Travel Blog: Taiwan Trip 2015 Day 4, 台湾之旅第四天, 10 Feb 15

Taiwan Trip Day 4: 10th Feb 2015, Tuesday
台湾之旅第四天：2月10日2015年, 星期二

Attractions for the day:
Sun Moon Lake 日月潭 [Google Maps Link]
Xuanguang Temple 玄光寺 [Google Maps Link]
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village 九族文化村 [Google Maps Link]

Accommodation for the day:
Doris Home 朵麗絲的家民宿 [Google Maps Link]

What greeted us this morning was a stunning view of Sun Moon Lake, although visibility was quite low due to the morning fog. Another thing that awaited us was breakfast skillfully made with love by the hotel staff. It was indeed quite a wonderful experience to be able to have breakfast next to such an enchanting lake.

Greeted by a stunning view of Sun Moon Lake in the morning.

Our breakfast being prepared.

A view of the dock area from our hotel restaurant.

Beautifully made breakfast.

Great selection of bread to go along.

A nice English breakfast to start the day.

I am satisfied.

After breakfast, it was time to check out of the hotel and proceed to check in to our next accommodation - Doris Home. I planned it this way because I wanted us to try a night's stay at a hotel at Sun Moon Lake, and also get to try this top-rated Minsu (民宿) / B&B. It was rated the number one B&B/inns in Nantou County on TripAdvisor!

2018 Update: It is still number one!

The walk merely took about two minutes before we reached a pharmacy on the main road. There was a little sign outside the pharmacy with the picture of a cat and the words "Doris Home" and "朵丽丝的家". Apparently the owners of Doris Home decided to make their home right behind the pharmacy into a B&B. I liaised with Greg, who was the son of the couple who own the pharmacy, through email for the booking of our one night's stay in the room named Garfield. We left our luggage with Greg and was given some tips for our itinerary of the day. We would then return at night after a day trip to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (FACV).

Last look at the keys to our room.

Thanks for the wonderful stay.

Found Doris Home's little sign outside a pharmacy.

We made our way to the wharf area to board the Sun Moon Lake boat, using the ticket that we got from our NT$990 Sun Moon Lake package. It did not take long before we could board one of the boats, since the frequency of each boat ride was about 10-20 minutes.

Link to the Lake Tour Boat Timetable:
https://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/English/TravelInfoEng/TrafficInfoEng/TrafficRoundEng/BoatEng.htm

Another rock with the words "日月潭" at the Shui She Wharf.

Could hardly see the mountains in the background.

There are plenty of hotels in the area too.

The trip on the boat took about ten minutes to reach Xuan Guang Wharf (玄光碼頭), the first of the two stops before the boat returns to the Shui She Wharf. On the way to Xuan Guang Wharf, you will notice a very small island with a few trees and tall grass all over the island. It is called the "Lalu Island (拉鲁岛)". There are also some dragon-like sculpture and a staircase. Click here to read about the interesting history of the island, which used to be much bigger.

And if you play games like Pokemon Go and Ingress, there is even a gym/portal on it! Not sure how one could even attempt to capture the gym/portal unless you hire a private boat to let you stop next to the island to perform your capture. Whoever did it was probably local or a hacker.

There are many more hotels scattered throughout the area.

Lalu Island (拉鲁岛), a tiny island in the middle of Sun Moon Lake.

Upon landing at the Xuan Guang Wharf, we could see a crowd in the distance. They were queuing up to get the famous "Grandma Jin Pen's mushroom tea egg" (金盆阿嬤的香菇茶葉蛋). It did smell pretty good. But then again we thought we should not waste time just to queue up for some tea eggs.

"Star of Sun Moon No. 3"

The famous mushroom tea egg (金盆阿嬤的香菇茶葉蛋).

Rock carving of some God perhaps.

On it reads Sun Moon Lake Xuan Guang Temple.

A long flight of stairs to reach the top where Xuan Guang Temple was located.

Finally reached the temple!

Yet another rock with the name of the lake.
Looks similar to the rock at the foot of the hill.

We could see Lalu Island and the Shui She area clearly from Xuan Guang Temple.

