Taiwan 2012: Beautiful ilan (B&B)

宜蘭優質民宿-真水蘭陽白鷺鷥RESORT

Website: http://www.beautiful-ilan.com.tw/

Address: 宜蘭縣冬山鄉武淵村東八路130號, Ilan, T'Ai-Wan, Taiwan

Email: beautiful_ilan@yahoo.com.tw (They usually reply in Chinese but you can email them in English if Chinese is not your strong language)

How to get there: You can get there by alighting at the Luodong train station. Book your tickets here or purchase them at the counter that is situated at the Taipei Main Station. Once there, you can either take a cab or arrange for the B&B people to go fetch you. 

View from Luodong Train Station

Review: I love staying at B&Bs in Taiwan. If you manage to pick the right one, your stay becomes all the brighter because the proprietors of these lovely places always have a few tips on where to go or what to eat. This particular B&B that I stayed at was not exactly my first choice, but it turned out to be the best one ever because Steven the B&B owner was a really friendly person who made me feel at home. 

In fact, that was his mission: to make all guests feel as comfortable as possible so they feel like it's home sweet home. To do this, Steven didn't depend on any big-name designer to do up the place. He put the place together with his own personal touches like the pebbles along the corridor and the wooden rocking horses in the relaxation room. He even scattered photos of his own kids (I think) around the place so it really does feel like home. =)

And the scenery...OMGS...it's really damn beautiful. It wasn't as breathtaking as the one in Jiufen but it was still unforgettable. Check out its lovely website here and you'll know what I mean. Hehe. My photos don't really do it justice, but if you're there...you can feel the love and effort that the owners put into the place. The B&B faces the river and it can get pretty bright in the afternoon, but it has that restful vibe that is rarely seen in the hotels of Taipei. 

The exterior of the B&B...quite a zen and
minimalist feel to it, right?

Bobby the resident African Grey parrot...I
wanted to pat him but decided not to press my
luck. LOL.

A beautiful backdrop to the counter and that's
Steven the B&B owner checking me in there. Hehe 

Beautiful greenery to spice up the place

A relaxing space for guests to chill

The bedroom! Steven told me that this room is apparently
very popular with Singaporean visitors~! It's called the 明池森林二人套房 

Dah bed

The bathroom with the AWESOME shower
area cum bathtub

HUGE, right? It comes with bath oils so you can
soak to your heart's content!

A very resort-y feel to the corridor

The staircase faces a river! I love how the water sparkles with
the sunlight.

A swing for those who want to enjoy the cool breeze

Another relaxation area behind the house

There are a lot of empty lands in Yilan...

A touch of cuteness

The place behind the main B&B building where we have
all our meals

According to Steven, the room I booked was extremely popular with Singaporeans. BUT! He does recommend 礁溪溫泉二人套房 because it has an awesome view of the river that can be enjoyed from both the bedroom AND the bathroom plus it has a balcony. You can just open the door in the bathroom to admit the view while you soak in hot water. XD

One thing about this place though...it gets REALLY dark at night and there are absolutely NO shops nearby. I'll recommend you to stock up on the instant noodles in case you get hungry at night. You're also highly recommended to complete your bathing rituals early so you don't disturb the other guests. I guess it's coz when you release the water in the bathtub, it can cause quite a ruckus that echoes loudly especially at night. If you're visiting the night market, be sure to return earlier as well since the owners will lock up the place and it's not very nice to keep them waiting up for you too. =D

Breakfast is provided in a separate little house that is just behind the main building and it's from around 8 or 830 to about 9 or 930am, I think.

How to book: You can email them at beautiful_ilan@yahoo.com.tw with your name, number of guests, type of room and dates you want to book OR you can simply register online. They will get back to you within a few days. They have a couple of booking phone lines as well so you can give them a jingle. A 50% deposit is required, which can be paid via Paypal. If you ask me, being able to email them is a great plus point for me because it's a lot more convenient to email than calling them. Hehe. 

Hotel amenities provided? Yes

Rating: *****

Conclusion: I will highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away from it all. Take the time to explore Yilan and recuperate from your daily toils. =)