Starting on the day after my wedding I have rented a bus with a driver to take my family around Taiwan.
Day one: Jade market in Taipei is step one, step two is Jiufen and lunch in the old mining town. After which we will drive down to Hualien, to enjoy stone oven baked pizza at Lucky’s Place and night market for the ones that hasn’t passed out in the hotel already.
Day two: Taroko Gorge, lunch there (still undecided about restaurant for this) and then make our own jade jewelry in Hualien, after which we drive down to Taidong. Hot spring and relaxing.
Day three: Drive to Kending, check into hotel. Relaxing, playing on the beach, go kart, getting pushed down a hill inside a big rubber ball, night market.
Day four: same as day three.
Day five: drive back to Taipei, stop somewhere for lunch (undecided maybe Taizhong).
So my question is what have I forgotten?
Can you think of anything else I should bring them to do?
[quote=“Lappy”]Starting on the day after my wedding I have rented a bus with a driver to take my family around Taiwan.
Day one: Jade market in Taipei is step one, step two is Jiufen and lunch in the old mining town. After which we will drive down to Hualian, to enjoy stone oven baked pizza at Lucky’s Place and night market for the ones that hasn’t passed out in the hotel already.
Day two: Taroko Gorge, lunch there (still undecided about restaurant for this) and then make our own jade jewelry in Hualian, after which we drive down to Taidong. Hot spring and relaxing.
Day three: Drive to Kending, check into hotel. Relaxing, playing on the beach, go kart, getting pushed down a hill inside a big rubber ball, night market.
Day four: same as day three.
Day five: drive back to Taipei, stop somewhere for lunch (undecided maybe Taizhong).
So my question is what have I forgotten?
Can you think of anything else I should bring them to do?[/quote]
Food in Taroko is an issue. If you are in Tianxiang, the Regent has overpriced OK food. Buffet etc.
I think your best bet is the Yokozuno Chinese Restaurant on Highway 9. 50 meters south of the Taroko Bridge
花蓮縣新城鄉新興路67號(大魯閣大橋50M) 電話:03-8610970
Reasonably priced good food in a pleasant atmosphere. Nice people. This is a tour bus stop place so I wouldn’t come here at the dot of noon.
Otherwise, the restaurant at the Visitor’s Center has cheap meals and decent outdoor seating.
For a family group like yours, don’t overlook the Shakadang Trail just inside the first tunnel after the visitor’s center. Easy walking, beautiful side canyon, and access to some beautiful swimming holes about 2km in. Tehcnically you aren’t supposed to swim here. If they catch you, smile, come up to the trail, wait for them to leave, and return to the water. You don’t really have time to do anything else. You will already be doing too much driving.
i see a problem with day 2/day 3…that’s pretty tight driving from hualien/taidong/kending…i don’t think you will have time for any activities, you will be in the bus most of the day…i have driven around the island three times in my car, and that stretch is pretty slow going…if you are tight on time, i would do this way.
Day 1-taipei
Day 2-hualien
Day 3/4 Kending(travelling on a bus from hualien to kending is going to take a good chunk of your day)
Day 5-come back
[quote=“baberenglish”]i see a problem with day 2/day 3…that’s pretty tight driving from Hualian/Taidong/kending…I don’t think you will have time for any activities, you will be in the bus most of the day…I have driven around the island three times in my car, and that stretch is pretty slow going…if you are tight on time, I would do this way.
Day 1-taipei
Day 2-hualien
Day 3/4 Kending(travelling on a bus from Hualian to kending is going to take a good chunk of your day)
Day 5-come back[/quote]
Yeah, I agree. Except I would skip Kending. Stay in Donghe north of Taidong instead.
Take them to at least one great temple. Longshan in Taipei would be the easiest choice or stop in Sanxia on the way home to see the Tzushi Temple. Always a hit and if you drop by in the evening it will be just as lively (the nearby Qing-era street is nice and especially impressive to people who have never seen that kind of thing.