We backtracked to the wharf area after visiting Xuan Guang Temple, and boarded another boat. It was roughly another ten-minute ride before we reached the next and final wharf, the Yi Da Shao/Ita Thao Wharf. There were plenty of hotels in the area, as well as small shops and restaurants offering all kinds of stuff. We merely window-shopped around the area and continued on to our destination, which was to get to the ropeway station.

Momo Dear takes a picture with the "Star of Sun Moon".

Yi Da Shao (Ita Thao) Wharf (伊達邵碼頭).

Shops and restaurants lined the streets. Many were closed though.

Looks like a nice hotel to stay in.

Some interesting pots, for sale probably.

The scenic Yidashao Lakeside Trail which leads to the ropeway station.

Quite a long walk but great time to take in the sights.

Time to stop for a wefie.

There is even a bee farm on the way to the ropeway station.

Something cute for the kids.

A picture showing the different mountains the ropeway will take us across.

And off we go!

Stairs for those who wish to take a hike instead.

Very interesting landscape.

Very steep incline.

The layout of the trees are so uniform.

Arriving at the FACV Station.

Thanks for the ride!

The next part of the trip was our day trip to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (FACV).

Click on this link to read about our day trip and adventures at FACV.

After we returned from our day trip, we visited the 7-Eleven located opposite Doris Home for some ice-cream as our supper. We always find joy and excitement visiting the local convenience stores just to see what they had to offer. There will always many interesting things you can find, such as magazines and various food products you have never seen before.

Strawberry ice-cream for supper.

After the snack, we returned to our room, to find that our luggage were already placed neatly at a corner. It was time to appreciate the room we had booked for the night. At a corner of the room, there was an area with potted plants and rocks, separated by glass. As this room had no windows, it was nice to bring some nature into the room. The toilet also had beautiful furnishing, perhaps even better than most hotels. There was also a rain shower in the bathroom. Good for those who wish to have a nice rain shower after a long day of traveling. The queen-size bed had four pillows, and two extra pillows with cat design pillowcase. With such well-designed interiors, it was no wonder this B&B was rated number one on TripAdvisor for Nantou County region.

Beautiful decor in the room.

We stayed in Garfield room.

The view of our room the moment we step out. The other rooms are on the left.

Beautiful toilet.

A nice rain shower to wash away your fatigue.

I'm sure some hotels may not even be as beautiful as this B&B.

The comfy-looking bed.

I'm sure some visitors might want to buy this back as a souvenir.

We checked out the bottom floor, which was the kitchen and common area for all guests to use. On a side of the wall, there were tons of cat items on display. The owners were indeed cat-lovers. There was also a fridge and a pantry area where guests could prepare their own meals. A TV was mounted on the wall as well, and there was a large dining table right in the middle. A tour of the whole building is definitely recommended to appreciate the effort the owners had put in.

The owner must have gotten these from all over the world.

The pantry area is clean and comes equipped with everything you need.

A large dining table for guests to have their meals comfortably.

Interesting architecture with the pantry at the bottom floor, rooms in the middle, and the owner's own rooms at the top.

Latest update (2018):

Doris Home has relocated! Seems they have been very profitable and have since relocated to a building by itself just a 5-minute walk from the old location. It is a brand new building and has 4 rooms for booking. As seen in their updated website, the new building and rooms look equally stunning and gorgeous. We will most likely give them a try the next time we visit Sun Moon Lake again.

DORIS HOME
Address: No. 20, Ln. 146, Zhongshan Rd., Shuishe Village, Yuchih Township, Nantou County, Taiwan
地址：南投縣魚池鄉(日月潭)水社村中山路146巷20號
Tel: +886-049-2855221 | Fax: +886-049-2855506 | Mobile: +886-919-855220
Website: http://www.dorishome.com.tw/

For a list of the hotels available for booking in Nantou County, Taiwan via Agoda.com, click here.
To make a room booking at Doris Home, click here.

Links to our Taiwan Trip 2015

Day 1
Day 2 - Pingxi Line Day Trip
Day 3
Day 4 - Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Day 5
Day 5 - Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining
Day 6
Day 7
Souvenirs