Travel period: 29th April 2015 - 5th May 2015 (7 Days / 6 Nights)
We decided to switch our travel plan to Taiwan when we had to cancel our Gold Coast trip. Our 1st trip to Taiwan was more like a business trip and only stayed in Taipei, which we didnt really like. This time, we are planning to venture out of the capital and hopefully get to enjoy the beautiful parts of Taiwan.
Geography
There are so many counties in Taiwan and so little time. We are basically very chill travellers and prefers to go at very slow pace. We decided to cover 3 areas during our 7 days trip. Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport. We will head south to Miaoli (苗栗) - Flying Cow Ranch, Nantou (南投) - Green Green Grasslands, before heading back north and conclude our trip at Taipei (台北).
Air Tickets - Tigerair
Just 2 weeks before our departure, I managed to find reasonable air fares via Tigerair to Taipei. As flight timings are span across lunch times, we top-up to get the combo fares which include seat selection (a must for me!) and hot meals for all four of us and bought 30 kg of luggage outbound and 50 kg of luggage inbound. I paid in total S$1,409.44 (Average of S$352.36 each). I was quite happy with the price.
THEN guessed what, 12 hours before we board the plane, Papa M told me that he needed to be back by 5 pm on 5th May to attend a project meeting! So its either he changed his flight and come back few hours earlier alone or we pay for the amendments for everyone and fly back together. Exact words from the irritant: "I suggest we pay for the flight change for everyone and save you half the agony of flying with 2 kids." (Excuse me while I slam his head on the table).
So, with S$70 amendment each, fares difference and admin charges. we had to pay an additional of S$400 to change to an earlier flight back. Oh crap!
Travel Visa
No visa needed for tourist visiting Taiwan.
Car Rental
Singaporeans with driving license will need to apply for an International Driving Permit in order to drive in Taiwan. It's not too difficult to get one.
Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport, Terminal 1. From what I gathered from friends and blog pages, the only rental company that has collection directly in the airport terminal is Ching Bing (庆宾租车). However, they were fully sold when I contacted them. I had to go with my 2nd alternative, Easy Rent (和运租车). Easy Rent does not have collection points in the airport. However, they are about 10 mins drive away. We called them after we got our luggages and the prepaid SIM card and the staff came to pick us up within 30 mins.
Most rental companies provide GPS and child seat free of charge but you need to inform them when you make the reservation. The best advise given to me regarding self driving in Taiwan is that it is essential to get prepaid data SIM and Google Maps is more accurate than any stand alone GPS.
Websites that are helpful for me
Most of the car models that we wanted were reserved and we had to take whatever is available, which is a Nissan Livina 1.6. The staff was pretty efficient and provided the car registration number with the confirmation. (no deposit was needed). We paid NT7,140 (S$317.33) for 3 days of rental which includes 1 GPS and 1 child seat. (we brought a booster seat from Singapore for Bay). They allow us to collect near to the Taoyuan airport and return at Taipei Main Station, which is near to our hotel
Accommodation
It is not so straight forward when it comes to booking for accommodation in Taiwan. Most of the more established hotels can be booked through Hotel.com. Minsu (民宿), which basically means bed and breakfast run by a local family, can be booked through Agoda.com. For the rest, one will still need to call (yes, IDD charges!) or email them to make a reservation and do a bank transfer to them (bank charge applies!) or provide credit card details to them for a deposit.
Since we only planned this trip 2 weeks before our departure, searching and booking for accommodation is my nightmare. Most of the websites are in traditional chinese and gives me a headache when I try to read them and I could only guess 50% of the contend. Fortunately, there are alot of bloggers sharing their valuable experience and it really helped me a lot
Hsinchu (新竹)
This is the first accommodation that I booked as it is located 47 km south of the Taoyuan International Airport (45 minutes drive) and I thought it would be a good place to relax from our flight before chionging the itineraries. End up cancelling this booking as I saw the availability of The Old England Manor in Cingjing and would rather spend my budget on that instead. Moreover, we just went to feed the giraffes in the Singapore zoo and this place seems similar. Cancelled through Hotel.com with exchange rate loss of S$6.98
Miaoli (苗栗)
I didnt search for other accommodations in Miaoli. The only reason why we decided to go to Miaoli is for The Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場)
Nantou, Cingjing (南投, 清境)
There are so many minsu (民宿) in Cingjing. Actually, the area should be called Ren-ai (仁愛) when you try to search for accommodation, but most people know it as Cingjing named after the famous Cingjing Farm (清境农场).
