Zhuqi Township hotels & places to stay

My friend and I stayed in Dang Guei for 2 days when we were at Alishan. First we were really worried about the location as it's far from Alishan Scenic Area and also Chiayi City. But it turned out a very good and pleasure trip with help from Mr. Mark Hong and the staffs there especially Sunny. I highly recommend contacting with Mr. Mark before your trip so they can assist you with the transportation. Sunny was really helpful to us, she was like a tour guide when we stayed at the hotel, took us to Fenqihu and a village to see more about Alishan township for free. In general, we had a really good trip to Alishan, thank you Sunny and Mark.

Location on Agoda is somewhere in the middle between Fenchihu and Alisha Township but it’s WRONG. The hotel is actually in Fenchihu right where the bus stops by car park no. 1. I was worried it will be noisy at night but I slept through all night with no problems (apart I could hear people talking next doors). 5 mins walk to town centre and there’s a trial starting literally from the hotel door steps. Room was clean but old. Bathroom was a the weakest point of the room, old and uninviting. There’s no air-conditioning and fridge in the room as it says on Agoda but you get a thermos (for hot water from the hallway), paper cups, tea and coffee. Shampoo and shower gel are provided. Staff doesn’t speak English but is eager to help with printouts (some in English) and generally explaining everything in Chinese. The lady on reception was super nice, the gentlemen at first seemed rude but when we got back from exploring he offered us some tea and was smiling. Breakfast was cold and not to our taste but you can go for toast with various toppings (peanut butter, jams, chocolate). Overall one of few budget options to stay in this area, it’s great for 1-2 nights, bed was comfy and linen fresh.

Before our stay, they were very prompt in replying our enquiries. Despite having reminded us through email about transport options, we overlooked and forgot to book a transport. We couldn’t find the bus stop at fenchihu for the bus to get there and we had heavy luggages so wasn’t convenient to walk around looking for it. The owner was very prompt in helping us to arrange for a transport. Very thankful for the quick response. The Liu family were very warm and hospitable but will leave us with enough privacy when needed. Senior Mr Liu on hearing we wanted to see cherry blossoms, made a good suggestion and brought us to the cherry blossom trail and met us at the shizhuo to fetch us back in his car. He also ferried us to a good restaurant at night for dinner. The next day his son Karsing fetched us to and fro the bus stop for bus to Alishan. At night we also had a great talk over tea. The room was very clean with good hot showers, warm soft blankets, pillows that were firm enough, the best pillows we had on this trip! They were very nice to give us an extra pillow for our toddler when we requested. The breakfast was good with porridge and many home cooked dishes. Plenty of fresh cut fruits which my little one enjoyed very much! View at the dining area is a wonderful mountain view. The viewing area at 6th floor is so convenient for us to see the sunrise while our little one continued to sleep! One of our most enjoyable stay in Taiwan and will highly recommend to our friends. If I had to nitpick, it will be that because we were boarding the bus to alishan at mid level, the bus was full and so we had no seats. But it wasn’t too much of a problem as mid level was much more peaceful and less touristy.

We decided to spend one night in Fenchihu en route from Alishan to Tainan, as we felt the couple of hours between bus arrival from Alishan and train departure to Chiayi wouldn’t be quite enough to enjoy all Fenchihu has to offer (the old street, square bamboo, cedar plank walkways, famous lunch boxes). There was not a lot of information online about Yeashow Villa, though what reviews we had read were in general positive. The location was right, a short walk from both the bus drop-off point and train station, with easy access to the Fenchihu Old Street, the little shops lining Fenchihu’s main road, the beautiful cedar plank walkways, some temples and other sights. The hotel was a little difficult to find as all signage is in Chinese, and it’s also down a stairway from the main street area. We asked at the “corn thins” shop if he could help, it turned out we were right at the top of the staircase, and in fact he knew the owner of the hotel and kindly assisted us to carry our luggage down the stairs. We were early for check-in so expected to just drop our cases and explore. When we arrived, it became clear that the majority of staff speak no English. When it was noted we didn’t speak Mandarin, their young English speaking staff member originally from the Philippines was called to look after us. She asked our plans, and was about to put our cases in a safe place, when she determined a room was available for check in! Our room was the next floor up, Ana helped carry our cases up the stairs for us. We had booked a quad room to give ourselves a little space. Our room was large, with two queen sized beds, wall mounted TV, desk and chair, another bench, private bathroom, and ceiling fan (airconditioning really isn’t necessary in Fenchihu). We had a view from the room, from a very small balcony, overlooking the rooftops of Fenchihu with plenty of greenery as a backdrop. Hot water was provided in an insulated pot - we were told we could ask for more at any time. Impressive

