2024 luckily brought Taiwan our way after stumbling upon Green Island as a ridic great diving destination.
What’s that? The island takes a couple of flights to get to and isn’t terribly well known outside of Taiwan?
Up. our. alley.
Tack on a few days of city reprieve in Taipei, nature exploring northeast, and the gorgeous sea of clouds set in Alishan’s tea haven? Helllll yes, people.
We were super excited to return to Asia for our first post-COVID adventure. Bring on the sights, smells, and jaw dropping sunsets.
How to get there.
Ohman on booking these flights.
Flight path
We had already racked up 60k Chase Reserve Ultimate Rewards points, and were committed only to direct flights in and out of TPE. The Eva Air flights we quickly stumbled across were an insanely reasonable $1k RT/pp when I first looked. Yep direct, homies.
However. We wanted to book the 2 flights that would transport us to Green Island to be avail. as well, when booking TPE. So, we waited. And we learned Mandarin to book those bad boys.
Enter Uni Air for our RT flights from TSA to TTT. That’s right, we arrived at the larger TPE airport, killed the 6am hour with an insanely good breakfast in the city, and ended up at TSA, the smaller Taipei airport, to grab the hour-long flight to Taitung (TTT).
Then. We grabbed a puddle jumper on Daily Air for the ~20 min flight from TTT to Green Island. Wowza.
So, did it work? Alllllmost, guys. All good until we arrived at TTT bright eyed & ready for island fun. Daily Air casually mentioned that flights are cancelled in the winter months – of which Nov. is very much one – at the drop of a hat. Why? Wind, why else, and it was pretty damn windy out there.
Easy peazy. We grabbed an evening out in Taitung, followed by a lucky AM flight that did go out! And another the following day that placed us safely back in Taipei by way of TTT, huzzah! Amazing adventure & 100% worth every minute of unsettled fun.
Cost (all USD)
What kind of $$$ are we dealing with? Our 60k points + about $3,600 total for RT flights for the two of us. Not sure I paid attention to this, but we had economy on the way there, and premium economy on the way back. Do yourself a favor & opt for the latter if you can. Perfect balance b/w peasantville (mostly kidding) and business. This girl took an 11 hour snooze on the way home that was simply glorious.
Our Uni Air flights in and out of TTT ran ~$150 RT, and Daily Air to the island ~$35 RT, each per person. The customer service on each of these airlines, down to the airport staff, was out of this world. We’re not in America anymore, Dorothy. Clutch to get us on & off the island.
Runabout tips:
- We always book hotels that can be cancelled until closer to the date we travel without a penalty, even if that peace of mind carries a small cost. We booked these first, while waiting for the flights to open up, and this was golden for avoiding soaring prices closer to the travel dates. Woo, bring on that sauna!
- Zero baggage issues. I paid for the extra baggage on the smaller 2 flights, and we flawlessly got on with our relatively light full-trip luggage on each. No bin issues, dirty looks, or extra $ for poundage to speak of. Packing super light pays, and you know you never use each of those perfect outfits and accessories you simply must bring along.
- Most would tell you not to do Green Island in the winter, period. We loved it and would simply recommend a contingency plan given those island winds! There is a 50 minute ferry, and there are several Daily Air flights to & from TTT per day, of course, if they go out. Pro tip – book the first flight, both in and out of the island.
- The standby policy on Uni & Daily is legit should you need to get on an earlier or later flight. Damn, that customer service is on. point. So helpful.
How to get around.
After feeling a lil flight happy, it was awesome to ditch the wings & scoot around on 2 wheels all over Lyudao (one of several other names for Green Island),
We did book a car for the few night stint in Taipei, which was clutch for heading northeast when leaving the city, to be followed by adventures in Taichung, Sun Moon Lake, and Alishan. Easy peazy to book an automatic, small SUV, at $365 for the 6-day stint, of course on Skyscanner.
Getting to TSA from TPE on day 1 was simple via taxi, as recommended by the airport information guy. He let us know that Uber is cheap within the city, but expensive to grab at TPE itself. Taxis are metered, while a comparable car service option is flat rate. We’re always in a rush & found the taxis first.