Websites that are helpful for me
I'm not kidding when I said that alot of minsu in my preference list is all fully booked. I had contacted so many! We will be there during the Labour Day long weekend. By some stroke of luck, I saw on Hotel.com one last room is available for the best minsu in Cingjing and I grabbed it immediately! I heard usually one will need to make reservation months ahead.
We splurged S$492.78 (ouch! and its after a 8% discount code) for our 1st night stay in the most expensive and most highly rated hotel in Cingjing, The Old England Hotel Manor, (老英格蘭莊園). We top up S$200 for set dinner and breakfast buffet (with free in-room mini bar and red wine) during check-in (豁出去了啦!). All the decor are supposedly imported from Europe and fitted with some super branded sound system that costed a bomb. Also they provided Hermes and Bvlgari toiletries! Surprisingly, they were very tolerant to kids. Definitely will stay there again!
For our 2nd night Cingjing, we will move back to Earth and booked Yunwu B&B (清境雲舞樓民宿) minsu. This is the best (positive reviews) out of what is available in Agoda.com in the earthling price range and within 10 minutes walk from the little town area of Cingjing.
Taipei (台北)
A friend highly recommended that we stay at Taipei Main Station (iTaipei Service Apartment or Master Inn), especially if we are using Taipei as a base and doing day trips to places like Jiufen, Shifen, Beitou, etc.
It was shown as fully booked on reservation websites but when I emailed (itaipei@mail.jsl.com.tw) to them, there is a suite still available for us. iTaipei is conveniently located above the Main Station and Qsquare mall.
One thing that wasnt mentioned clearly in any reviews was the checking in. iTaipei Service Apartment is not a hotel and you will not find the normal hotel lobby. Check-in is done at a shop on the outer circumference of the Qsquare mall. Within 5 mins walk from metro Main Station Y3 exit. It took us quite a while (driving in circles in the carpark) and calling the counter staff numerous times before finding the check-in shop
Itinerary
Day 1: 29th April 2015, Wednesday
Singapore - Taiwan
Taoyuan - Miaoli, Flying Cow Ranch
Day 4: 2nd May 2015, Saturday
Nantou, Cingjing
Note to self:
Forget about returning the car for future trips. End up, covering less than 30% of the places planned for Day 5 and 6, totally skipping Jiufen and Shifen. We are lazy travellers who cannot drag ourselves around without a car. Self driving itinerary works best for us!
Useful tips from websites:
We decided to switch our travel plan to Taiwan when we had to cancel our Gold Coast trip. Our 1st trip to Taiwan was more like a business trip and only stayed in Taipei, which we didnt really like. This time, we are planning to venture out of the capital and hopefully get to enjoy the beautiful parts of Taiwan.
Geography
 |
| Taiwan main island is about 50 times the area of Singapore. We are covering the north-western and central counties of Taiwan during this trip Taoyuan (桃园), Miaoli (苗栗), Nantou (南投) and Taipei (台北) |
There are so many counties in Taiwan and so little time. We are basically very chill travellers and prefers to go at very slow pace. We decided to cover 3 areas during our 7 days trip. Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport. We will head south to Miaoli (苗栗) - Flying Cow Ranch, Nantou (南投) - Green Green Grasslands, before heading back north and conclude our trip at Taipei (台北).
 |
| Our area of coverage during this trip |
Air Tickets - Tigerair
Just 2 weeks before our departure, I managed to find reasonable air fares via Tigerair to Taipei. As flight timings are span across lunch times, we top-up to get the combo fares which include seat selection (a must for me!) and hot meals for all four of us and bought 30 kg of luggage outbound and 50 kg of luggage inbound. I paid in total S$1,409.44 (Average of S$352.36 each). I was quite happy with the price.
