It's only timing that gives this post primacy: I hope others will contribute better information. I like Lai Lai, which is on Chunghsiao East Rd., which I enjoy, not too far from the train station: there's good shopping north of there on some of the major NS arteries (the name Chang An comes to mind), but I'm not sure about fabrics per se. I think the other hotels you think of are way east of the downtown, although it's a busy enough area.
By far the cheapest way to get to and from the airport is the scheduled shuttle bus service - I am not superclear on the details today but will try to dredge up my old trip report (not originally posted here) that describes my experiences with it.