Day 6 - Drive to Hualian
Qinshui Cliff - 清水斷崖
Yunshanshui Park - 花蓮雲山水
Yen Hotspring Hotel 元湯溫泉居
We rented a car from 中租租車 in Taipei and headed down to Hualian. The drive took about three hours to get to the hotel. Our recommendation — Don’t book the Yen Hotspring hotel if you plan to visit Taroke National Park the next day or if you plan to drive back up to Taipei. The hotel is very nice, but it’s about 45min south of the city, so it’d only make sense if you plan to continue the drive southward from Hualian. We didn’t realize the location when booking so did quite a bit of extra driving as a result.
Qinshui Cliff - 清水斷崖
The first stop on the way is Qingshui Cliff, which is literally on the side of the cliffside road. There are two separate stops, each with a short walking paths to the bottom, but the one we chose stopped short of the beach, so no way to get to the water. It’s still a nice stop that breaks up the long drive and provides some beautiful scenery where you can stretch your legs and get a nice walk.
Yunshanshui Park - 花蓮雲山水
This place is gorgeous! So many IG-worthy picture spots, it almost looks fake! The tickets to enter are cheap. Walk around the lake, get some nice pictures on the colorful Adirondack chairs, and walk across the street to the water cascade area for more nice shots. We got here pretty late in the day, but still really enjoyed the nice walk around the park where we soaked in all the gorgeous views. Highly recommended.
Skip the bike rental, you don’t need it, the bikes would just limit the places you can walk to.
Yen Hotspring Hotel 元湯溫泉居
We stayed here for two nights, and it was quite nice. It’s owned by a couple who took years to design and build the property and you can tell this is their pride and joy. The hotel is very nice, the owner lady was super friendly and nice. There is a hot spring bath in each bedroom and the rooms are huge! There are also outdoor tubs too that are available upon request, as well as a nice sparkling pool. The owner took time to explain to us everything we need to know about the property and the hot spring water. We only used the in-room hot tub and it was nice. The only downside is the location — It’s about 45min south of Hualian, so be prepared for the drive.
There is a small night market that’s just 5-minutes away by car. Don’t get there too late or the stands may run out of their popular dishes. There’s also a pretty decent restaurant there also if you’re tired of night market food, and some convenience stores for quick supplies. Breakfast is included at the hotel, but since they prepare set meals for each guest, reservations are required and the earliest time slot is 8am I believe. We left early the first morning to go to Taroke so missed breakfast, but enjoyed it the second day and it was delicious.