Owners at Chia Yuen are extremely hospitable and friendly! They offered to pick us up from Shi Zhuo bus station and are very accommodating to send us up and down whenever we need to. Location of the homestay is nested within many tea plantations, away from the bustling area. Quiet, serene, perfect for a good night's rest. The only drawback was the room was a tad cold as it is uncommon for most rooms in Taiwan to be fitted with a heater. Room is super clean and comfortable.

This place was centrally located in Fenqihu above a famous bento box restaurant. The rooms are clean and the staff are helpful/friendly. Overall, I'd recommend Yahu Hotel, especially because many Alishan hotels are very overpriced in my opinion and Yahu Hotel is much more reasonable in comparison. Plus Fenqihu is a very cute down and lovely to spend the night in. If you want a weekend away instead of a day trip to Alishan, then Yahu Hotel is the way to go!

Great hospitality and owner are friendly and nice. They even guide us to some interested point nearby; and because they are very knowledgeable about the culture and history, it made our trip a very fun one and definitely we will visit again in different season to watch the stars and the fire bugs. It's really a place to forget the city life.... offering fresh air, fresh food and I think it also a good place for meditation.

I read that the owner would transport guests between their farm and Shizhuo or Fenchihu anytime,as their property is between both and 5 min drive away. That was the reason why I booked this place knowing it is inconvenient without a car. However I was wrong. While at Fen on the first day, I booked the next day's only 2pm Alishan train forest to return to Chiayi, thinking that I could catch a bus to Fen after touring Alishan in the morning. But when I arrived at Alishan at 8 plus in the morning (taking the scheduled 2nd trip public bus that came from Chiayi), I realised that the scheduled bus to Fen (to take my train) leaves at either 10+ am or 3+ pm. Neither was good as that would mean I either don't see much of Alishan or miss my train. So I thought if I could get a bus back to Shizhuo (every hour), maybe the owner could drive me to Fen to catch my train. I called him to explain my situation but he said that since I had checked out he wanted to charge NT500! Not recommended, inconvenient and time wasted; plus I had to pay NT50 at Alishan to deposit my luggage. Besides, do not be deceived by the photos. They put us in the old wing. First room toilet choked. Room floor sticky. There was no mochi making. The only fun thing (30min) was the night walk in the forest; supposedly looking for fireflies, luminous fungi, flying fox, which we did not see!

I traveled to Alishan with wife and 14 months baby gal. It was a trip filled with anxiety with baby. At Alishan, we experienced various degree of hospitality at different accommodations, but none beats the warmth of Tian Yi. to summarize, here are some key points. Location Is conveniently located on a main road but away from the traffic and our room faces the tea plantation and mountain. We see sea of cloud in the morning and evening as well. It sure make the day. A 10min walk away is a small town with 711 and shops where one can choose to have meals. One can walk around the plantation (at night with owner' guide, one can see firefly even in winter which is a rare). Since it is conveniently located with public transport, traveling to places is simple. Hospitality The owner and his wife are a great example of good host. They were flexible to our needs. We requested to have porridge for our baby and it was prepared up to the day we left. She even packed a porridge for us to take away. We were touched by this simple gesture. Food We were treated to simple organic breakfast and dinner. The vegetables were picked from the owner' farm. The soya drink were hand made by the owner. Tour We were taken to place by the owner's wife and showed around FengQiHu and treated to authentic local food known only to local cause it is not easy to locate. We have a good time. Others include sunrise etc. She was flexible and cater to our needs and situation (when it started to rain). We were also given tour of the tea making process and if you like to hand on, you are welcomed too. Owner and wife Both are very hand on person. They showed great affection for their work and did their best to ensure we are properly taken care of. So for someone who rarely writes review, Tian Yi impressed me. It definitely a one stop place for visiting Alishan value for money and did not disappoint. Cheers.