Onsen-Hopping in Eastern Taiwan

April 2020: By early April, it became obvious to me that my spring plans of returning to the US and road-tripping across the country were not going to materialize. With all of my flight tickets canceled, it was time to hit the road with my reunited-in-exile family and engage in some CDC-sanctioned local travel around Taiwan.

In sore need of something deeply relaxing, we opted for onsen (hot springs), which are dotted across Taiwan, particularly along the rustic east coast. To give a sense of just how rustic the wild east is, whereas Taipei City has nearly 10,000 people per km2, Taitung has only 60. That sounds like my idea of a socially distant good time.

This being life under coronavirus, we kept several additional considerations in mind:

• Steered clear of public holidays: Mid-April and early May both have public holidays in Taiwan, so we strategically traveled during the period in between. This would hopefully mean fewer crowds (and lower prices)
• Avoided public transportation: While I originally wanted to travel by train or plane to avoid long driving times (the train takes 4 hours to get to Taitung, plane takes 1, and car takes 6), we ultimately figured it best to avoid confined spaces with lots of other people
• Private hot springs preferred: Amidst coronavirus, it seemed prudent to avoid pools open to the general public and pay the premium for in-room setups
• For all of the above, the principles weren’t scientifically calculated decisions so much as for peace of mind. There weren't any government recommendations or restrictions regarding domestic travel, and the two main counties in eastern Taiwan (Hualien and Taitung Counties) both boasted zero recorded cases of COVID-19

And off we went:

• Day 1: Taipei to Yilan - 60km (1 hour of driving)
• Dinner: Formosa Pearl (掌上明珠) - This place was straight out of Epcot, in a good way. The property is sprawling, and you're led through gardens, stone bridges, and automated gates to get to dinner. The meal consisted of 10 courses showcasing fresh ingredients, including sashimi paired with local scallions, grilled fish, steamed crab, roasted lamb chops, and the fattest scallop I think I've ever seen. We got a reservation the night of, but book ahead to avoid disappointment
  
  
• Hotel: Westin Yilan Resort - Booked this place with 35K Marriott points per room, and it was my favorite hotel of the entire trip. Got upgraded to a "suite" which wasn't an actual suite (no separate living area), but it did feature two sweet onsen tubs in the room - one indoor, one outdoor. Both were beautiful and immaculate. There was also a "public” onsen for all guests to use featuring one large outdoor pool, 3 indoor pools, steam room and dry sauna (this was the setup for the men's side; I can only assume it's mirrored on the women's side). We broke our own rules and went anyway; we were the only people inside. Would definitely stay again!
  
  
• Day 2: Yilan to Ruisui - 200 km (4 hours of driving)
• Breakfast: Buffet at Westin - If not getting the buffet for free with the room or via status, definitely skip this and get a cup of coffee somewhere in town. Not worth 600NT or however much they charge just to get a bowl of noodles and some pastries with bitter coffee
  
  
• Morning: Kavalan Distillery - I really want to like this place. Really. It was my 3rd time here and across my three visits, I think I've consumed a total of 15ml of whisky, and their cheapest kind at that. If you're into seeing mash tuns and learning about how some Taiwanese dudes decided to start making whisky a few decades ago, then feel free to stop by. Otherwise, just go to your local liquor store, get some Kavalan bottles, and set up your own tasting
  
  
• Lunch: Sinbow Scallion Experience (星寶蔥體驗農場) - This wasn't meant to be a lunch, but rather a quick morning snack. Here's what I thought was going to happen: pluck some scallion stalks, incorporate said scallions into a scallion pancake, and then fry it up and eat, all in about 20 minutes. Here's what actually happened: Spend 20 minutes plucking scallion stalks, put them aside because the plucking was just for a photo op rather than for you to consume or keep, spend 20 minutes learning how scallion cakes (not pancakes, but I actually like their cakes more than normal scallion pancakes), spent 5 minutes making your own, and waiting a further 20 minutes for your scallion pancake to cook. While tours start every 20 minutes, but you're here for basically an hour. All in all, was fun and tasty, but spent a lot of time sitting around, and it was barely filling enough to keep satiated until dinner. Shoutout to the dads in the crowd who couldn't stand waiting around with their fussy kids and set up their own bar in the corner
  
