Tourist trap? or ... How to make big bucks in Taiwan

Here’s the formula for success in Taiwan:

Build an industrial fake (copy) of an old ‘German or French, English’ Tudor style house. Ask an admittion fee at the entrance, otherwise the locals just come in and make pictures without consuming anything … but be honest and make your ticket into a voucher that can be exchanged or deducted on purchase for drinks or food.

Preferably with a license ‘possibly’ aquired by illegal means or good 'Guanxi", because building such a structure in the mountains on a steep hill side can’t be done otherwise I guess, but that’s it’s just speculation from my side.

Be sure you have some pig nuckles, lamb chops and other western food on the menu. Coffee and ‘Schwarzwald’ (black forrest) cake should be available too. Lot’s of waiters and other staff that basically don’t know what they are doing, such as bringing the hot coffee while your still eating your starter-salad. But hey no complains about the lamb chops, they were good.

Add a garden

A plus can be when adding a terrace with parasols (umbrellas) that can’t be used most of the time because of too much wind or people just won’t sit outside due to the heat, but hey it looks great on the picture.

Good looking funiture and a view

Maybe a few sheep would do well too

Include the ‘Australian or NZ’ style shack, your sheep have to sleep somewhere … and it makes a great souvenir picture.

Oh, please don’t forget the ‘out house’

In the end the food was OK, and the view great … if you consider that this is Taiwan and that most people won’t ever make it of the island, it’s probably good to have things like this. It’s fake but if you don’t look to close it’s kind of OK … I guess.

Well it’s an Hotel too, with some nice rooms and a few with a SPA and a stunning view from the bath tub.

Here’s a link for those of you that are interested and can read Chinese.

furano.com.tw

That place is pretty nice. Where is it? I checked out the website, but i can’t read Chinese… :frowning: Great pictures and the rooms look comfortable. I wonder if it’s accessible by scooter? More info…thanks! :notworthy:

Carlos

[quote=“cdnmagic”]That place is pretty nice. Where is it? I checked out the website, but I can’t read Chinese… :frowning: Great pictures and the rooms look comfortable. I wonder if it’s accessible by scooter? More info…thanks! :notworthy:

Carlos[/quote]

It’s near Fushing in Taoyuan county.

It’s on the road to the ‘Dongyanshan’ forest recreation area. This is a branch road into the mountains if you drive from Fushing to Ilan. You get there through Sanxia or Daxi. If I remember right it’s road #7. Passing Fushing you should watch for the Dongyanshan sign, it’s on your lefthand side up into the mountains.

When you passed these bridge then you’re to far already … :s and need to make a 180 degree turn.

…I think you should cut the Taiwanese a bit of slack…from your pictures, it looks like the best effort at a themed resort that I have seen on this island…seems like a great place to take the kids during a lazy weekend…

Didn’t I? I’ve been there, I’ve seen it … I gave my opinion. :wink:

And you have to pay to get in, but it’s kind of voucher you get, 2x50NT$/person that you can deduct from the price of your drinks or food.

And they are friendly but some of them don’t know what they are doing, maybe new on the job. Anyways, it looks good although it’s an industrial building, steelframe. Covered with drywall and wood to give it the look of a Tudor style house.

My asshole ex took me there. It stinks. It is crowded. It is actually kind of fun.

If you want something more authentic stop in Fuxing. At the end of the town park in the Youth Activity Parking lot. Walk to the left of the lot (toward the bathrooms) and then head down the stairs. Walk to the bluff where you see a small cafe. It’s run by a aboriginal family, and has a postcard perfect view. The view from the coffee shop in the YAC is great too but this one is better, the coffee is a little better, and the owner sometimes plays guitar and sings (he used to be a pub singer). He also hates corrugated iron roofs and thinks most Taiwanese carpenters don’t care a whit about their work; so Belgium Pie, he sounds like your kind of guy. :wink:

Did I ever say that? I love corrugated steel roofs, they make you sweat … :discodance: , make at least a 140 dB noise when it rains and when installed by a carpenter they fly off with the first typhoon … :roflmao: … … So thank you MM for your sympathy.

And on my next trip to Fuxing I’ll check out the the cafe. Is it accros the bridge? Because I’ve been there several times and never noticed the cafe.

I suppose I just figured out how they were able to build a hotel in this area.
And I think they used a loophole in the system to do it.
Last night the sales guy of my meat supplier told me that it’s a farm, not a hotel. :noway:

So, my guess is that they use the governments (tourisme) new program that allows farms to install some kind of bed and breakfast, guesthouse thing.

They have really taken it to the extreme, but possible with some political help. :s

Just look at your fotos, it is definatly a farm:

I mean thats clear a farm, this tiny building for one or two geusts is for sure just a small extension of the farm itself. :unamused:

And this lovley wood faking concret. Really love that. Used to fake wood and also this fancy bamboo look like fences and so on. Gives all this areas this special flair of “high class tourist resorts”. :help:

I know, I know, most of the locals will not come off the island too soon, but they want to attract tourists from all around the world. Maybe it is possible to have a look at the big tourism nations how they deal such stuff.
Making it just cheap faking and than not let the “poorer” tourists in is a bit a strange strategy. But what do I know about tourism when coming from Austria. :unamused:

Reading the description including the part about the admission fee I thought you were talking about Colmar Tropicale in Malaysia, though they are more into rabbits than sheep.