We also grabbed the Easy Card on Klook ahead of time to be able to easily snag this at the Unite Counter at TPE on arrival. This is like a debit card for the MRT rail system as well as – get this – use at 7/11 & other convenience stores. I’m honestly not sure I see the utility of the card given that you can only reload with cash, and that too at particular locales (MRT stations). That said, we promptly lost our Easy Card before using it, so there’s that.
Runabout tips:
- We luckily scooped our car at TSA on arrival back to Taipei from Green Island, and easily returned it at TPE. We intentionally searched/booked this way on Skyscanner, and the price was totally reasonable in comparison.
- You don’t need (nor do you really want, at all) a car in Taipei city. Instead, rent this on your last day,/the day you need it to head out. You can likely input a city location for pick up, or pro tip – pick up at TSA airport, which is super close to the city and is the smaller Taipei airport. In contrast, TPE is about ~45 min from the city.
- If you do have a rental in tow, search for a hotel with parking for ease of avoiding treacherous searches for parking and… tickets. Jon.
Where to stay.
Hotels were super fun to book for this trip. Options were plentiful (other than on Lyudao), prices glorious, and the amenities rocked.
Enter Lian Chinq Diving B&B. $182 total for two nights got us a no frills private room, balcony, and traditional breakfast made with love. Our hosts were oh so gracious with our iffy arrival and even offered our $ back for the first night we spent in Taitung. They also did airport pick up & drop off, again accommodating our modified plans, and allowed us to indulge in one of their many scooters to cruise around. Talk about 7 stars.
Ahhhh, upon heading back to the city, the Regent Taipei could’ve kept me forever. We indulged in a club access room with insanely good service and could not have been more pleased. ~$1200 for 3 nights total, inclusive of a scrumptious breakfast, tea time, and stellar happy hour in a world class lounge. Tack on the best sauna/steam room/cold plunge facilities I’ve ever experienced, and Jon had to pry me out of there.
For our single night in Taichung, the Millennium Hotel Taichung was perfect. At $140 inclusive of breakfast and a gym + sauna that alllmost didn’t make us miss the Regent (total lie), Taiwan’s hotel prices are tough to beat. Particularly with each lavish breakfast that we took full advantage of while crushing work daily.
We rounded out the trip in the clouds of Alishan, at its Tea Garden B&B for $125/night, with breakfast to boot. We opted to book dinner here as well, for a whopping $13. Hot pot in the clouds! Talk about everything made and shared with love.
Surprise bonus! Because of our cancelled island flight on day 1, we quickly booked one of very few hotels with a sauna in Taitung, the Sheraton. At ~$160/night when booking day of (using our tried & true process of course), the single best part of this hotel is that you legit step outside of it into the night market.
Runabout tips:
- Highly, highly recommend each spot above. I will forever seek out club access when booking trip hotels. Thank you, Regent, for changing our lives. Forever.
- Recommend living that island life before indulging in the sights, sounds, smells, and delectable eats that Taipei has to offer. The city is overwhelming in the absolute best way, so perhaps save that gloriousness for last. Or bookend the trip with that that city life.
Where does the time go?!
The 14 hour time difference made for interesting work days, with our team working basically throughout each of our nights. Like any place, totally possible to make it work, and we did with little heartburn.
How far does your mula go?
As of Nov. 2024, the exchange rate was $1 USD to ~31 NT (new Taiwan dollar).
We brought plenty of cash to change over, and thank goodness because this is hardly a cashless society. Not too surprising given the plentiful markets and low cost food and goods.
Plastic def does not rule.
What to do.
Lyudao, island paradise (+ a surprise stint in Taitung).
Little Cayman meets Providencia, with a (tiny) dollop of Malta.
What to do:
- Dive! I had contacted our dive resort B&B to book diving with Lambert, but he snoozed on a response, so we went with the super responsive folks at Islands Dive. Looked very legit, and the cost was on point at just under $200 for our 4 dives + gear.
- What did we see? Everything. The visibility was unmatched, which made for close encounters with many tiny creatures including nudie branches and baby cuttlefish, a giant sting ray that (lucky for us) seemed far away from home, an equally impressive puffer fish, eels, and bright – often neon – corral everywhere. Again unmatched.
- Cruise the entire island by scooter! Holy smokes on some of these sights.
