When I think of hotel "star" rating, I think of it reflecting the relative cost-to-quality metric you expect. Five star hotels being the sort where the hotel itself is a destination of itself and worth the supreme cost, four-star is added luxuries that aren't necessary (like spa and pool amenities, etc) but can be nice for the added cost. Three star is the baseline sort of Quality Inn or Comfort Inn style; clean, secure, private, only a few frills.
In that regard, Taigh Ice fits to me as a two-star experience, which is also exactly what I wanted. More akin to a hostel or motel, where the price is cheaper than other choices locally, but with less luxuries. And so I'm content in my stay.
Pros:
- Big, private room
- Full shared kitchen for use (bring your own utensils to cook with, though)
- Great location
- Very well air conditioned in the heat
- Other guests were quiet. I slept well!
- Friendly staff
Cons:
- Bathroom was untidy / borderline gross. Big cobwebs, hair wad in shower drain, etc.
- No hand towel in bathroom. Floor was often wet.
Notes:
- You will be asked to throw out toilet paper in a garbage can instead of flushing it; this is very common in parts of Asia, but not in North America. I was familiar with the practice, but my guest found it very gross.
- I had some uncertainty of where to park, and so asked the staff. It never turned into a problem for us, but they were somewhat slow to respond, so I can imagine might be stressful if there was an emergency.