Taroko has fantastic food at the Leader Village Taroko in Bulowan Village. 7-course meals of Bunun fare including bbq pork or chicken, mountain veggies, and all manner of stuff that I’ve never known anyone not to love. Lovely setting too up on a high terrace. Set meals: NT400-700. Don’t miss it. You want your family to try stuff they can’t get anywhere else.
In Taitung try Mabanai (470 Chuan Guang Rd) for high end Ami food. The mountain-pig-bacon-wrapped baby corn skewers are as good as they sound.
I’d skip the second day at Kenting (or have they never been to a beach before) and spend another day on the east coast.
Alternately spend day 4 and 5 in Kenting as day five seems otherwise like a waste if you leave Kenting early enough for lunch in Taichung. Why not spend the day in Kenting and head back to Taipei after dark? There’s not much to see from the highway unless the day is exceptionally clear (which is rare). If it’s a typical grey day it will be a very dull 5 hours.
If you do come back during the day I would stop at Sun Moon Lake for lunch and take the family to the Lago Hotel lobby for tea sampling. You can spend an hour sampling fine teas overlooking the lake from the second story lobby (full glass windows). It’s a fun experience for newbies but only worthwhile if the day is clear enough to see the lake properly.
Thanks everyone for your great advice.
Sun moon lake is not on the schedule because I grew up in a house that the yard went all the way down to the lake (lots of them in Sweden) so I don’t think that they will have interest what so ever in a big lake. The same reason I put two days in Kenting, the tropical climate with nice warm ocean water is something the half of my family, that has never been outside of Sweden before, have never experienced. So in other words, some of them have never been to the beach before. When it comes to the number of days and the places to sleep, they are already set. The bus is rented for five days and the 4-5 star hotels are all booked and deposits are paid, so I can’t change those parts.
Sandman: After downing a 13 course meal the night before I think they deserve a pizza break Also the pizza place was recommended from here last time I went to Hualien and it was one of the best I have had since I came to Taiwan.
Mucha Man: Longshan is on the schedule, it is a part of the Taipei section of the trip that is not included in the five day tour. You mentioned a restaurant in “the Leader Village Taroko in Bulowan Village” is that the name of the restaurant? It sounds perfect. Also Mabanai sounds good.
On that note, I think we will skip the lunch in Taizhong, don’t want to leave Kenting to early, also we’ll go slowly back to Taipei and hit Taipei sometime long after dark.
Again thanks all for your input, if you think of anything else feel free to let me know, still time to change the things to do during the days (just not the places).
Very stringent schedule. You may just want to leave a day free, no plans. You don’t have to squeeze the whole island into 5 days, they may enjoy seeing fewer places and having more time. Some great places on there though, I’m sure they’ll love it!
[quote=“Lappy”]Muzha Man: You mentioned a restaurant in “the Leader Village Taroko in Bulowan Village” is that the name of the restaurant? It sounds perfect. Also Mabanai sounds good.
[/quote]
The restaurant is part of a complex. The Leader is up a side road a few km past the entrance to Taroko (before the Tunnel of Nine Turn). Your driver should know it. The complex is essentially a restaurant and a small number of rustic cabins on a high mountain terrace. It’s a fantastic place to stay or just eat. The restaurant is obvious as it’s the first structure you see from the parking lot.
Mabanai is good. And I like the owner. He comped me a NT700 meal because I was traveling alone and he felt that was a shame.
[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Lappy”]Muzha Man: You mentioned a restaurant in “the Leader Village Taroko in Bulowan Village” is that the name of the restaurant? It sounds perfect. Also Mabanai sounds good.
[/quote]
The restaurant is part of a complex. The Leader is up a side road a few km past the entrance to Taroko (before the Tunnel of Nine Turn). Your driver should know it. The complex is essentially a restaurant and a small number of rustic cabins on a high mountain terrace. It’s a fantastic place to stay or just eat. The restaurant is obvious as it’s the first structure you see from the parking lot.
Mabanai is good. And I like the owner. He comped me a NT700 meal because I was traveling alone and he felt that was a shame.