THEN guessed what, 12 hours before we board the plane, Papa M told me that he needed to be back by 5 pm on 5th May to attend a project meeting! So its either he changed his flight and come back few hours earlier alone or we pay for the amendments for everyone and fly back together. Exact words from the irritant: "I suggest we pay for the flight change for everyone and save you half the agony of flying with 2 kids." (Excuse me while I slam his head on the table).
So, with S$70 amendment each, fares difference and admin charges. we had to pay an additional of S$400 to change to an earlier flight back. Oh crap!
Travel Visa
No visa needed for tourist visiting Taiwan.
Car Rental
Singaporeans with driving license will need to apply for an International Driving Permit in order to drive in Taiwan. It's not too difficult to get one.
Our flight will touch down at Taoyuan International Airport, Terminal 1. From what I gathered from friends and blog pages, the only rental company that has collection directly in the airport terminal is Ching Bing (庆宾租车). However, they were fully sold when I contacted them. I had to go with my 2nd alternative, Easy Rent (和运租车). Easy Rent does not have collection points in the airport. However, they are about 10 mins drive away. We called them after we got our luggages and the prepaid SIM card and the staff came to pick us up within 30 mins.
Most rental companies provide GPS and child seat free of charge but you need to inform them when you make the reservation. The best advise given to me regarding self driving in Taiwan is that it is essential to get prepaid data SIM and Google Maps is more accurate than any stand alone GPS.
Websites that are helpful for me
- How to get an International Driving Permit (parkablogs.com)
- Car Rental in Taoyuan International Airport (taiwanese-secrets.com)
Most of the car models that we wanted were reserved and we had to take whatever is available, which is a Nissan Livina 1.6. The staff was pretty efficient and provided the car registration number with the confirmation. (no deposit was needed). We paid NT7,140 (S$317.33) for 3 days of rental which includes 1 GPS and 1 child seat. (we brought a booster seat from Singapore for Bay). They allow us to collect near to the Taoyuan airport and return at Taipei Main Station, which is near to our hotel
 |
| Information provided with the reservation confirmation. The car allocated to us was almost brand new with a milage of 5610 km! |
Accommodation
It is not so straight forward when it comes to booking for accommodation in Taiwan. Most of the more established hotels can be booked through Hotel.com. Minsu (民宿), which basically means bed and breakfast run by a local family, can be booked through Agoda.com. For the rest, one will still need to call (yes, IDD charges!) or email them to make a reservation and do a bank transfer to them (bank charge applies!) or provide credit card details to them for a deposit.
Since we only planned this trip 2 weeks before our departure, searching and booking for accommodation is my nightmare. Most of the websites are in traditional chinese and gives me a headache when I try to read them and I could only guess 50% of the contend. Fortunately, there are alot of bloggers sharing their valuable experience and it really helped me a lot
Hsinchu (新竹)
This is the first accommodation that I booked as it is located 47 km south of the Taoyuan International Airport (45 minutes drive) and I thought it would be a good place to relax from our flight before chionging the itineraries. End up cancelling this booking as I saw the availability of The Old England Manor in Cingjing and would rather spend my budget on that instead. Moreover, we just went to feed the giraffes in the Singapore zoo and this place seems similar. Cancelled through Hotel.com with exchange rate loss of S$6.98
 |
| Leofoo Resort, Guanxi - Cancelled! Conga Sky Room, 2 double beds, Max 4 pax S$440 per night (pictures from Internet) |
Miaoli (苗栗)
I didnt search for other accommodations in Miaoli. The only reason why we decided to go to Miaoli is for The Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場)
 |
| Flying Cow Ranch (飛牛牧場), 60 rooms available Standard Quadruple Room (標準雙床), 2 double beds, Max 4 pax NT3,230 (S$145) per night, inclusive of breakfast, coupons to exchange for free fresh milk and night baking DIY (pictures from Internet) |
Nantou, Cingjing (南投, 清境)
There are so many minsu (民宿) in Cingjing. Actually, the area should be called Ren-ai (仁愛) when you try to search for accommodation, but most people know it as Cingjing named after the famous Cingjing Farm (清境农场).