- Little Great Wall
- Zhaori Hot Springs, perhaps for sunrise
- Sea Cave
- Sleeping Beauty Rock
- Sika Deer Park
- Many more awesome sights that you’ll stumble across when traversing the island, including rock formations, a former prison, memorial site, and breathtaking views all over the place. Sunset cruise to the max.
- Speaking of, sunset & sunrise! Not often we basically have an island to ourselves. Altho… call us insanely lucky for this to be 2024’s numero dos after our San Blas, Panama adventure.
- Fave grub spots.
- Zha Nan street food
- Miduo
- Mrs. Kojima ramen
- A Place Bar for drinks. No food but you can BYOF. Thanks to our first island bartender friend for the rec!
- Random spots & stands with Chinese omelettes, bao, homemade soy & rice milk of all varieties + bomb soup.
Taitung!
Our unexpected one night in Taitung was an awesome way to kick off the Taiwan adventure (in addition to the ridic good breakfast we’d already had in Taipei. Talk about a warm (soupy) welcome). Complete with our first Taiwanese night market, giant Christmas enthusiasm, and the single best bite of the trip for this girl, our post 20+ hours of travel reprieve was perfect.
What to do: Eat your lil heart out, check out the Lights Festival (depending on time of yr), peruse the cute shops and vendors nearby, and hit up the night market to round out the night.
Grub spots: Mita’ay, Tatung Chang’s Oyster Noodles (so. damn. good.), the night market.
Runabout tips:
- If you’re okay trading a bit of (traditional) luxury for insane above ground and under water nature, please don’t snooze on this spot. Totally unique and worth the trek. A different kind of luxury.
- Stay in Taitung for a night on the way in, esp if you’ve had a full day of travel into Taiwan. You cannot beat the location of the Sheraton Taitung.
- TTT airport does have beer. Head to the shop looking structure directly outside of the airport (there are only 2 buildings), buy beers at the shop, and try out the soup & dumplings at the lovely family run restaurant inside the store. Bask in that sunshine as you indulge and watch out for thirsty cats.
Taipei traipsing.
New York meets Tokyo, with a sprinkle of Beijing. Love.
This is tough. You can’t go wrong, so have at it on the exploration of this awesome city. I”ll share a few of our faves. Happy adventuring!
What to do (other than eat & drink. You know, if you take a small break).
- Sauna/steam room/cold plunge! Yea, I went there. Get yourself to the Regent’s Health Club and then tell me I’m wrong. I dare you.
- Night markets! Faves: Ningxia and Raohe. Before you head onto Raohe St., check out the Shongshan Ciyou temple conveniently perched at its edge.
- Addiction Aquatic – Before you indulge in Japanese goodness, peruse the Fish Market!
- Dihua street – Recommend doing this before the amazing night markets to avoid being underwhelmed, and because you can do this before nighttime hits.
- Makong gondola – Awesome, unique experience at each station (you’ll see). Try to go on a nice day, as early as you can to avoid lines, and allow a good chunk of time to both get here from the city and leisurely stroll through the different levels. Must – tea at a tea house on top of the mountain. Mm mmm. FYI that this is closed on Mondays.
- Hike Elephant Mountain – Try for sunset. Easy ~.5 mile hike.
- Hit up a park. There are many, and we thought 228 Peace Memorial Park was cool, mostly for the walk over and abundant use of the park by locals for lunch and otherwise.
- Botanical Garden – Cute stroll through was perfect before our afternoon dumpling crawl.
- Beitou Hot springs. A local recommended Jia Bin Ge hotel as a place he’s been taking his wife for years. About 30 min outside of the city.
- Between our many Javanti activities, we didn’t have time to indulge in a massage, but (here she goes again), do yourself a favor at book a treatment at the Regent’s Wellspring Spa.
Where to eat & drink: Faves.
- Fuhang soy milk – holy smokes. We promise it’s worth waking up in time to get here for opening @ 5:30am. Trust us. Get the warm soy milk soup. Twice. We don’t recommend loading up on the other stuff. Very first bite in Taipei, and dee. licious.
- Lei Hou – Best shumai we’ve had. In life. Recommend grabbing the 5-shumai variety. Twice. Then heading out to indulge elsewhere.
