Taiwan 2011 - Xinbeitou & hot spring at Villa 32

With such gloomy weather in Taiwan, nothing beats a soak in the hot spring so I decided to visit Beitou for its famed hot springs. Well, technically the hot springs are located at Xinbeitou but most people refer to them as Beitou hotsprings. Unlike the ones at Wulai, the hot springs at Beitou come with a sulphur smell which almost reminds one of rotten eggs. It wasn't too bad when I tried it out but if you prefer a more odourless experience, you might want to visit the hot springs at Wulai instead. =)

Please excuse the poor quality of the photos. My Canon Powershot A480 camera doesn't work well under dim or evening conditions so it might be a tad blur in some cases.

How to get there: Simply take the MRT to the Xinbeitou station. Alight at Beitou station to change to the more colourful train to Xinbeitou.

The colourful train that will take you to Hot Spring Paradise!

Mascots of Beitou Hot Springs?

Map of Beitou

The inside of the Xinbeitou train is so different from the rest
of the normal trains! Clearly a tourist attraction.

An interactive map that tells you what you can expect to enjoy
in Xinbeitou

Xinbeitou Station!

On my uphill way to Villa 32 where I had reserved a nice private
room to enjoy the hot spring

An abundance of hot spring hotels for you to choose from
and stay for the night

There are two types of hot springs available in Beitou: the public and the more costly hot springs provided by hotels/hot spring establishments like Villa 32. If you're on a budget, you can choose to visit the public hot spring. It's much cheaper and much like the public pools that we have in Singapore. You'll need to bring a swimsuit for your soak though, since they've made it compulsory to wear one. For my pampering purpose, however, I chose the Villa 32 which is at the top of a hill. This is a hot spring establishment that is highly recommended by the podders on Flowerpod so I decided to go try it out for myself. =D

Villa 32
Address: No. 32 Zhōngshān Road, Beitou District Taipei City, Taiwan
Telephone: 886-2-6611-8888

I had called ahead to book a private room for 90 minutes, a hot spring soak that will set me back by 2000NT. Yes, it is a little costly but the experience was really very comfortable. The ladies who attended to me were gentle and friendly. An absolute 5 star service from a top notch hot spring establishment. Villa 32 not only offers hot springs, but also fine dining, spa and even accommodation for the night. Rooms range from 16000NT to 25000NT plus 10% service charge so if you're in a pampering mood and don't mind forking out more, you might want to try Villa 32.

Villa 32 is quite a ways up the hill and it took some walking before I finally reached my destination. It's located next to a hotel but don't mistake it for Villa 32 though, especially if you arrive in the evening for your hot spring experience.

As you enter the premises, you're immediately greeted with
a comfortable sense of tranquillity. 

I absolutely love the place. It was almost as if I had stepped into another world entirely as I made my way slowly down the path. You can literally feel your cares melting away, even before the hot spring. =p

Waiting area at Villa 32

The hot spring room! Very spacious & comes with separate toilet,
shower, lounger, toiletries and water bottles etc to soothe your stay.
The room looks a lot nicer than what my picture implies though.

A shower stall to clean yourself before the big soak!

The entire experience was heavenly. Aside from the sulphur smell that permeates the air, it was just the thing to relax in at the end of the day. You can even open the windows and admire the scenery outside or draw the ceiling curtains to allow more light to enter during daytime. The spa also provides a condom for couples who *wink wink* want to engage in an extra activity. =D

After the hot spring, you'll be given the option of being driven down to the foot of the hill by their designated driver. I'm not sure if you need to pay but you probably need to tip them as a gesture of goodwill.

Beitou also has other attractions such as the Thermal Valley (aka Hell Valley because of all the steam rising from the water), Hot Spring Museum and Qinshui Park but unfortunately due to the lateness of the day, I had to miss them out. Check out Wikitravel for the other attractions you can visit during the day. In fact, Qinshui Park was once featured in the "Turn Left, Turn Right" movie that starred Gigi Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

I'm not sure if this is the Beitou Hot Springs Museum or
the Library but it was on my way to Villa 32.

Here is a video of the Hell Valley taken by a traveller if you're curious about it:

There are apparently some good restaurants in Beitou but because it was late by the time I was done at Villa 32, I decided to have dinner at this hotpot restaurant which was just opposite the MRT station. Not sure what the name of the place is but you get free flow of drink and the meat slices are really generously proportioned. There was so much food, I ended up feeling bloated. =x

The meal was very satisfying though. =D

Food! Glorious food!

It was so fun! I really love the hot spring experience. Nothing beats the sensation of lying back in hot water in cold weather, man. But don't lie there for too long...you should only soak for about 10 to 15 minutes, then emerge from the water to "rest". Oh and apparently, you are encouraged not to eat before the soak as well. People with various health conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease or open wounds should not go into the hot spring. Other than that, just sit back and enjoy the warmth of Taiwan's hot springs! XD