Truth be told, travel post is the hardest to write because it’s very time-consuming with lots of photos to edit and publish. Nonetheless, I’ll try my best to share our 8D7N Taiwan summer vacation on this blog. Hopefully, it will be useful for readers who’re planning for a trip to Taiwan. Even if you’re not, I hope you’ll enjoy reading it too.
We departed from Singapore at 7am and arrived at Taipei around 12noon via JetStar. The first thing we did after we collected our baggage was to activate our iTaiwan account and get the password from the Travel Service Center. One week prior the trip, I applied for iTaiwan online at http://itaiwan.taiwan.net.tw. So, we just need to present our passport at the Travel Service Center to activate our account. We didn’t even purchase a pre-paid SIM card.
iTaiwan is a free WiFi service rolled out by Taiwan Tourism Bureau since 2013 to make it easier for international visitors to get online during their stay in Taiwan. With about 5,100 participating hotspots throughout the island, the service provides widely available online access in a user-friendly environment. Accounts are effective for 30 days and can be extended to 60 or 90 days as needed.
Next, we had a leisurely lunch at the airport before heading to Xinbeitou. Currently, there is no MRT station at Taoyuan Airport. The best and most economical way to get to Taipei from Taoyuan Airport is by express bus. We took the Kuo-Kuang Bus, alighted at Kulun Street (about 25 mins journey), and took a 5 mins walk to Yuanshan MRT. From there, we took the MRT to Xinbeitou. You can also book discounted Private Taoyuan Airport Transfer from Klook starting from just S$35!
The journey via public transport was easy and fuss-free, so we tried not to rely on taxis on this trip. First thing on our itinerary is to enjoy the thermal hot spring at Xinbeitou. That’s the perfect relaxation after a long journey and flight!
The unique hot spring themed train that brought us to Xinbeitou
The icons of Xinbeitou welcoming visitors at the station
The hot spring resort that I booked was Bei Tou Hot Spring Resort; the main reason is its strategic location. It’s located adjacent to Xinbeitou MRT Station (less than 5 mins walk) and near to some historical sites such as Beitou Park, Beitou Hot Spring Museum, and Geothermal Valley.
Beitou Hot Spring Resort
The hotel is newly renovated, and the rooms are elegantly furnished and well-equipped with TV, air-conditioner, refrigerator, in-room WiFi, toiletries and many other pampering details to create a cozy environment. What I love most is the private in-room hot spring tub and steam bath. Yay, we can all enjoy the luxurious thermal hot spring in private.
The hotel also has a public hot spring area. Japanese style bath robes are provided for guests to enjoy the public hot spring at s floor. Free breakfast is provided with one main course set per person with free flow of porridge, bread, cereal, salad, fruits, drinks and juices. The staffs are nice and polite, and we really enjoyed our stay at Bei Tou Hot Spring Resort. We paid $190 for the Superior Room (breakfast inclusive), and overall, I think it’s a good choice.
The cosy and beautiful hotel restaurant
Xinbeitou Town Area
At night, we took the MRT to the largest and most popular night market in Taiwan – Shilin Night Market. The night market consists of two major elements – general merchandise and local cuisine. It was bursting with activities and visitors. I don’t really enjoy the night market because it was too crowded. I had to hold Edison’s hand tightly, just to make sure that he didn’t get lost in the crowd.
Nonetheless, we perfectly grasped the ‘feel’ of a Taiwanese night market here. It was a good start for the many more night markets that we planned to visit in the next few days.
Bei Tou Hot Spring Resort
Website: http://tian-yue-quan-springs.hotel.com.tw/eng/
Address: No.3, Zhongshan Rd., Beitou Dist., Taipei City 112, Taiwan.
Hi Emily, can I check how did you make the booking for the resort? Through a third party website or directly to the hotel?
Thank you.
Hi Andrew,
For this entire Taiwan trip, I booked all my accommodations via Agoda as the rates are much cheaper (except for the minsu at CingJing which I haven’t blog about it yet). 🙂
Hi, did you bring the luggage along to the hot spring resort?
Hi Yeoja,
Yes, we brought our luggages along to the hot spring resort.
Thanks for blogging about your trip in great detail! I am so looking forward to staying at beitou hot spring resort!
Hi Doey,
Thanks. Enjoy your holiday and hot spring at Beitou! 🙂
Hi Emily. Sorry to bothered you. Just to check, you mentioned about the iTaiwan free Wifi, just need to registered and can use wifi everywhere at Taiwan is it? 🙂
Dear Yu Ling,
Unfortunately, the iTaiwan is not accessible everywhere in Taiwan. During our visit, we can connect at all MRT stations, shopping malls and some tourist attractions in Taipei. Once we were out of Taipei, iTaiwan is only available at MRT and train stations. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Emily,
May need to know more about places you’ve visited for the following 7 days in Taiwan.
Hi Jacqueline,
I planned to complete my Taiwan travel posts, but unfortunately, I stopped halfway due to lost of momentum. 🙁 Thanks for giving me a refresher, and I will pick this up again. 🙂 Here’s our itinerary of our 7 days Taiwan trip:
Day 1: Singapore > Taipei
Day 2: Taipei > Kaohsiung
Day 3: Kaohsiung > Taichung
Day 4: Taichung
Day 5: Taichung > CingJing
Day 6: CingJing > Taipei
Day 7: Taipei
Day 8: Taipei > Singapore
Hi Emily,
chanced upon your blog here while i was doing my research for Beitou Hot Spring Resort. Would like to check with you if the hotel has any tour packages to various attractions in Beitou as I cant seem to contact the hotel for relevant information ):
thanks in advance!
WY
Hi WY,
When I was there, I didn’t see them offering such tour package. Anyway Beitou is quite small, you can walk around on your own. Most of the places of attractions are within walking distance to each other and near to the train station.
Thanks for sharing your trip details. I am planning for a trip in August. Will be staying at beitou hot spring resort too!
Hi Emily! Would you be able to advise the mode of transport you took from Taipei to Kaohsiung please? Thank you so much!
Hi Cassandra,
I took the High Speed Rail from Taipei to Kaohsiung. The duration is about 1.5 hours and very convenient.