Yep. Especially at nice B&Bs showing up is great.
A few months ago, I cycled down the east coast and stayed in that really nice place at Shitiping in the landscaped scenic area. I had called earlier and was told the rooms would be NT2800 on a weekday. I didn’t book but just showed up and the owner liked me, liked that I was cycling, and gave me a prime, ocean facing loft room, with a view stretching 40km up the coast, and breakfast for NT2000.
Cool. 
All,
Thanks again for the suggestions. I’m going to try one last time this weekend - probably Nan’ao and then up north to Dong’ao (haven’t had the time to do the Hualian-area planning, unfortunately).
One question: there’s a large mosque-looking building just north of Wai’ao, along the beach. I found it in Google Earth and it’s identified as the “宜蘭白宮”. Any idea what it is? This link, which I think is right, makes me think it’s a house up for sale (NT$15M, for you rich folks out there).
It’s a private palace built by a Taiwanese who has extensive business ties in the mid east. I believe he even converted to Islam and built this palace to entertain his friends.
Oh, and sorry but my Nan’ao contact hasn’t got back to me.
When you are in Nan’ao, rent a bike and head up the roads that follow the rivers. The road along the south river takes you to some really great scenery including a little Atayal village under a weird descending ridgeline that falls down like a slab wth a precipitous dropoff. This time of year the fields will also be filled with silver grass.
Do look for the Zhaoyang Trail 朝陽步道 which runs along Turtle Mountain (marked on the LP map), a large hill rising back from the sea. It’s a national trail so it’s wide and clear with bilingual signage. There are some lookouts about 150m above sea level with views down the coast. Really wonderful. There is also the largest intact Gordonia forest here and this time of year the trees should be in flower (the flowers look like big fried eggs, hence the colloqial name for the tree: the fried egg tree). Though the canons are gone there are also a few places where you can see where the British made guns once pointed out to sea.
The Atayal aboriginal museum in town is worth a visit. I think it is just back from the police station.
The wild hot springs were in pretty rough shape last time I was there.
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I did go to Nan’ao last weekend, and I had fun (even if I didn’t do quite what I expected!). I’ll post more details, and some pictures, this weekend.