Hey,
I am coming to Taiwan a week early before starting a new job at the end of June and really want to find a cheap place on a nice beach to hang out for a few days. I have never been to Taiwan so any advice would be really appreciated.
in terms of being set up for relaxing and you having to do minimal effort plus being warmish at this time of year, i think kending (kenting) would be best… chateau is where we usually stay… nice enough. others have their faves and i am sure they will chine in 
There are also many cheaper places to stay in Kenting than the chateau. Hotel california might be a good choice. It’s listed in the Lonely Planet. It’s also closer to all the great thai food in town.
Fulong beach might be a good choice if you want to stay closer to Taipei.
I agree with AWOL – Kending is great. However, the big-name hotels like the Chateau, Caesar Park, Howard, and others are pricey… and more so over the weekends. You might wanna opt for some of the cheaper hotels on the main street. You can’t miss them really, they are all over the place… English signboards and all. They also have a number of home-stays now, and of course, a camping site.
There are a number of nice beaches in the Kenting area. Right across from the Caesar Park Hotel is a smallish beach called Xiao Wan(Small Bay in English). Half of the beach is now run by the Caesar Park Hotel, so you gotta be a guest to use the facilities … otherwise you have to pay a ‘cover charge’ for use of the beach chairs and umbrellas. The other half is run by the Kending locals … not as classy as the Caesar’s, yet you pay almost the same. Of course there are also some other beaches in the area around Kenting. Another beach is Baishawan (White Sand Bay)… about a 20-minute scooter ride from Kending proper. Worth a try. It is kind of a local swimming place, not really advertised and therefore not frequented by many.
If you go to Kending, go during the week if peace and quiet is what you want. Rent a scooter and explore the area.
I’m quite sure there must be some other beaches worth a visit – not only in Kending, but also elsewhere on the island.
Agree that Kenting is your best beach for a relaxing, hassle free couple days on the beach. For cheap digs, there is a Catholic Hostel, the campsite someone mentioned, and a few places with dorms. One is in Nanwan (just north of Keting town but still part of the national park) run by a couple surfers and the other is the Cactus Cafe in Kenting itself.
I prefer the other coast. The Shanyuan beach has a nice campsite but no hotel accommodation that I’m aware of. Camping under the pines right on a golden sand beach. Good showers/toilets and there’s Zorba Garden Italian restaurant at the far end.
About 10 minutes drive north of Hsiao Yeliou, a little bit north of Taitung.
Very quiet compared to Kending.
An alternative might be Dulan about 20 km north of Taidong. You could stay at the Sugar Refinery for NT$750/night. There are nice beaches a few km north and south. You’d also get the chance to explore a much more interesting little corner of Taiwan. Kending would probably be easier for you to get to and deal with though as a first-time visitor to the 'Wan.
Feiren, can you say more on the sugar refinery hotel?
[quote=“sandman”]I prefer the other coast. The Shanyuan beach has a nice campsite but no hotel accommodation that I’m aware of. Camping under the pines right on a golden sand beach. Good showers/toilets and there’s Zorba Garden Italian restaurant at the far end.
About 10 minutes drive north of Hsiao Yeliou, a little bit north of Taidong.
Very quiet compared to Kending.[/quote]
This is the area I’m talking about. There are several hostels in the area. Just ask at Zorba’s.
The old Dulan Sugar refinery (apparently built by Hakka immigrants from Hsinchu in the 1950s) is at No. 61, Dulan Village, Donghe Township, Taidong Co. You can stay in the old dorms for the managers. Very basic but under beautiful trees and a porch you can sit on in the cool evening air. The manager lives in the house when you first come in the gate, but you can also ask at the cafe/bar. There’s music on Saturday nights that is not to be missed and a very friendly scene of local (mainly aboriginal) musicians and Taiwanese hippies/wannabe artists.
Here’s the address in Chinese: 台東縣東河鄉都蘭村61號. It’s on the west side of Route 11 about 6 km north of Shanyuan beach.
Since Sandman has already covered Shanyuan beach to the south, I’ll just mention another great beach maybe 7 or 8 km north of Dulan at the Jinzun Recreational Area 金樽遊憩區. Just by the pavilion here, there is a set of wood stairs that takes you down to this deserted beach.
Like Sandman, I much prefer the east coast.
thanks everyone…this must be the friendliest esl forum on the web
I think as seang is new to Taiwan Kenting would be the most hassle free. Small beaches north of Taidong are sweet but for a newbie to the island… hmmm.
