much more likely to have one. That’s how I found my place (which is itself quite small, but with your budget you can definitely get a pool and larger apartment).
Well, tell that to the building management here - they heat the pool to 28-30°C these days (making it almost too warm for swimming) because it’s “winter”
Thats great, for you. Its not the norm from what many say unforunately. Many places straight empty the pool in winter. So the take home point, especially if renting from abroad, confirm everything in writing first. Or,
Frankly, if a person has 180k/ month to spare for just rent it would be wise to just stay in a hotel for 2 months on arrival and find a place in person that is ACTUALLY what you are expecting
Very nice hotel is easy 4000+/night. So 120k/month. Plus monthly they have price breaks.
I would opt that route over online rolls of dices anyday. If rush is the word without wanting any responsibility, everything in writing as i stated above. Thats pretty solid practice in any country.
I mean shoot, why not just stay in a hotel forever with that budget?
You could get a nice pool that doesn’t shut down, probably a gym, maid service for cleaning and trash, no worrying about other bills, plus tons of other benefits.
Can only speak for “mine”, but they closed in for some weeks during the first COVID spike (don’t remember when that was), but then later reopened with mandatory real name registration.
Then again, they closed it in May when the COVID cases increased a lot, but reopened in August (?). The showers are still closed - but I can just put on a bathrobe and take the elevator to my apartment to shower, so not that much of an issue. Also, they have adjusted opening hours a bit since.
Even the community KTV has reopened some weeks (?) ago, but I think people still need to wear masks while singing.
First place I ever rented near Tamsui in the early 2000s had one.
Was putrid. Facilities stank worse than a diseased choda and were dependent on the security guards to chlorinate or ignore as they seemed to do.
Best solution was living in Tienmu a block away from a gym with an outside pool and hot tub. Swam there three times a week until I married wife and moved into her digs on opposite side of town.
There are a lot of public swimming pools that are used and maintained. The Taipei city sports centers are pretty clean and have lifeguards that seem to be more attentive than other places (read: napping or glued to the phones). As mentioned above, a lot of apartment buildings close the pools after a few years because they don’t want to maintain them (while still charging more than most people pay for rent in “maintenance fees”).
For your budget, you could buy a unit in the new high-rise apartment overlooking Rongxing Garden 榮星花園, which has a swimming pool that seems to be well-enough maintained (the park, not the apartment building. The apartment building has never had any lights on anytime I’ve ever walked past it since it was built two years ago, so I’m sure it’s not well-maintained, as is the case with the majority of “luxury” buildings here)
The first room I rented had a shared outdoor swimming pool that was open all year round, even in the winter when nobody used it. Such places do exist, but this was way out near Banqiao.
I was t hinking the same. But then realized people may care about neighbours, face, buisness dealings, environment for famileis etc. A hotel will be may more expensive than an apartment of similar grandeur, so you can have a far better place with annual contracts (apartments) compared to daily/weekly/monthly contracts. I would guess the type of place you can rent for 180k/month would easily be 40 to 50k per night in taiwan, easily. If a person is in business, living in a hotel is just a flat no as far as trying to give the impression of stability and class and all that bullshit. Just the reality. But i would personally strongly suggest it over commiting to a 1 year contract from overseas, sight unseen. I think all of us in taiwan can agree on how that situation can go pear shaped right quick!
Firstly, thank you for all of the advice. Will try those searches as suggested and think that’s a great idea to find a temporary place for a month or two when we first arrive so we can visit in person before we commit.
We definitely do want to find a home rather than a hotel to live in as we’re intending on staying for a couple years at least. All of your responses have given me hope that we can find a pool, sounds like we just need to do some proper checking up front
