Taipei
 

where would mid priced hotels be if I only want to visit Taipei and go to the Shilin night market?

Try the booking portals (booking.com, asiarooms.com, asiahotels.com, expedia, hotelscombined and so on). Lots of hotels in Taipei.

I don't recall any hotels in the Shilin area. The closest one is probably the Grand Hotel, which costs about US$150 a night and goes up from there. However, there are plenty of options in the rest of the city and Shilin is a quick hop on the MRT.

thank you tripplanner that's what info I needed.are you familiar with the Zhongshan area...? is it near the Shilin district?

thank you amin

The Zhongshan area is accessible through Taipei's metro system and it is about a 15 minute ride to Shilin. If you're staying near the Martyr's Shrine, it really isn't close to a metro stop, and Shilin would be about a 10-15 minute cab ride away.

Ok got it...I'm researching hotels in Zhongshan, have you heard of the Royal Inn Hotel, or the Gloria Prince hotel both 4 stars...near the Zhongshan MTR station..?

Unfortunately I've not heard of either. Hopefully others will chime in.

Is the area around the Zhongshan MTR Ok..?

d

If you mean is it safe, the answer is yes. It's more quiet than some of the other areas though.

are there restaurants and bars within walking....secure is good..that way no pressure to look over the shoulder all the time.

Restaurants yes; bars, I don't seem to recall any.