King's Garden Villa

The check in time after 17:00 is far too late. Also, the check out before 11am is too early, not allowing the guests to fully enjoy the hotel spa facilities. Our room was a little dusty, not properly cleaned.

Very pleasant place to stay with a great onsen attached. Room was comfy and kids enjoyed the mezzanine level beds. Food was OK. Views were also good.

I wanted to test the famous mud springs. This hotel reportedly has one of the best spas. Tips: - I decided to stay overnight in the hotel (2 spa entry tickets with a double room + bfast for $2800) instead of using a day ticket to the spa (400$). The village is far from the city, so staying overnight may cost slightly more than a cheap city hotel, but you're not in a rush and looking for buses etc. - Each spa ticket is basically 2x tickets (1 for the normal spa, and 1 for the naked single-sex spa), so if there are 2 of you, you could go to the naked spa one day and the main spa the next. - The spa has about 15 different hot spring pools, of different temperatures + ingredients, some clear and some "mud". There's also mud facials and fish-cleaning for your feet. The electric pools send electric shocks through your body too. There's a swimming pool. - They speak English (basic but enough). - You need a swimming hat and a towel. I took mine but the spa front desk also offered them to borrow. - Plan on spending 3 hours. I'm not a spa lover, but even i found myself taking long. - I went in May and the weather is not at all hot at that height. - Most ********* take their instant noodles in, so that they can eat inside and stay all day. - The hotel is quite beautiful, made from wood (on the face of it). It's got lovely seating areas and they put nice fairy lights everywhere at night. - The hotel room is comparatively expensive for Taiwan at $2800 for 3* (minus the 2x spa tickets of $400 each), but the cheapest "no window" room (it has 2 windows, but no view) is big and has 2 large concrete baths in (1 for hot mud water + 1 for cold water to dip in and out). Therefore, given that it is a beautiful location too, I do think it's very reasonable. - The breakfast is mostly chinese but there's some western bits. It's standard for 3* but the location of the eating area has beautiful views of the jungle. - It's a 15 minute nice walk to lots of restaurants and a convenience shop.

Location was inconvenient especially if you do not drive. The public transport is a bit far from the hotel. Taxi service not available for short distance. We took the taxi from the hotel to Chiayi HSR which cost NT1,200. Guests stayed at the hotel only allowed one visit per stay per person. To fully enjoy all the facilities for both floors, it will take at least 3 hours. The swimming pool was closed for renovation. Breakfast selection was rather disappointing.

I didn't see many foreign guests, just one couple. It is a popular hotel. If you want to stay there, consider yourself lucky. I love that they had a decent breakfast. I read some of the other places don't provide a great breakfast with many vegetarian items if you're a vegetarian or want to eat very healthy, and I liked their honey and homemade black sesame paste you could put on the toast. You also can have free access to the public spa which you should definitely take advantage of. Don't just confine yourself to the great spa type bath you can get from your own bath. I loved how the spa was so close to the King's Garden hotel, which does remind one of a garden. I stayed in two different rooms. For my last night, I had to stay in an expensive room because it was ***** New Year, and I needed one more night. It was very comfortable, though the regular room was more than good enough. The service was great. The people were kind. They also kindly called a taxi for me to go to the station, though it can take the taxi 40 minutes to drive, so plan accordingly. I would definitely go back. I spent about two hours in the public spa nearby two days in a row. The earlier you can go, the better. And take your time, drink plenty of water, get out slowly of the water.

Good and tasty breakfast, great choices of room type, and excellent spa facilities and nice surroundings