Awol may be right. It depends on how adventurous seang is. Seang, the people on the east coast are going to have pretty limited English, so you will need patience and a good sense of humor. Still, I’m sure you could get there if you wanted to. The Shanyuan and Jinzun beaches are (for Taiwan) pretty big beaches. Shanyuan must be at least 3 km long.
hey you guys, talking of Taidong, we are organising a series of events in those places you mention on . On Saturday we will be having a party at the Sugar Factory in Dulan. The Sugar Factory is actually two venues, the coffee shop you mention and Abao’s place. People have been making it hard for us to do business lately, complaining of noise/foreigners playing music, and Abao just got fined 60,000 by the police lately for being too loud. All proceeds made from the night will go towards him paying that fine and hopefully excess of that will go towards him soundproofing the place. Music won’t be too loud (it only got loud cos of the bands… so no bands this time). On Sunday we are having a beach soccer tournament at Shanyuan beach. If you around that weekend we are setting up camping facilities (tents/showers etc) in Dulan for next to nothing.
Please help support the local (Dulan) economy. Peace.
sandman wrote:
I prefer the other coast. The Shanyuan beach has a nice campsite but no hotel accommodation that I’m aware of. Camping under the pines right on a golden sand beach. Good showers/toilets and there’s Zorba Garden Italian restaurant at the far end.
About 10 minutes drive north of Hsiao Yeliou, a little bit north of Taidong.
Very quiet compared to Kending.
I have to agree with sandman, altough I am biased since I live in Taidong. Kenting has more nightlife but Taidong is much better as far as clean air and not too many people.
I can get you a decent room for 600 $NT night for one double bed or 1000 $NT for two double beds. The rooms have private bath, air con, and cable. If your interested
email bob.lasure@gmail.com.
Cheers
[quote=“sandman”]I prefer the other coast. The Shanyuan beach has a nice campsite but no hotel accommodation that I’m aware of. Camping under the pines right on a golden sand beach. Good showers/toilets and there’s Zorba Garden Italian restaurant at the far end.
About 10 minutes drive north of Hsiao Yeliou, a little bit north of Taidong.
Very quiet compared to Kending.[/quote]
Sandman, you ever camped on an East coast beach in June?
I have and the routine is pretty much like this…Sun comes up at 5:45. At 5:46 your tent is at 35 degrees and climbing fast. By Six it is a sauna, and it’s the last time you’ll be able to get into it before about 4 in the afternoon. I love camping on the East coast as well, but reserve the pleasure for fall/early spring.
If you do decide to camp in that area, trust me you do not want to have an ocean view from your tent flap. Find the biggest stand of trees there is and park your tent behind it away from the sea. You might even get to sleep in until 6:30 or so. 
The area is worth checking out…beautiful.
How does one get to these places on the East coast (Dulan & Shanyuan) without a car? … and is it viable to go just for one night by public transport or will you be spending most of your time travelling?
Thanks!
teggs
p.s. i’m coming from Taipei, but directions from other areas might help the other Forumosans who are interested
[quote=“teggs”]How does one get to these places on the East coast (Dulan & Shanyuan) without a car? … and is it viable to go just for one night by public transport or will you be spending most of your time travelling?
Thanks!
teggs
p.s. I’m coming from Taipei, but directions from other areas might help the other Forumosans who are interested[/quote]
One night will only be feasible, if you go by plane.
If not you will spend 5-6 hours getting there and back.
It takes about 1 hour to fly down (@NT$1600 o/w and maybe 20 minutes in a taxi (@NT650 from their airport. ). Plane tickets have been going up so YMMV.
Or you can take the train down which will take five hours and costs NT$800. There is a slower train that takes 7.5 hours for NT$660. Be sure to book train tickets in advance or you will be standing the whole way on weekends. From Taidong, you can catch a bus going north to Shanyuan/Dulan. It costs about NT$50.
I think it’s too hot to camp down there too. And you will want shelter in midday (10:00 am to 4:00pm) to sleep or read during the heat of the day. Be careful, the UV rating are very high down there. I can get sunburned in about 10 minutes without protection (granted, I"m very pale).
Go to Kenting. The fact that you can’t speak Chinese yet would give you serious grief getting around in Taidong.
From Taipei, take a train to Kaoshiung, and then a bus to Kenting City. Rent a scooter. Once you’ve got a scooter, start poking around at different hotels you see along the main strip and in the alleys. If you’re going mid-week it would be much more quiet. The beaches there are good enough for a first-timer.
There’s another beach out of town you can go to on your scooter called (in chinglish) Bai shia won. It’s about as clean as you’ll find in the tourist areas.
One more thing! In my humble opinion… the first thing you should do when you get to Taiwan is buy a cellphone! It could save your life.
If you don’t know anyone in taiwan… PM me and I’ll give you my number which you can call at anytime if you get itno a bind.
Peace.
I haven’t camped on the East coast in June and can well imagine how hot it must get
– its usually September/October for me. A bit cooler, plus the place I camp has those wooden shelters which shield the tents from the sun.