Hotels near Small Swiss Garden, Renai

This place is wild! It sits at the top end of a little valley that seems otherworldly and almost post-apocalyptic, with maybe a dozen or more resorts and hotels that are all decrepit and abandoned... and then there's this little place - a surreal oasis of quirky kitsch "normality". The hotel itself is cute. It was super quiet when I got there - almost like I was the only person left on earth, and then thankfully there were a couple of people at reception that had my booking details. Result! The room was spacious and clean and beautifully Asian-kitsch, with pink and red pleated curtains framing the comfy queensize bed. The bathroom was big, with a tub and shower. But the real treasure in this place is the hotspring facility out the back. It's massive, and when I had it all to myself, I couldn't believe it. Various nozzles and jets and bubblers all functioned, shooting steamy hot springwater at you to pound and/or soothe your muscles. There are several pools of different temperatures, and to add to the surreal-ness, there's also a fish spa, where poor little goldfish swarm across your feet to pick at your flesh. Ticklish, hilarious and bizarre (seems kinda cruel, but the fish all seamed quite healthy, and for all I know, they might love nothing more that eating foot foliage..?) And as if that wasn't all great enough, breakfast is awesome! It's very traditional, and served in a vast, empty ballroom. To be honest, I approached it with trepidation, as I only recognised about half the gooey, gloopy dishes, and travel training tells you not to eat at quiet places, but I got stuck in anyway, tried a bunch of things I couldn't recognise - and all of it was hot and delicious, and fine for my belly. I thoroughly recommend this place if you're looking for a bit of a weird and spooky and unique experience, but with a great hotspring to unwind in.

The view from the room is great.

The hotel owner was very kind and gave us an upgrade when we arrived. Our room had an uninterrupted view of the Central Mountain range and it was fortunate that the skies were clear during our two days there. She also gave us suggestions on what to do on LINE right after we arrived, so we could plan our itinerary. The food was also was excellent! For breakfast, there was a mix of Chinese and Western food, such as congee, turnip cake, stir-fried noodles, fried eggs, toast, coffee, and much more. Dinner was also good - my family especially enjoyed the steamed fish (which tasted very much like authentic Cantonese style food), the Yunnan minced pork and lettuce rolls, and the fresh stir-fried cabbage. Would definitely revisit if I go to that area of Taiwan again!

The room is clean and comfortable

Calm environment with big terrace. Very kind and friendly owners, they were always ready to take us to the bus stop.