First a thankyou to all those on the Taiwan forum. Answers and threads are already well organised making planning easy and meaning not many questions needed to be asked pre-trip from me.
Second, if you can DO visit Taiwan. However, try to avoid the Chinese New Year holiday! Unfortunately this was the only time we could go.
The thing that I really liked about Taiwan was the friendly and helpful people. It started at our arrival at Taipei Main Station with a very helpful young man patiently showing us how to use the HSR ticket machines, and then 10 minutes later a lady at the Taiwan railways selling us tickets and explaining how to get to Jiufen - all in English. These examples of people going out of their way to help us were repeated throughout our stay in Taiwan.
We started in Jiufen - but the weather was bad- cold and wet although we did get some dry spells. We stayed in Jinguashi at Sea Point B%26amp;B (http://davidjane35.netfirms.com). David the owner picked us up from the 7-11 in Jiufen. The B%26amp;B is nice - although you really need your own transport if you stay there. There is a local restaurant 5 minutes walk away, but not much else.
I preferred Jinguashi to Jiufen - you can walk around the Gold Ecological Park and to the headlands overlooking the sea. Jiufen was very crowded - but it was CNY. We also went on the Ruifang to Jingiong branch line railway, but the weather turned cold and very wet; if it had been dry would be a nice way to spend half a day or more.
From Jiufen we went to Hualien where we stayed at C鈥檈st Jeune Hotel. Nice hotel with very friendly and helpful reception staff. Free coffee machine in lobby and free bicycles as well. We went to Taroko - first by local bus to Taroko train station, then joined a long queue for the free buses to Taroko Gorge which were available every day over the holiday. I had been to Taroko before and it was as beautiful and stunning as I remember. I think worth spending a night or two there if you like hiking. Weather was good but crowds big! Also, a special mention to Heartstay B%26amp;B (http://www.heartstay.com.tw
). I didn%26#39;t stay there because they were full on our dates, but the email correspondence we had was very friendly.
We then went to TaiChung by train via Taipei. The original plan was to leave our luggage in a locker at Taipei station and then explore Taipei for half a day. However, there were no free lockers available - again probably in part due to CNY. Therefore we restricted ourselves to visiting Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall on a sunny warm day.
In TaiChung we stayed at the Tango Hotel. Very modern and stylish hotel, although the reception staff were not so helpful when asked about how to get to Sun Moon Lake. We got to the lake the next day - direct buses from near the train station, but heavy traffic meant a long journey. We did have a pleasant few hours walking around part of the lake though, and saw enough to want to return on another day in a future holiday.
Next we caught the HSR to Chiayi and then the mountain train to Fenqihu. We stayed at the Small Swiss Hotel in Shihjihuo - the owner Charlies sums up the helpfulness and friendliness of the Taiwanese people we met. As with Seapoint B%26amp;B though, if you have your own transport it is much easier to stay in a homestay. Next day we caught a bus to Alishan, left our bags at the tourist centre, and then spent a very pleasant 3 hours walking some of the trails before catching the train back down to Chiayi. Unless you really like trains, or hate bus travel, I%26#39;d probably just do the Alishan mountain train once. Going up and down is a little bit much!
Then we went back to Taipei where we stayed at the Delight Hotel for a night. More friendly reception staff; a modern comfortable room; near to the MRT station and airport bus; and at a reasonable price.
Overall a very nice trip. I found Taiwan to be a very civilised and relaxing place - even with the CNY crowds! I%26#39;ll certainly be recommending Taiwan as a place to visit to all my friends.
For those who like planning ahead, I think it might be best to book directly with hotels / B%26amp;Bs. There is one Taiwan booking site (www.eztaiwan) but not particularly easy to use. High Speed Trains are easy to book online, and it is also possible to book the normal trains and mountain ones online.
CNY Trip ReportHi,
Glad you had a nice trip. Ya, The people are really something special.
Thanks for the Info of the Minsus and other accomodations in you post. It will surely be helpful as alternatives. The more variety - tested and recommended - the better for visitors to Taiwan.
CNY Trip ReportWelcome to the Taiwan forums, Drumbrake. :-)
Glad to hear of the great time U enjoyed in Taiwan during the CNY festive season.
Indeed, one of the most distinctive features of Taiwan as a tourist destination will hv to be her cheerful, amiable locals.
Thks for sharing!
TA :-)
TaipeiDreams.com
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