  
• Afternoon: Taroko Lighten Cafe (光覺咖啡) - Stopped by for a quick coffee break, allured by the perfect 5.0 Google review score. Very friendly owners who live just behind the cafe and are very knowledgeable about all things nature to explore in the area. Matcha pancake was also quite tasty
  
  
• Dinner: Set course at Silence Manor - From the scallion farm, we booked it over to the hot spring resort where we were spending the night. Reviews of the hotel's meals were spectacular, but I was left less than impressed. I also thought it was weird that they called me in advance to confirm if fish and beef were ok for entrées but then only served fish to half the party, beef to the other half. Why not both? Service was less refined than expected for how much we were paying and given the marketing of this place as an oasis for utmost relaxation. They were also blasting really loud music in the dining room and in the outdoor garden all evening. So much for silence at the Silence Manor
  
  
• Hotel: Silence Manor (松邑莊園) - Wish I could've said I liked this place more than I did. I picked it for its supposedly remote location in the woods (in reality it was barely around the corner from a major road), beautiful in-room onsen, and tasty food. Despite the lackluster dinner, the in-room onsen was indeed quite nice, and we got some good sleep here. One of our rooms featured a private outdoor patio where the onsen tub was located, whereas in the other room, the tub was indoors. Just make sure to ask them to turn off the obnoxiously unatmospheric music so that you can enjoy the soak in silence 
  
  
• Day 3: Ruisui to Taitung - 120km (2 hours of driving)
• Breakfast: Set course at Silence Manor - Quite solid western breakfast with truffle eggs, croissant, bacon, broccoli, and fresh fruit. They also offered a Chinese option with congee
  
  
• Morning: Sanxiantai (三仙台) - On the road to Taitung, we stopped by a beach area with an interesting bridge featuring 8 arches. Was great to soak in the misty ocean air and feel the power of the wind
  
  
• Lunch: Forgettable beef noodles - Not even worth sharing the name here :) We got into Taitung pretty late at just before 2pm and most things in this sleepy town were closed. Try not to time meals outside of regular mealtimes!
  
  
• Afternoon: Zhiben (知本) - We drove along the coast to rustic rocky beaches with nobody there but us in Zhiben, the famous hot spring town in Taitung. Weirdly enough for an onsen trip in Eastern Taiwan, we didn't manage to hit up an onsen here. Next time will try to stay at the Hotel Royal Chihpin. We also drove along a very, very, very narrow and winding road to the Zhiben Forest Road Waterfall, which was dry... not even a trickle
  
  
• Evening: 星星部落景觀咖啡 (my translation: Starry Tribe Cafe) - A no-frills cafe perched atop a hill with views over all of Taitung, open from sunset until very late into the night. Came by for some fries, popcorn chicken, and Americanos under the open sky with a camping lamp for some light. Was very relaxing!
  
  
• Dinner: Club Lounge at Sheraton Taitung - Ok ok, not my proudest choice, but after some serious snacking at the open-air cafe, we weren't terribly hungry, and the spread at the Sheraton was surprisingly legit with local aboriginal rice dumplings, sausages, vegetables, pasta, charcuterie, and some unexpectedly ice cold red wine
   
• Hotel: Sheraton Taitung - Snagged a booking last minute for 10K Marriott points per room. Even though the hotel looked empty, my suite night request was denied, but no worries. The hotel design is quite nice with very modern rooms. Located right in the heart of the city, but unfortunately no hot spring facilities. There is a sauna / steam room / hot tub area that was quite popular, but it's definitely chlorinated instead of naturally mineralized. Definitely a good deal redemption-wise, but again, I'd opt to try the Hotel Royal Chihpin next time
  
  
• Day 4: Taitung to Taroko - 200km (4 hours of driving)
• Breakfast: 大池豆皮店 (my translation: Dachi Soybean Skin Shop) - Stopped by the town of Chishang (池上) for some famous dried soybean skin (yuba) rolled up and fried into a crispy savory snack, washed down with fresh soy milk. It was so fresh that you could taste the subtle yet distinct soy flavor, but not mind blowing. Keep in mind that they don't give out straws for drinks, making it hard to pick up a drink for the road
  
