Chiayi County Alishan Township Hotels

Room is spacious, clean and well equipped with toiletries. Walking distance from Shouzhen temple when we asked for direction to Sacred Tree Station back to hotel. There is even shuttle bus from Zhushan station back to hotel but not FOC which we are not aware of. We’re pleased that we can have refund(not full amt) on train ticket and pay for the shuttle bus service. Hotel price is on the high side. Would have stayed one more night to spend more time on forest trails.

We were there for 2 nights and had a great room. Although we were only 2 people, we got a larger room with balcony. The room was very clean and well furnished. A mattress was however a little through. The breakfast was rich. The hotel seems to be very popular with travel groups because new buses arrived daily. That makes it a little noisy, but did not disturb us because it was quiet at night. Something untransparent is the concept of the hotel. The reception is in a sort of hall where there are also sales and loudly empty aquariums. A teasting is probably possible there too? Unfortunately, we have nothing to explain to it. Maybe also have been located on the lack of English knowledge.

The location can’t be better. Walk out of the hotel and you have access to all the trails. It’s located near the top of the mountain, so after breakfast, you can walk down the mountain, hit most of the sights between the hotel and the Sacred Tree, take the train down to the visitor’s center, and either take another train back up to the hotel or ride the free hotel shuttle back, all before the 11am checkout. There is a restaurant, but you can’t choose the dishes. They will prepare a dinner with different dishes based on the number of people, so picky eaters be aware. Breakfast buffet was plentiful, but limited western options (think toast)

The homestay feels like a new building, so the environment is very good and the boss service is very good. He will consider the guests. If he has the opportunity, he will stay here again and recommend it to friends!

The location was really good and i think it is good value for money. Staff are friendly and helpful. The rooms are okay...sound-proofing could be better as you can really hear the conversation of other hotel guests talking along the corridor. Within walking distance from the bus station and the forest train station. But overall, a rather pleasant stay.

For the price you'd think they'd spend some of their huge profits on upkeep of the rooms. The bathroom was full of mould, the bathtub had been siliconed to the walls, but have pulled away. The entire bathroom needs renovating. The bedroom was on a very badly installed floating floor. There were electrical wires hanging loose from the night stand. The WiFi and set top box were jamed between the TV and wall. The lights didn't work properly, one flicking for minutes afyer the switch was off. The walls are super thin and guests should be reminded to be courteous of other guests, as I was woken at midnight by loud talking and laughing which didn't stop until 230am, and I was getting up at 345am for sunrise. The owner/reception needs to learn manners and how to operate a hotel, because (1) leave a note in English that when reception is unattended to go next door, (2) don't deny early check-in with the pretence the rooms weren't ready, because I checked all on the ground floor and all were ready, plus when I finally got to my room at 5pm the floor was wet in the bathroom and bedroom. (3) Learn some manners, which seems odd in Taiwan as everyone is well mannered, so maybe that's why her attitude stood out so much as she's surrounded by well mannered people. (4) Understand that travellers want peace of mind for left luggage, do at least pretend to make it secure. The room door was damaged both inside and near the lock on the outside. Provide a bathmat, well a few, coz the bathroom flooded so easily.

Absolutely incredible mountain view room (無憂時光) - like being in heaven! It's even better in person and difficult to capture just how magical it is since the mountain mist comes and goes like Chinese watercolor art... probably more dramatic than other sights you go out of your way to visit in the vicinity. The room itself is spacious and well appointed... washlet toilet too! There are 3 buildings, one for breakfast with panoramic views, one for regular rooms (十方) and the other one a level lower for unobstructed mountain view rooms (無憂) which cost a bit more but are well worth the money - can see the sunrise from the room's balcony! Alternatively, there's a viewing platform outside for everyone. Took the iconic 2.5-hr Alishan Train from Chiayi 嘉義 to Fenqihu 奮起湖 (book tickets online 2 weeks in advance at 6 am, pickup at 711) then it's 30 min by taxi (300 NTD) from Fenqihu or there's an infrequent bus 7322D which came really late 'cause of cherry blossom traffic. Can easily spend a couple of hours there, with trails and shops - check out 山嵐小築 for mountain-view patio tea/dessert. Staff very responsive via email, recommending a couple of drivers, one of whom we booked for 8 hours for 3000 NTD (+300/hr if over 8 hrs), including going to a local hotpot restaurant nearby they suggested with light and fresh ingredients 龍舞雲海阿里山現採高山蔬菜火鍋 (make sure you call to book in advance). Also managed to see Alishan National Forest Recreation Area 阿里山國家森林遊樂區 (200 NTD to enter)'s 姊妹潭 ponds and 神木 forest (well-known but not as spectacular as you might imagine) in addition to 石棹's 櫻之道 with bright pink sakura trees and beautiful tiered tea fields - all quite busy in the midst of cherry blossom season mid March. It's lovely but probably better to come a different time of the year to avoid the crowd if you've already experienced more densely planted clusters of cherry blossom trees in Japan and are less likely to find it that impressive. Transport a bit tricky without a car so do make arrangements ahead of time (an hour up to Alishan Station) although infrequent 台灣好行 buses stop nearby downhill at Xiding 隙頂, also going to High Speed Rail Chaiyi Station (taxi 1500 NTD). Trails within walking distance for sunset with tiered tea fields and sakura (隙頂二延平步道 100-min loop - helpful hand drawn map at reception... lots of steps but not too bad and totally worthwhile). Sunrise from 茶霧之道's gazebo 涼亭 20-min walk away was insane (part of the loop)! Restaurant onsite only serves breakfast from 7-9 am so make sure you make lunch/dinner arrangements - the first night we got railway bentos from Fenqihu. The nearest convenient store is Hi-Life 萊爾富 that's 750 m away, adjacent to the above mentioned hotpot restaurant.

Stayed there for 2 nights, did not managed to catch the sunrise as the clouds were too thick. If you are there to get away from the city life, the place will be great, only setback is the location. If you are on roller luggage you probably want to think twice. Even if the luggage is not heavy but the slope is steep. So unless you are travelling by car, it is not advisable to stay there unless you are super fit. The owner wife design the place on her own. She also made very nice and cute stuff, interesting place. they also sell organic black fungus. If you are there for breakfast try it. The plants there are so beautiful too. Enjoy if you are there.

The room planning is ideal and the design is smooth. The only pity is that there are too few TV channels. Xiaomei's voice service is good. The shower series has a woody scent. The bathroom partition is separated from wet and dry, but the water in the bathroom partition will seep into the toilet floor. The lobby is grand and spacious, and electric motorcycles are available for rent as a bonus. The service staff are friendly and proactive.

Sound insulation is really as bad as the website said, whether it is the sound of moving things upstairs, footsteps or the sound of traffic outside (Fortunately, there are fewer cars). But the room was clean and tidy, and the bathroom equipment was old but very well maintained. Overall, the CP value is very high.