Taiwan: an Open Air Kitchen

Arrival at Taoyuan airport, transfer to your hotel in the very heart of Taipei. VVG B+B is a uniquely designed 2-appartment luxury B&B, with a restaurant. Located just 200m from the MRT and surrounded by interesting and unique shopping alleys and plenty of options for eateries and restaurants.

You can decide to either explore the city on your own or choose one of our 3 proposed activities (extra charge applies of 85USD/pax for the day’s activity)
- A traditional Chinese culture day: calligraphy and living ancient Chinese traditions.
Meet your calligraphy master and learn about this ancient artform. You will write your own calligraphy to make a nice souvenir to take home. Then, in the afternoon, discover old Taipei near the Longshan temple and meet with the locals, a craftsman who has been making wooden jars for years, discover the traditional Chinese medicine shops or ask the fortune teller to tell you your future using rice, birds or tea leaves!
- Wulai aboriginal hot spring village and weaving.
After breakfast, we will drive you to discover the aboriginal village of Wulai, home of the Atayal tribe. Learn how to make their traditional weaving and then enjoy a bath in the nearby hot spring hotel Pause Landis (1h30 in a private room with hot spring tub set on a balcony).
- Spirit relaxation: Dharma Drum Mountain and Yangmingshan hot spring.
After breakfast, visit the Dharma Drum temple on the north coast of Taipei for a peaceful experience! The monks of the temple will introduce you to their meditative life. Don’t miss the beautiful views from the mountain. In the afternoon, enjoy a soak in a hot spring resort in the Yangmingshan mountain with open air pools surrounded by the forest (public indoor and outdoor bath). The first gastronomic experience of the journey: multi award winning Chef Richie, from the Secret Table Mume Restaurant, will serve his tasting menu for you. Let him create, just let us know if you have any dietary requirements Chef Richie needs to be aware of please.

After breakfast, we drive from Taipei via the historical harbour of Lukang to Taichung.
Light lunch upon arrival in Taichung and then a visit to the National Theatre to enjoy its extraordinary contemporary architecture, it is the best place to have a coffee and walk around. If you are interested in art, a visit to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts is a must. Or discover the traditional house and garden of the Wufeng Lin family. The delightful Guangfu village is not far from the ancient mansion either. The second gastronomic experience of the journey, an early dinner at the Secret Table JL Studio, by Chef Jimmy Lim and his brigade behind an open kitchen recreating dishes that have marked his youth.
After dinner, a 1hour drive to your next hotel, the Chou Sun Villa, located in the hills of Nantou, with a river going through the property. Enjoy a private hot spring in your room upon arrival and a relaxing night in this most peaceful environment.

Today is a day to enjoy the local nature.
After breakfast we propose for you to either rest and enjoy the garden, river and hot spring of the hotel or to take a trip to explore local culture (extra charge applies of 75USD/pax for the half-day activity)
- Visit the tea plantation of Wujie. From the picking (in season) to the brewing, discover all the secrets of the tea culture.
Or
- Experience the aboriginal Meixi village and a cooking class. Foraging and collecting your herbs and vegetables form the surrounding forest and then learn to prepare and cook them with the chef. You will also take a guided tour of the village. For dinner, we recommend you taste the creations of the Chef of Chou Sun, serving traditional Taiwanese cuisine with a Japanese influence.

Today is a free day, we drive go further south, through the mountains of Pingtung county on the south-east coast and the village of Mudan, about 3 hours of scenic drive through the countryside.
After check-in at Mudanwan Villas, you can take a bicycle and visit the village or explore the coast road, or simply relax at the spa, pool or your private hot spring in your room.
No arrangement for dinner, so why not try the cuisine of Mudanwan’s Chef?

Morning at leisure. Aboriginal day!
After lunch, check-out and we will head back to the east coast of Taiwan (1h30 drive) to visit the Rukai tribe’s aboriginal village of Wutai nestling on the mountainside at 1,000 meters of altitude. Explore the village walking its narrow little streets surrounded by traditional aboriginal slate houses and coffee trees before continuing on to experience an aboriginal restaurant in the nearby village of Rinali. Our third gastronomic highlight of the journey: the cuisine of the acclaimed Aborigine chef Alex Peng at Secret Table Akame. A 6pm dinner service. The whole dinner is prepared using a traditional brick wood-fired oven. After dinner, a 45minute drive back to the city of Kaoshiung to spend the night in your little inn, a 1,000year old traditional Hakka courtyard house in Kaohsiung, near the lotus pond.

After breakfast, before checking out, you can take a walk in the morning around the lotus pond near your inn and visit the Confucius temple or the Tiger and Dragon Pagoda, or the vibrant morning market. We will drive you back to the train station for a high speed train back to Taipei or Taoyuan airport (around 2hrs).

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This morning, your driver will take you to the Donggang harbour to take your boat to the Xiaoliuqiu Island (20 minute boat ride). Arrive on the island and check-in to your hotel. Although the corals and tropical fish are amazing, the giant green turtles are the showstoppers. Xiaoliuqiu is one of the few places in the world where turtles never leave. They feed on the algae that grows abundantly on the corals, only 5 meters away from the beach!

At leisure, take your scooter (included) and explore the island.

Enjoy a last moment with the turtles before taking the boat back to Donggang. From the pier your driver will take you to the Kaohsiung Train Station to head back to Taipei or Taoyuan airport (around 2hrs).

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