  
• Lunch: 月廬食堂 (my translation: Moon House) - This was my favorite meal of the trip. Located in Slow City™ Fenglin (鳳林), Moon House is high up in the mountains in a Japanese teahouse-like setting: lush, wild garden with a koi pond; tatami-floored open dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the garden and over the small town below; monkeys and chickens wandering through the garden. Reservations are a must here, and the plum chicken (梅子雞) is the dish to order in advance. Served piping hot with a savory sweet glaze, the meat was very tender and flavorful. The fried tofu with salted egg was also delicious, as was even the cold bitter melon seasoned with sweet plum (and I usually avoid bitter melon!). A very relaxing experience
  
  
• Afternoon: Coffee and chilling in Fenglin - Took the afternoon slow and just strolled around Fenglin. There are a number of cafes around where you can enjoy a coffee over a book
  
  
• Dinner: Set course at Taroko Village Hotel - From Fenglin, we drove in the rain to Taroko National Park. By the time we arrived, visibility was low, so we just checked into the hotel and relaxed in the room until dinner. The chef characterized the meal as "Wild Boar Meets Paris," but it kind of felt like a typical Taiwanese meal, albeit with bamboo rice and some aboriginally spiced ribs thrown into the mix. Whatever it lacked in quality, it made up in quantity. Was absolutely stuffed  
  
  
• Evening: Evening performance at Taroko Village - Every night without fail, the Taroko Village Hotel puts on an hour-long show (maybe slightly longer) showcasing the local tribal culture. When the crowd is larger, they bring in more performers, including local elementary school kids. But since there were fewer then 20 guests in the hotel that night, it was just the hotel staff singing, playing instruments, and telling stories, followed by a short film about coming-of-age in the tribe. Was pretty interesting, you can really tell that they put their heart into sharing the culture with guests
  
  
• Hotel: Taroko Village Hotel (山月村) - Staying at one of two hotels located within Taroko National Park, I appreciated being surrounded by mountains. Accommodations aren't fancy, but the individual cabins blend into the rustic environment. I loved the sound of rain and crickets outside while sleeping
  
  
• Day 5: Taroko to Taipei via the Central Cross-Island Highway (good thing I didn't read this site before we started driving on it) - 200km (6 hours of driving)
• Breakfast: Set course at Taroko Village Hotel - Was served congee with toppings. Very filling and pretty tasty, though dishes could've been hotter. You'll be required to respond to staff asking "how are you" in aboriginal language (biyaxsu) with "biyaxku" (I'm fine) to be admitted into the dining room
  
  
• Morning: Driving along Taroko Gorge Road - It was still raining, and my parents aren't really up for hiking these days, so we just drove along the Taroko Gorge Road and soaked in the awe-inspiring scenery of these huge mountains and sharp drops. Definitely want to come back to hike sometime
  
  
• Lunch: N/A - So... there is really nothing in terms of establishment along the Central Cross-Island Highway. It just keeps winding up and up and up, up past 2,000m. Visibility was incredibly low, and the rain was quite strong, so we had to take it slow. Between 11am and 5pm, we were just winding along for 200km. We did stop by a 7-11 to get some snacks, but there were no rice balls, shockingly! So we just held out for dinner in Yilan
   
• Dinner: Fullco Chicken (福哥石窯雞) - So we made it back to Yilan for a relatively early dinner (after having not eaten anything since breakfast). The kiln roasted chicken was even more delicious than that at Moon House, served with this addicting buttery gravy that they also used to cook bamboo shoots. So hot, so crispy, so umami-rich. We shared an entire chicken between 4 of us, and we killed every last piece. 100% would recommend

And that was it! Five days passed by in the blink of an eye. Were I to take this trip again, I would've added an extra night in Taitung to properly see the city. And of course, more time in Taroko would be good too. All in all though, it was some quality time spent outside of Taipei. Eastern Taiwan has lots to offer, and I can't wait to go back!