Websites that are helpful for me
- Recommended minsu in Cingjing (travelclassroom.net)
I'm not kidding when I said that alot of minsu in my preference list is all fully booked. I had contacted so many! We will be there during the Labour Day long weekend. By some stroke of luck, I saw on Hotel.com one last room is available for the best minsu in Cingjing and I grabbed it immediately! I heard usually one will need to make reservation months ahead.
 |
| The Old England Manor (老英格蘭莊園), 19 rooms available Superior Quadruple Room, 2 double beds, Max 4 pax S$500 including taxes for room (Pictures from internet) |
We splurged S$492.78 (ouch! and its after a 8% discount code) for our 1st night stay in the most expensive and most highly rated hotel in Cingjing, The Old England Hotel Manor, (老英格蘭莊園). We top up S$200 for set dinner and breakfast buffet (with free in-room mini bar and red wine) during check-in (豁出去了啦!). All the decor are supposedly imported from Europe and fitted with some super branded sound system that costed a bomb. Also they provided Hermes and Bvlgari toiletries! Surprisingly, they were very tolerant to kids. Definitely will stay there again!
 |
| Yunwu B&B (雲舞樓民宿), 16 rooms available Deluxe Family, 3 double beds, Max 6 pax S$260 including taxes with breakfast |
Taipei (台北)
A friend highly recommended that we stay at Taipei Main Station (iTaipei Service Apartment or Master Inn), especially if we are using Taipei as a base and doing day trips to places like Jiufen, Shifen, Beitou, etc.
 |
| iTaipei Service Apartment (京站一館) Specialty Suite (1 living room, 2 bedrooms - 1 double bed and 1 single bed, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom), Max 3 pax S$280 per night including taxes. No breakfast |
One thing that wasnt mentioned clearly in any reviews was the checking in. iTaipei Service Apartment is not a hotel and you will not find the normal hotel lobby. Check-in is done at a shop on the outer circumference of the Qsquare mall. Within 5 mins walk from metro Main Station Y3 exit. It took us quite a while (driving in circles in the carpark) and calling the counter staff numerous times before finding the check-in shop
 |
| Check-in shop for iTaipei Service Apartment Turn left from metro Main Station Y3 exit, walk along the building outer circumference, passed the carpark entrance It will be quite troublesome if it is raining as there wasnt any drop-off point near the shop (you could stop by the roadside) (pictures from Internet) |
Itinerary
Day 1: 29th April 2015, Wednesday
Singapore - Taiwan
- take off at 8.55 am in Singapore Changi Airport - Terminal 2
- touch down at 1.45 pm in Taoyuan International Airport - Terminal 1
- collect luggage, buy pre-paid 3G card
- call for free pickup service to collect rental car
Taoyuan - Miaoli, Flying Cow Ranch
- drive to Miaoli (120 km, 1 hr 30 mins)
- check-in to Flying Cow Ranch
- stroll around the ranch
- dinner in ranch - Milk base steamboat
- 8pm - DIY activities
Useful tips from websites:
- Farm activities, must try milk base steam boat (ajugglingmom.com)
- taxi ride from Taoyuan International Airport is about NT2,000
- airport pickup service arrangement by Flying Cow Ranch is NT2,900
- Car rental per day NT2,380
Day 2: 30th April 2015, Thursday
Miaoli, Flying Cow Ranch
- ranch activities
- breakfast in ranch
- ranch activities / DIY activities
- check-out from Flying Cow Ranch
- lunch in ranch
Miaoli - Nantou, Cingjing
- drive to Cingjing (140 km, 2 hrs 30 mins)
- check-in to Old England Manor
- stroll around the manor
- dinner
