HOSHINOYA Guguan

Environment: The hotel is highly praised for its serene and elegant environment, which blends seamlessly with natural surroundings, such as bamboo forests, flower gardens, and scenic views. Many guests found the atmosphere relaxing and suitable for unwinding.

Best resort in Taiwan and worth every penny. Highest level of service - it’s like being at a modern luxury ryokan in Japan except everyone speaks Chinese. Room design is brilliant, and one king room fit my family of 2 adults and 2 toddlers with a California king and a separate tatami area. The room has an epic view from every angle the moment you walk in the door and includes a private outdoor onsen connected to your bathroom. I noticed many private in-room onsens in Japan are diluted down, but this was spring fed. The public onsen was huge, extremely well maintained, and included a large walled zen garden with an adjacent sauna and cold plunge. I was lucky enough to experience this area all to myself with one other guest leaving as I arrived and another guest arriving as I was leaving. In China, this onsen would have comfortably accommodated 100 bathers. The spring water is not high in sulfuric content (doesn’t smell like rotten eggs), and the temperature is relatively mild - ideal for my family. Given the limited availability of the hotel online, I was expecting it to be more crowded. I got the sense that room rates are controlled to optimize guest experience, not profit, while staff are trained to ensure that customers never feel like they are being ripped off or “sold”. It seemed there were more staff than guests on site. I originally booked 2 rooms, and some of my family members couldn’t make the trip. We didn’t need the second room, and the staff were very gracious to refund and cancel the second room on the spot. When I’m back in Taiwan or traveling to a place where Hoshinoya does business, I would not hesitate to book again and make a special journey to stay at one of their destination resorts.