The home of Snow White is here – Hualien’s ultra-dreamy "Mushroom House" homestay

▲ Taiwan’s first-ever mushroom house homestay, hidden among trees and beside a lake, looks like it was plucked right out of a fairy tale scene. (Photo courtesy of How to Trip Happiness Manor, all following photos are the same)

Reporter Li Zi-yi / Interview & Report

Could Snow White’s home actually be in Taiwan? To fulfill her childhood princess dream, a girl from Hualien specially built the one-of-a-kind "Mushroom House" on her own land. Nestled among trees and a lake, the red-and-white mushroom house is incredibly cute and dreamlike—almost as if she had moved the home of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from fairy tales into the real world.

Shan Shan, the owner of How to Trip Happiness Homestay, used to work in hotel PR. She had dreamed since childhood of building a mushroom house from a fairy tale world, so she decided to build a homestay on her own land. Due to financial constraints and other practical factors, it wasn’t until nearly six years after opening How to Trip Happiness that she began constructing the annex — the "Mushroom House", which officially opened last year for guests who also have princess dreams.

▲ Right next to the Mushroom House is a lake, along with a beautiful all-white piano — perfect for stunning photos.

▲ The Mushroom House homestay also provides costumes such as Snow White and Mario.

▲ There's also a projector on the second floor, offering three movies for guests to watch.

▲ The Mushroom House homestay has its own courtyard and exclusive afternoon tea.

This standalone mushroom house has its own courtyard and parking space, and can accommodate up to four people. As soon as you step inside the mushroom house, you’ll see its duplex design, complete with costumes of Snow White, The Little Prince, and Super Mario for guests to change into and fulfill their princess dreams. Going upstairs, the second floor has two large beds and is equipped with projection facilities, offering movies like Snow White, The Smurfs, and Frozen, making you feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale. The mushroom house also offers exclusive afternoon tea, giving you the elegant feeling of truly being in Snow White’s home while enjoying adorable Rilakkuma pancakes and cakes from a popular Hualien French dessert shop. When night falls, the green hedges outside the mushroom house are lit with blue lights, creating a festive atmosphere.

▲ The Mushroom House is also lit up at night, giving off a strong festive vibe.

The Mushroom House opened for stays last year and quickly became a huge hit, with guests scrambling to book. Given that the land isn’t small, why not build more mushroom houses? Owner Shan Shan explained that due to regulations, only one mushroom house could be built. She also noted that the Mushroom House isn't made of cement but is constructed using FRT (a material used in shipbuilding that gives the Mushroom House its smooth curves). The interior decoration is also quite refined, giving off the feel of a foreign fairy tale. Building one mushroom house cost around 5 to 6 million NT dollars, and a one-night stay including breakfast and afternoon tea costs approximately 8,500 to 10,500 NT dollars.

▲ The main building of How to Trip Happiness is a yellow structure with three room types, featuring a French countryside style.

How to Trip Happiness Homestay is divided into two parts: one is the yellow building built around the lake, and the other is the Mushroom House. Beside the lake there is an all-white piano, a favorite photo spot for guests. The main yellow building of How to Trip Happiness offers three room types: Country Double Room, Country Double Room, and Honeymoon Suite. Each room has a scenic balcony. The highlight is the Honeymoon Suite, which is 25 ping (approx. 82.6 square meters) and features a bathroom that offers a view of the Central Mountain Range — a truly relaxing experience to soak in the tub while admiring the mountain scenery.

% The highlight is that you can see the Central Mountain Range from the bathtub.