Day 3: 1st May 2015, Friday (Labour Day Public Holiday)
Nantou, Cingjing
- breakfast in manor
- relax in room
- check-out from Old England Manor
- drive to Yunwu B&B
- lunch
- free minsu shuttle to Cingjing Farm
- walk downhill from Cingjing Farm to 7-11 area
- dinner
- walk back to minsu
Useful tips from websites:
- to hire driver from Miaoli - Cingjing (NT3,000, papa23tw@yahoo.com.tw)
- Car rental per day NT2,380
- Get to Cingjing from Taichung HSR station (alectravelguide.com)
- Get to Cingjing from Taoyuan Airport, Old England Manor high tea, international wifi box (missuschewy.com)
- Dine at Carton King to get free entry to Little Swiss Garden (ajugglingmom.com)
- Green Green Grassland, honey + pollen and shopping tips (cavinteo.blogspot.sg)
- Park car in minsu and catch shuttle up to Cingjing Farm (to avoid walking uphill back to car)
Day 4: 2nd May 2015, Saturday
Nantou, Cingjing
- breakfast in minsu
- check-out from Yunwu B&B
- Little Swiss Garden (get free entry tickets from dining at Carton King)
- lunch in Cingjing
Nantou - Taipei
- drive to Taipei (270 km, 3 hrs 30 mins)
- check-in to iTaipei Service Apartment
- return rental car
- dinner
- night market
Day 5: 3rd Mar 2015, Sunday
Taipei
- Cant decide what to do, tentative plans:
- Maokong
- National Palace Museum / Chiang Kai‑shek Memorial Hall / National Concert Hall / etc
- Taipei 101
- Babyboss
- 鬍鬚張魯肉飯 (Formosa Chang)
- Hello Kitty Cafe
- night market
Day 6: 4th Mar 2015, Monday
Taipei - Jiufen / Shifen
- Take train from Taipei Station (台北火車站) to Rui Fang (瑞芳)
- Reach Rui Fang, about 30 mins with Express train or 1 hour with normal train
- transfer to bus or taxi to reach Jiufen (about 20 mins)
- lunch
- back to Rui Fang to transfer to Shifen (Pingxi Line)
- or taxi from Jiufen to Shifen
- dinner
- sky lanterns at Pingxi
- train back to Taipei
Note to self:
Forget about returning the car for future trips. End up, covering less than 30% of the places planned for Day 5 and 6, totally skipping Jiufen and Shifen. We are lazy travellers who cannot drag ourselves around without a car. Self driving itinerary works best for us!
- Get to Jiufen by train (misstamchiak.com)
- Get to Jiufen by bus (felicianeo.com)
- Get to Shifen by train (lynnechua.blogspot.sg)
- Streets in Jiufen are narrow, steep, bumpy and full of staircases. Hard to use stroller
- Food is shifen is expensive. Eat in Jiufen
- Must try in Jiufen: 九份張記傳統魚丸, 賴阿婆芋圓, 阿柑姨芋圓 and ice cream popiah
- Must try in Shifen: Golden Waterfall, Shifen Waterfall (十分瀑布), light the sky lanterns (天燈) at Pingxi (平溪), Jing An bridge
Day 7: 5th Mar 2015, Tuesday
- 7.30 am check-out from iTaipei Service Apartment
- taxi to airport (NT1,000)
- take off at 10.20 am in Taoyuan International Airport - Terminal 1
- touch down at 3.05 pm in Singapore Changi Airport - Terminal 2
Expenditure
| Items |
Expenditure (S$)
| Remarks |
| Flight |
1,410
400 -------------------- Total: 1,810 | www.tigerair.com Flight changes |
| Car Rental |
320
40 -------------------- Total: 360 | Easy Rent (和运租车), NT7,140 for 3 days NT840 for excess of 3 hours |
| Accommodation |
7
146
497
200 260 850 -------------------- Total: 1,954 | Cancellation of Leofoo Resort, Guanshi Flying Cow Ranch, NT3,230, inclusive of breakfast The Old England Manor, room only The Old England Manor, top up for dinner and breakfast Yunwu B&B, inclusive of breakfast iTaipei Service Apartment, NT16,800, 3 nights, rooms only |
| Misc spending |
1800
| Exchange NT (cash spending on food, transport and shopping) |
| Total |
5924
| Excluding expenses using credit card for food and shopping |
