Zhen Taifei
This time, when we came to Shengxing Station for firefly watching, we chose to stay at F HOTEL Sanyi Branch, a hotel from a chain group. It is near Shengxing Station, and the recently super popular Sanmin Elementary School 3D painted staircase is right next door.
The first floor also has a public slide and ball pit area. The retro red brick walls paired with natural greenery give off a strong traditional vibe. There are a few parking spaces at the hotel entrance, but if those are full, you’ll have to park at the nearby Guangsheng Old Street parking lot.
The first-floor lobby is simple and unadorned.
It incorporates wood carvings, the most famous feature of Sanyi, creating a rich Hakka atmosphere.
Today we stayed in a double room. We originally wanted a family room, but all were fully booked today. Although it’s a double room, the bed is quite large, and there’s no extra charge for children under 6 who don’t need a separate bed.
The curtains have two layers. If you want to see the view outside but don’t want sunlight streaming in, you can pull back the outer layer. The inner semi-transparent curtain blocks light while still allowing you to clearly see the scenery outside. The view here is pretty great—you can gaze at the mountain landscape as if you’re in a valley.
You can lie in bed and face the distant mountains directly. So relaxing and pleasant.
Actually, there was a small issue during check-in today—we found quite a few ants crawling around the bedside lamp. By evening, the ants still didn’t seem to want to leave the room. We called the front desk, and they immediately helped us change rooms.
Although we were a bit upset initially upon discovering the ants, at least the staff handled the situation very proactively. After the room change, the same issue didn’t occur again. Though the new room was slightly smaller than the original, at least we could sleep without worry.
F HOTEL Sanyi Branch feels rather retro, with not too many flashy decorations. The hardware is fairly basic, but the space is quite generous.
Simple luggage rack.
The room provides coffee packets, tea bags, drinks, and two bottles of mineral water.
I really love this large soaking tub—the surface is paved with stone. Although the water here isn’t hot spring water, if you join the hotel chain’s LINE group upon check-in, you get two free packets of bath salts. Soaking in such a big bathtub is the ultimate luxury.
But the only downside is that there’s no wet-dry separation, so you have to shower here before filling the tub for a soak. Personally, I think the bathroom at F HOTEL Sanyi Branch is quite spacious—it could really use an additional shower area.
Isn’t it really big?
There’s also a row of mirrors in the back where you can check your whole outfit. Their bathrooms are really well done.
Separate toilet space.
The toiletries are from F HOTEL’s own brand.
There’s also a lounge area on the middle floor, which also follows a retro style.
There’s an observation balcony outside the room. The view from here is incredibly refreshing, and the balcony is decorated with green plants.
The balcony also has a seating area, although it doesn’t seem particularly clean—there were cigarette butts left on the ground.
After firefly watching at Shengxing Station, we returned to the hotel to rest. One thing the kids absolutely shouldn’t miss is the children’s play area, open from 7:00 to 23:00. The ball pit and slide are great for letting the kids burn off energy.
There are also big balls to roll around with.
There’s also a coin-operated game machine nearby.
They also provide complimentary bicycles for guests to ride. F HOTEL Sanyi Branch is close to the Tung Blossom Corridor, although we visited at the end of April and the blossoms hadn’t bloomed yet.
There’s also a chess and games room, perfect for larger families to enjoy some playtime together.
Overall, our stay at F HOTEL Sanyi Branch was quite good. Although there was an unpleasant incident that made me question the cleanliness for a while, at least the staff’s response was very proactive and friendly.
"F HOTEL Sanyi Branch" Address: No. 16-1, Fuxing Road, Sanyi Township, Miaoli County
"F HOTEL Sanyi Branch" Official Website: http://sanyi.fhotels.com.tw/
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