Old Five Guesthouse

This is my second trip to Taiwan and after travelling around both Taiwan and lots of other places (Europe, Africa, Americas and other parts of China) I have to say I think old5 is the BEST PLACE I have EVER stayed. What was so great about it? The very short version; beautiful traditional setting and natural scenery, a chance to try traditional Taiwanese meals (both vegan and GF available), really nice local activities such as farm tours, yoga and a really helpful host who speaks fluent English which makes this a great way for Western tourists to experience Taiwanese rural culture. Setting: The setting and architecture are fantastic; the house is Taiwanese style with a Japanese influence and the rooms are delightful in the Japanese style with a tea platform and tea set for personal use. The grounds are also amazing with wild large trees, wild orchids and views of the mountains from the balcony. Food: Breakfast and dinner are provided. What’s great about it is the chance to sample authentic dishes and the chef can do dietary requirements. We had melon soup, spiced tofu, fried greens, bamboo shoots and steamed bread that is flavoured with different locally grown fruits and spices. The guesthouse also produced vinegar with interesting flavours including a pine-needle flavour that is surprisingly tasty. Tours/Activities: Part of the price includes a tour of a local farm growing gourds, dragonfruit and mushrooms. At night you can do an English language tour of the grounds with Tiffany to see frogs and fireflys. Yoga classes twice a day in a traditional Japanese style house are also included (although I sprained my ankle hiking so we didn’t try these). Service The service is absolutely excellent. My husband left his wedding ring in the room and they drove it to the next hotel (a 30 min drive away) then refused at tip for the delivery! They also helped me procure bandages for my injure ankle and were available for anything else we needed. The service and hospitality was really above and beyond. Note that a lot of families stay at Old5 and they don’t allow alcohol. We went to recharge after a big hiking trip before we went on to Taipei to do some partying and shopping. I would recommend Old5 GuestHouse as a relaxing, rejuvenating and culturally fascinating experience not necessarily to come by for English speakers in China.