Fairfield Taichung Review 2026: 5 Nights Free on Marriott Points & Best Location

🛫 Planning a similar trip? 🏨 Book hotels with Agoda | 📱 Stay connected with Airalo (10% off) | 🎟️ Book tours & activities on Klook

From Taipei we made our way south to Taichung — Taiwan’s second largest city and, as it turned out, one of our favourite stops of the entire trip. We stayed five nights at the Fairfield Taichung, redeemed entirely on Marriott Bonvoy points, and walked away genuinely impressed — not just by the hotel’s value and location, but by a small act of hospitality that said a lot about the staff here.

The Booking: 68,000 Marriott Points for 5 Completely Free Nights

The Fairfield by Marriott is Marriott’s clean, modern, value-focused brand — sitting below full Marriott and Marriott Hotels in the portfolio hierarchy but delivering consistent quality at a lower points cost. For longer stays where you want to stretch your points further, Fairfield properties are some of the best redemptions in the Marriott ecosystem.

We used 68,000 Marriott Bonvoy points for all five nights — an average of 13,600 points per night. At the Fairfield Taichung’s cash rates, this represents excellent value per point. Five nights of comfortable, well-located accommodation in central Taichung for zero cash outlay is exactly the kind of redemption that makes accumulating Marriott points worthwhile.

No certificates, no cash top-up, no upgrade awards needed — just straightforward points redemption delivering five completely free nights in a city we loved.

The Unexpected Generosity: Complimentary Breakfast

Here’s the moment that set the tone for our entire stay.

As Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members, we’re accustomed to complimentary breakfast at full-service Marriott properties — it’s a standard Platinum benefit. However, Fairfield by Marriott is a select-service brand, and complimentary breakfast for Platinum Elite members is subject to regional policy variations. In Taiwan, the Fairfield is not required to provide complimentary breakfast to Platinum members.

The Fairfield Taichung gave us a complimentary breakfast anyway — for one day of our stay — entirely off their own initiative.

It wasn’t required. It wasn’t something we asked for or expected. The hotel simply chose to extend the gesture as a welcome to Platinum Elite members, going beyond what the policy demanded because the staff wanted to. That kind of hospitality — genuinely discretionary, motivated by wanting guests to feel valued rather than by obligation — is increasingly rare and deeply appreciated.

It’s a small thing in dollar terms. In terms of what it says about the culture of the property, it’s significant. The staff here are the kind of people who make travel feel warm.

The Room: Clean, Modern and Genuinely Comfortable

Fairfield rooms are designed around the essentials done well — and the Taichung property delivers exactly that. Clean, modern, well-maintained rooms with comfortable beds, good lighting, functional layouts, and everything working as it should.

After some of the more characterful and occasionally inconsistent properties earlier in our trip, there was something genuinely relaxing about a hotel room where everything was simply in good order. The beds were comfortable enough that we slept well every night — which, on a long trip where sleep quality varies enormously between properties, matters more than any design flourish.

Nothing about the rooms was extraordinary. Everything about them was right. For a five-night stay that cost zero cash, that’s all you need.

Dinner at the Hotel Restaurant: A Genuine Surprise

We don’t usually eat dinner at select-service hotel restaurants — they tend toward the functional and forgettable. On one evening at the Fairfield Taichung we made an exception, and we’re glad we did.

We ordered the beef noodle soup and a pasta dish, and both were genuinely good — the beef noodle soup in particular, a Taiwanese culinary institution, was well executed and deeply satisfying. The restaurant clearly cared about the food rather than simply providing a convenient option for guests who didn’t want to go out.

The billing arrangement made the dinner even more satisfying from a points strategy perspective. We billed the meal to our room and settled it using a Marriott gift card — meaning the entire dinner cost us zero additional cash on top of our already-free hotel stay. Between points for the room and a gift card for dinner, our five nights in Taichung including one evening meal were completely cash-free.

Points tip: Marriott gift cards can be purchased through various retail channels and sometimes at a discount through gift card resale platforms. Using gift cards for incidental charges at Marriott properties — dining, spa, minibar — is a straightforward way to further reduce your out-of-pocket costs during a points stay.

The Location: Night Markets on Your Doorstep

The Fairfield Taichung’s location is one of its strongest assets — positioned with easy access to some of Taichung’s best night markets and local eating streets.

Fengjia Night Market

Fengjia is one of Taiwan’s most famous night markets and it’s easily accessible from the hotel. The scale of it is genuinely impressive — a sprawling maze of stalls selling everything from innovative street food creations to clothing, accessories, and games, drawing enormous crowds every evening.

The food at Fengjia is the main event. Taichung has a reputation for food creativity and Fengjia reflects that — you’ll find both classic Taiwanese street food staples and inventive modern variations that don’t exist anywhere else. Go hungry, go with an open mind, and plan to walk slowly and eat often.

Zhonghua Road Night Market

A more local, less tourist-facing alternative to Fengjia, Zhonghua Road Night Market is where Taichung residents actually eat in the evenings. Less Instagram-optimised, more authentically Taiwanese, and marginally less chaotic than Fengjia — making it a great complement to the larger market rather than a substitute.

The food here skewed toward traditional Taiwanese comfort eating — the kind of unpretentious, inexpensive, deeply satisfying dishes that remind you why Taiwanese street food has such a devoted following worldwide.