- Nondescript dumpling spot – Oh yea, had you at nondescript. Pork dumplings are on point, as is the spicy sauce this joint offers.
- Ding Tai Fung – Speaking of nondescript. Riiiight. Honestly, we loved every bite at this super hyped spot. Rosie the robot escorting us to our table and our never-ending sips of local booze goodness didn’t hurt. Musts for this duo: original pork dumplings & the truffle ones.
- Addiction Aquatic & the night markets provided our best meals, yum (see above).
- The Regent Tai Pan club lounge! Breakfast & happy hour snacks were both on point. Clutch for our work mornings. Heyy, Luke!
Runabout tips:
- Small bites, friends. So that you can load up on the insane variety Taipei has to offer.
- Each night market has a distinct feel, some more touristy than others. So don’t be afraid to try them all!
- Stay at the Regent. Obv.
The northeast: a hop over to Yehliu Geopark, Shifen Fall & ahhh, Jiufen.
What to do!
- The Geopark has cool rock formations and is perched alongside the water for a nice stroll. The fall weather we had was perfect. If you’re pressed for time tho, not a must. About 40 min from Taipei city.
- Shifen Waterfall was another fun excursion about 40 min from the Geopark. Not the most impressive falls we’ve seen but nothing to scoff at either, particularly with the fun eats and sights to boot.
- Jiufen Old Street, another 40 min drive from Shifen, is 100% worth a stop. If you can, stay a night in this gorgeous, fun, delicious spot that’s great for souvenirs as well.
- Catch a stunning sunset in Jiufen. We had no idea it would be so beautiful here.
Where to eat & drink!
- This spot had a super long line… for dumplings maybe. Let us know how (& what) it is if you give it a go!
- Second best soup of the trip was very near the spot above. Mmm beef soup with a view.
- Indulge in the tons of shops enticing you with Alishan tea, sweets, fried squid, milk sticks (yum), you name it. With our 3 hour drive ahead, we grabbed snacks & hit the road.
- Stay in Jiufen for a night! The B&Bs are super cute.
Taichung + Sun Moon Lake + Alishan!
Taichung worked out perfectly to split up the drive from north to south, and Alishan was the highlight of our trip.
What to do: Pit stop in Taichung.
- Taichung Night Markets. We only hit Fengchia, which was fashion forward. You might try Zhongxiao for a more local feel or Second Market to get a sense of Taichung in the daytime.
- Rainbow Village – Another skip for us given the bustling travel around our stop in TC, but looks cool.
On our way to Alishan, we stopped at Sun Moon Lake for a nice lil ride along the stunning bike trail. This is another spot we would have loved to spend more time in, particularly on a perfect weather day.
- Enter the most gorgeous sunset of the trip. Hike up Eryanping for a stunning ball of fire reward at its end. Relatively challenging given that it’s mostly uphill, but only takes ~30/40 minutes to get up to the top. Worth. every. step.
- Tea houses! We stopped at this one and were treated to a lovely tea experience with the equally lovely Sophie.
- Tea souvenir shopping. We popped into an awesome spot very near this lumber store and bought the most lovely tea set. Friendly faces all around.
Where to eat & drink!
Our faves!
- Ramen at this spot in Taichung. Yum. That pork brine broth hit the spot.
- Hot pot dinner served up at our Alishan B&B. Scrumptious, as was breakfast. Thank you, Jessica!
Runabout tips:
- Taichung was a perfect stop, but if you can instead stay in Juifen and make the 4 hour & change drive directly to Alishan, have at it!
- Or better, stay the night in Sun Moon Lake and then head to Alishan the following day.
Dang it felt good to be back in Asia since our last stint in 2019, yowza.
Top 5 eats: 1. Oyster noodle soup (Taitung), 2. Fuhang Soy Milk (Taipei), 3. Pork Bao (Green Island), 4. Hot pot (Alishan), 5. Fuzhou black pepper buns (Taipei, Raohe Night Market)
Top 5 sights: 1. Alishan sunset, 2. Little Great Wall (Green Island), 3. Green Island sea life, 4. Taipei night markets, 5. Sun Moon Lake bike ride
Amazing holiday, indeed. We will be back!