Btw, where are you hot springing in Taidong?[/quote]
Not sure, the missus is in charged of that bit, if you have any suggestions I will forward them to her, quality is more important then price.
Thanks again
Not quite as convenient maybe, but my personal favorite is Guandu temple (MRT to Guandu and a bit of a walk from there). It even has tunnels and balconies, how cool is that?
Also I’d second the suggestion to take the HSR back to Taipei - adds a bit of cost, but the HSR itself is fun and you gain a lot of time for either Taipei or Kending.
In Kending it might be interesting to rent scooters and have a look at the gas fires.
Not quite as convenient maybe, but my personal favorite is Guandu temple (MRT to Guandu and a bit of a walk from there). It even has tunnels and balconies, how cool is that?
Also I’d second the suggestion to take the HSR back to Taipei - adds a bit of cost, but the HSR itself is fun and you gain a lot of time for either Taipei or Kending.
In Kending it might be interesting to rent scooters and have a look at the gas fires.
Edit: Wanted to ask where you do that:
Would you have a link for that?[/quote]
Yeah, the website is taiwanjade.com.tw
it is next to highway 9, 花蓮縣壽豐鄉豐山村忠孝街91號
We found it because we drove past a sign on the road.
Not to expensive, about $800 NT (cheaper with bad quality stones).
Have fun
Edit* Do you have to rent scooters to go see the fires? Can you drive a bus there? Car? I don’t like scooters
I agree. I know you have probably already firmed up your plans, but if I were planning this, I would take the train down to Taroko and back. It’s just 2 hours. Then I’d take the HSR down and back to Kaohsiung. Rent your bus in K-town. Better yet, just hope four person taxis down to Kending and rent a nine-seat van for the day if you want to really see Kenting. Check out Michael Turton’s itinerary on his bike trip the other day and follow it.
While in Taroko, at least some of you should sneak into the Wenshan hot spring if you are there on a week day. The gate is usually open.
Again this is just for future reference and I’m sure you’ll all have a great time.
[quote=“Lappy”]
Edit* Do you have to rent scooters to go see the fires? Can you drive a bus there? Car? I don’t like scooters [/quote]
Thanks for the info about the Jade.
Oops, I forgot that you are going there with a van. Yes of course you can go there with a car or bus as well. There is even a dedicated parking lot, if I recall correctly. It’s fun going there at night, but in this case be careful where you step because the area around the fires is quite muddy. There is a footpath, so it’s easy to avoid the mud during daylight, but first time we went there I spent quite a bit of time retrieving my wife’s sandals.
There are usually some (illegal) vendors there which sell sweet corn or popcorn so you can use it on the fire. Don’t know how I feel about it - I didn’t purchase anything from them, but I suppose if you don’t leave any trash it should be alright.
[quote=“StefanMuc”][quote=“Lappy”]
Edit* Do you have to rent scooters to go see the fires? Can you drive a bus there? Car? I don’t like scooters [/quote]
Thanks for the info about the Jade.
Oops, I forgot that you are going there with a van. Yes of course you can go there with a car or bus as well. There is even a dedicated parking lot, if I recall correctly. It’s fun going there at night, but in this case be careful where you step because the area around the fires is quite muddy. There is a footpath, so it’s easy to avoid the mud during daylight, but first time we went there I spent quite a bit of time retrieving my wife’s sandals.
There are usually some (illegal) vendors there which sell sweet corn or popcorn so you can use it on the fire. Don’t know how I feel about it - I didn’t purchase anything from them, but I suppose if you don’t leave any trash it should be alright. [/quote]
Thanks that is good to know, we have a small bus (20 seats) so if that one can get there that would be perfect.
On a different note, one of my friends that is coming over to the Island has a diving certificate and he was wondering about green island, how is the rental equiptment out there?
Thank you to everybody that suggested taking the train back, I finally managed to sell the idea to the missus
Those extra hours will be spent in Kaoxiong (most likelly eating).
So again thanks everyone for all your help, if you think of anything else please don’t hesitate to tell me, I still have one more week before the trip starts. :discodance: