Minsu 民宿, also known as bed & breakfast (b&b) or homestay is an unique accomodation alternative to the conventional hotels in Taiwan. What makes Minsu a popular choice for tourists is that they often have specific theme to it such as the Mediterranean Sea or English Cottage.
Aside from that, you get to interact closely with hospitable Minsu owners. Since they are locals, it makes it ideal to ask them for recommendations on the must-try food and must-go places in the area.
When my family and I were planning a trip to Taiwan last year, we thought why not give Minsu a try just so we could immerse ourselves in the friendly Taiwanese culture.
I first came across Minsu in Taiwan dramas and when it was featured in some Taiwan Variety Show. There was even an episode on 女人我最大 that focus on Taiwan Minsu.
3 Tips on choosing a Minsu
1) Google 'Minsu' or '民宿'. Add keywords such as your preferred theme, eg. cottage style or the specific county you are heading to, eg. yilan.
2) Google for reviews post by guests whom have previously stayed at the Minsu you have shortlisted so that you can manage your expectations.
During an episode of 女人我最大, the host, 蓝心湄 commented that one should be careful especially when booking a Minsu as there are cases where tourists arrived at the supposedly location of the Minsu, only to find out that it doesn't exist at all!
3) Google for Minsu to accomodate the total no. of pax. Minsu is great for families as well as when travelling with a group of friends as they normally have rooms to accomodate 4 pax.
Paying for Minsu accommodation
1) Deposit via Paypal
We paid a 30% deposit via Paypal for our 2 night stay at 盛軒莊.
2) Remaining amount via cash upon arrival
Getting to Yilan, Luodong from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (by Railway)
We took the midnight flight from Singapore and touched down at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at about 5.45am.
Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station
From Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, we took 國光客運 Guoguang bus 1819 to Taipei Main Station 臺北火車站.
Taipei Main Station to Luodong Station (by Taipei Railway)
From Taipei Main Station 臺北火車站, we took Taiwan Railways 臺鐵 (Tze Chiang Express) to Luodong Station 羅東車站. The duration of the journey is about 1.5 hours.
Travel tip:Try Taiwan Railways Bento.
Taiwan Railways Bento 台湾鐵路便當
Pork Ribs Bento 排骨便當, NT$60 (approx SGD 2.50)
Travel tip:If you are taking a morning train, get the bento from Taiwan Railways Bento Shop located at Taipei Main Station before boarding the train as chances are there won't be any for sale on the train that early. I learnt that the hard way during my Taiwan trip 2012.
Taiwan Railways Bento Shop at Taipei Main Station 臺北火車站 臺鐵便當本舖
臺鐵便當本舖 臺鐵便當 Taiwan Railways Bento menu and price
We reached Luodong Station at about 10.30am.
Arrived at Luodong Station
At Luodong Station, there are two exits - rear exit and front exit.
Getting to 盛軒莊 from Luodong Station
Our Minsu, 盛軒莊 is located at Zhanqian North Road.
To get to 盛軒莊, take the front exit and you will see 聯強電信聯盟 upon exiting. Turn right and walk straight.
Once you see 欣和代書事務所, the Minsu 盛軒莊 is on your right!
When we arrived at 盛軒莊, we were shocked that there wasn't anyone around despite the fact that we informed the owner our estimated time of arrival. Thank God that Li Xuan and Si Ling had the hunch to get Taiwan prepaid sim card at Taipei Station so that we can call the owner to let her know that we have reached already. Apparently, the owners of 盛軒莊 run a breakfast shop in the vicinity so they are mostly there in the morning.
Us waiting for the owner of 盛軒莊 to arrive
We waited for a good 15-20 minutes before the owner arrived in her scooter. She apologized by telling us that their breakfast shop gets real busy in the morning. We asked if we could do an early check-in but we were told that the rooms weren't ready. Luckily, there's a common restroom on the ground floor where we could use to freshen ourselves up a little.
The owner of 盛軒莊 suggested that we leave our luggage in the Minsu and head out for lunch so that they can prepare our rooms in the meantime. We asked them for recommendations on where to have good local fare and they recommended 年年小館 Nian Nian Xiao Guan for traditional Yilan dishes aka 古早味. I will cover the must-eat food in Yilan in a separate blog post.
After lunch, we explored the area around Luodong Station by foot, checked out the local Yilan snacks such as ox-tongue biscuits etc before heading back to the Minsu.
When we got back to the Minsu, we were greeted by the owner's Mom whom is probably in her late 60s or early 70s. She told us that her children opened 盛軒莊 for her so that she would have something to work on after retirement. The owner's Mom stays in the Minsu so if there's anything that you require her help, you can look for her.
We were feeling a little puzzled when we saw that our luggage were still at the ground floor despite the fact that our rooms were ready. The owner's Mom apologized by telling us that our luggage is a tad huge and a little too heavy for her to carry up the stairs. FYI, there are no lifts in a Minsu because it is someone's house. As our rooms are at level 3 and 4, we had to lug our luggages up the stairs. For the bigger luggages, it took two of us to lug it up. Thus, if you are travelling with kids or in a group of (not-so-strong) girls, this might pose as a concern for you.
Travel Tip: Ask for rooms on the ground floor or at the very most, rooms on the 2nd storey if you are travelling with the elderly or in a group of girls.
On the 3th floor is English Cottage themed room and on the 4th floor is Mediterranean Sea themed room.
Mommy and I share a room with Grandpa on the 3rd for Grandpa's convenience so that he don't have to climb an additional storey while my Aunt shared the room on the 4th with my cousins.
Travel Tip: Always check which level is your desired room at before booking so as to ensure that everyone will be comfortable during the stay.
Ta-dah! Presenting to you.. Our rooms over at 盛軒莊.
地中海風情人 Mediterranean Sea themed room
英式鄉村風 English Cottage themed room
Complimentary tea bags and coffee
tsaio Camelia Nourishing Shampoo and Scutellaria Firming Body Wash
Shower cap, Shaving kit, Comb and Dental kit
Towels and Hair Dryer
Breakfast
8.30am - 10.30am
Minsu are also called bed & breakfast for a reason because they provide a bed for you to rest and breakfast to recharge you!
Check out our sumptuous Yilan style breakfast. For drinks, you could choose either 豆浆 soya milk, 米浆 rice milk or a combination of the both. For food, you can choose from carrot cake, 飯糰 rice roll, 蛋餅 egg crepe or 蘿蔔糕 carrot cake. The owner's Mom will always serve us fruit plates along with breakfast every morning while we were there.
188早餐店 的早餐
Of all the breakfast items, I think the most unique and must try from 188早餐店 would be 燒餅油條 fried fritters.
燒餅油條 Fried fritters
Basically, it is Chinese cruller, 油条 you tiao wrapped with puff pastry.
Amenities:
Refrigerator (common use at L1)En-suite toilet and showerTowelsShampooBody washShower CapShaving KitCombDental KitHair dryerToilet paper Tissue paperFanComplimentary tea bags and coffee sachetsCupsMineral water (replenished everyday)Electrical KettleTV
There are 3 places - outdoor seating, living room and balcony which we love to chill at 盛軒莊 be it in the morning over breakfast or at night when we come back with bags of food from the nearby Luodong Night Market.
Outdoor seating (L1), Living room (L1) and Balcony (L4)
Cleanliness: 4/5
Our rooms were cleaned and packed neatly daily. Generally, I think 盛軒莊 is rather clean apart form the outdoor areas like the balcony on the 4th and outdoor area on the ground floor which I would recommend wearing a pair of slippers before stepping out.
I think the cleanliness part also has to do with the fact that guests have to remove their shoes before going up the stairs.
The complimentary mineral water as well as tea bags were replenished daily.Location: 5/5
One of the reason why we chose 盛軒莊 was because it is just a 2-3 min walk from Luodong Station and less than 10 minutes walk to Luodong Night Market.
Sleep quality: 4/5
Grandpa is usually an early-getter (think 5am) but when we were staying at 盛軒莊, he would still laze in bed till probably 9am and reason being that the pillow and bed are so comfortable.
Even my Mom and Aunt whom can rarely have a good night of sleep outside home said that they managed to have a good albeit few hours of sleep.
Service: 3/5Although the owner's Mom is very hospitable, helpful in giving us recommendations on the must try and must eat in Yilan as well as giving us directions to the nearby Luodong Night Market etc, there's no wifi in 盛軒莊.
Apart from that, we weren't given the keys to the Minsu unlike when staying put at guesthouses and hostels. Thus, we felt that it was a little inconvenient. Probably this is the reason why the owner's Mom would check with us what time can she expect us to be back at the Minsu every morning before we head out. Every evening, when we head back to the Minsu, she would greet us at the gate and open it for us.
Breakfast is delivered to 盛軒莊 the earliest at 8.30am. So if you are an early-getter like Grandpa, Mommy, Aunt and myself, it would be wise to head to the nearby convenience store at Luodong Train Station to get some food. Otherwise, you might want to stock out on beverages and keep them in the refrigerator at L1. I wished there's a refrigerator in our room though!Value: 4/5
Room Price in TWD
(per night) Price in SGD
(per night)
地中海風情人 Mediterranean Sea themed room 4430 183.26
英式鄉村風 English Cottage themed room 3680 152.24
In terms of pricing, it is considered quite steep for accommodation in Taiwan. However, the experience of staying and eating like a local makes up for it - if not, at least the pretty rooms do!Apart from having to lug our luggage up and down the stairs by ourselves, the lack of refrigerator in each room, no wifi and keys to the Minsu provided, the rest of the amenities is pretty much the same as those you find in hotels.
Overall: 4/5
Having said that, I'm glad that I got to experience staying at a Minsu as I am always on the lookout for alternative accommodations whenever I travel. Have you stayed at a Minsu before? Would love to hear from you on any form of alternative accommodations you have experienced before.
盛軒莊 幸福水漾 (Sheng Shuan Zhuang)
No. 23, Zhanqian North Rd,
Luodong Township Yilan County, Taiwan
宜蘭縣羅東鎮戰前北路23號
9564669tw.pixnet.net/blog
Check-in time: 3pm
Check-out time: 11am
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