Local Breakfast Spots

Taichung’s neighbourhood breakfast culture is exceptional, and the streets around the Fairfield are lined with local breakfast shops serving Taiwanese morning staples — dan bing (egg crepes), shao bing (sesame flatbreads), warm soy milk, and congee. We made a point of eating local breakfast every morning rather than staying in the hotel, and it was consistently one of the day’s highlights for about $2–3 CAD per person.

Independent Restaurants

The broader neighbourhood around the hotel is dense with independent Taiwanese restaurants covering every cuisine and price point. We ate out almost every evening and never had to travel far or spend much. Taichung’s food scene is genuinely excellent — less internationally famous than Taipei’s but arguably more interesting for the everyday eating that makes up most of a longer stay.

Taichung: More Vibrant Than You’d Expect

We’ll be honest — Taichung wasn’t a destination we’d researched deeply before arriving. It was a logical next stop after Taipei on our Taiwan itinerary, and we had modest expectations.

Taichung surprised us completely. It’s a genuinely vibrant, creative, food-obsessed city with a younger energy than Taipei — a strong café culture, excellent street art, interesting independent shops, and a pace of life that feels more relaxed than the capital without feeling sleepy. The weather in central Taiwan is slightly warmer than Taipei, the crowds are thinner, and the sense of discovery is higher because far fewer international tourists have written the definitive guide to everything yet.

For travellers who’ve spent time in Taipei and want to see more of Taiwan, Taichung is the obvious next move. Five nights felt like exactly the right amount of time — enough to settle in, find our rhythm, and actually feel like we’d been somewhere rather than just passed through.

Marriott Points Redemption at Fairfield Taichung: Our Verdict

At 68,000 points for five nights, the Fairfield Taichung is an excellent Marriott points redemption for several reasons:

The points cost is modest — Fairfield properties sit at lower tiers in the Marriott portfolio, meaning your points go significantly further than at a full Marriott or Autograph Collection property. Five nights for 68,000 points is a strong return.

The location delivers outsized value. Being within easy reach of Fengjia Night Market, Zhonghua Road, and Taichung’s local restaurant scene means you’re not just paying for a room — you’re paying for access to one of Taiwan’s best food cities from a perfectly positioned base.

The staff culture, evidenced by the unsolicited complimentary breakfast gesture, suggests a property that genuinely cares about the guest experience rather than simply processing check-ins.

For Marriott Bonvoy members with points to deploy in Taiwan, the Fairfield Taichung is one of the best value redemptions on the island.

Practical Information

Address: Taichung City, Taiwan — close to Fengjia Night Market area

Getting there: Taiwan High Speed Rail to Taichung HSR Station, then taxi or bus to the hotel. From Taipei the HSR journey takes approximately 50 minutes — one of the most efficient inter-city connections in Asia. Book HSR tickets in advance through Klook.

Getting around: Taichung is less MRT-connected than Taipei — Grab is the most practical option for getting around the city. The hotel’s immediate neighbourhood is very walkable for food and markets.

Booking: Check cash rates on Agoda. For points redemptions, book through the Marriott Bonvoy portal — Fairfield properties offer strong points value for longer stays.

Connectivity: Taiwan e-SIM available through Airalo — use our link for 10% off. Coverage across Taiwan is excellent.

Best time to visit: Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November). Taichung’s central location gives it slightly warmer and drier weather than Taipei year-round.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Fairfield Taichung good value for Marriott points? Yes — one of the better points redemptions in Taiwan. Fairfield properties sit at lower tiers in the Marriott portfolio, delivering more nights per point than flagship properties. Five nights for 68,000 points with a great location near Fengjia Night Market is excellent value.

Does Marriott Platinum Elite include free breakfast at Fairfield Taiwan? Complimentary breakfast for Platinum Elite members at Fairfield properties is subject to regional policy and is not guaranteed in Taiwan. The Fairfield Taichung provided one complimentary breakfast as a discretionary gesture — this was above and beyond their obligations and not something to count on when booking.

Is Taichung worth visiting from Taipei? Absolutely — and more than most international itineraries give it credit for. The food scene, night markets, café culture, and more relaxed pace make it a genuinely rewarding contrast to Taipei. The HSR connection makes it easy to include as a multi-night stop rather than a day trip.

How far is the Fairfield Taichung from Fengjia Night Market? Very close — the hotel’s location near the Fengjia area is one of its primary selling points. The market is easily walkable from the property.

Can you use Marriott gift cards for hotel restaurant charges? Yes — Marriott gift cards can be applied to incidental charges including dining at hotel restaurants. Billing restaurant charges to your room and settling with a gift card is a straightforward way to reduce out-of-pocket costs during a points stay.

Final Thoughts

The Fairfield Taichung delivered everything we needed from a five-night base in one of Taiwan’s most underrated cities — clean comfortable rooms, a great location, genuinely warm staff, and a hotel restaurant that surprised us with its quality. The complimentary breakfast gesture, small as it was, captured something important about the property: the people here actually care.

Five nights for 68,000 Marriott points with zero cash spent — including dinner covered by a gift card — represents exactly the kind of travel that our points strategy is built for. Not a luxury splurge, but a smart, comfortable, well-located stay that cost us nothing and gave us plenty.

Taichung itself is a city worth discovering. Give it more time than a day trip from Taipei. You’ll be glad you did.

Check availability on Agoda for current rates, or book through the Marriott Bonvoy portal for points redemptions.

This was part of our 100-day Asia adventure. For more on our Taiwan travels and how we use Marriott points to travel for free, check out our how we saved $20,000 on our Asia trip guide.