Linyuan Village

I booked the Cottage, which has its own private bathroom and 3 bedrooms. I stayed overnight with my sister, and we ended up just sharing the largest room. We loved having our own little cottage, and I found the cottage full of character, especially the old Chinese record sleeves decorating the living room wall. The building is over 100 years old, but the rooms were very clean and the bathroom had hot water (you will have to turn the gas on when you are ready to take a shower, but once you do, the hot water will be plentiful). I really enjoyed the personal feel of this guesthouse, and the family that runs it was very friendly and accommodating. They let us check in to the cottage early so we could drop off our bags since we were heading to the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival and would not be returning until the evening. Definitely try the included breakfast, which is delicious: congee with multiple home-style Taiwanese dishes on the side. This is not your typical hotel, but you will love it if you are interested in a quaint guesthouse full of character that feels authentic to its surroundings. In terms of getting to Linyuan, watch the video that is sent to you, especially if you do not read Chinese. It is a pretty straightforward walk from the entrance of the Old Street: you keep on walking through the entire Old Street and at the end you will see signs with the name of the guesthouse (in Chinese characters) on a green background. You will need to climb some stairs, so best to leave any rolling suitcases at the Ruifang bus station and bring a backpack or duffel. You will pass a picturesque teahouse as you start climbing up to Linyuan. We ended up going to Amei Teahouse, so I can't actually recommend the one by the guesthouse, but it seemed to have a spectacular view. Glad I found this hidden gem!