Kelaguo Mama
Kelaguo Mama has stayed at several hotels under the "F Hotel" brand, but the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" is the one that really impressed us the most. Not only are the environment and facilities kept very clean, but there’s also a large outdoor pool and a spa pool. Whether you’re soaking in the hot springs during cold weather or enjoying the water in summer, it’s always a comfortable experience.
The on-site restaurant offers delicious and nutritious set meals. If you don’t feel like going out for dinner, you can just relax in the hotel, saving yourself the hassle of traveling and ensuring you’re well-rested for the next day’s sightseeing.
The "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" offers quite competitive prices. It’s definitely worth recommending to enjoy such clean and comfortable hotel facilities at this price.
Kelaguo Mama’s family has stayed at multiple "F Hotel" properties and has had good impressions overall. This time, coming to Taitung, they naturally chose to stay at the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch."
Taitung is a famous hot spring town, and the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" is just a 10-minute drive from Zhiben Railway Station. The hotel even provides free shuttle service to and from the station.
The newly opened "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" in 2015 doesn’t look like a typical business hotel at all—instead, it has the grandeur of a full-service hotel. If you’re driving, the hotel has an underground parking lot.
The bright and spacious lobby is spotlessly clean, with floors so shiny you could use them as mirrors. I love the fresh and clean first impression the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" gives.
On the first floor, there’s a coffee bar where afternoon tea services might be offered in the future. Next to it is the restaurant, which serves both dinner and breakfast.
There’s also a corner with customer seating and lounge areas, as well as an internet zone. There’s also a meeting room.
The first floor has open fitness equipment facing the outdoor pool, so you can work out while watching the bikini-clad swimmers—it’s pretty cool.
The outdoor pool area features a large swimming pool, several hot spring spa zones, a steam room & sauna, and a children’s splash pool. The children’s pool is only 60 cm deep, making it perfect for little ones like Guoguo.
The changing and laundry rooms are very clean. Thanks to the hotel management’s strict requirements, the entire pool area is kept spotless and tidy. (Kelaguo Mama wants to give a big thumbs up!)
The entrance has lockers for shoes, and there are also washing machines and spin dryers so guests can wash their dirty clothes from the trip. Swimwear can be washed and spun dry right away, so you don’t have to go home with damp, dirty swimsuits. The pool is regularly tested, and there are lifeguards on site to ensure guest safety.
The pool water at the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" is crystal clear and very clean. The maintenance of both the facilities and services shows the hotel’s dedication. Kelaguo Mama sincerely hopes the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" can maintain this high quality for a long time.
Seeing such a great pool and spa area, Kelaguo Mama was upset about not bringing swimwear and caps for the family—but then we found a shop selling swimwear right next to the reception desk. Isn’t that amazing?
Even if travelers forget their swimwear like we did, they can buy some here and jump right into the water. (Oh, by the way, no photos are allowed inside the shop, so we just took one at the entrance.)
Our family of five bought our swimwear and caps and quickly headed back to our room to change. We also took a peek at the room we’d be staying in for the night. The hallway is quite wide.
I like this wooden color tone.
The family room isn’t very large, and adding a baby bed makes it feel a bit cramped. But I love how clean and simply cozy the room is.
There’s a large desk where you can place your belongings. (As everyone knows, traveling with kids means lots of little odds and ends!)
There’s an adjustable-height desk—the lower part is perfect for kids to use as their own little table, which is great. The reading lamp in the corner and the sofa seating area create a cozy lounging vibe.
There’s also an open wardrobe, luggage rack, safe, indoor slippers, and a full-length mirror.
I love that the "F Hotel Zhiben Branch" rooms have large full-length mirrors—you can check your outfit before leaving the room. Maintaining a neat appearance is basic etiquette, and I personally think having a full-length mirror is quite important.
I also like that hotels/guesthouses use wooden flooring, which avoids the cleaning and dust-trapping issues of carpets.
The amenities like tea bags and mineral water are simple yet elegant. Of course, there’s a refrigerator too. My kid Guoguo always checks the fridge whenever we stay at a hotel or guesthouse, as if expecting some kind of surprise inside.
The bathroom uses transparent glass partitions with curtains to avoid any privacy concerns. The curtains are kept very clean. Among the many hotels and guesthouses Kelaguo Mama has stayed at, it’s rare to find one this clean.
The family room we stayed in this time has a bathtub. When mom takes a bath, she can let Guoguo play in the very shallow bathtub nearby, which is safe since she’s always within sight. Mom thinks the best part of taking a bath in the room is being able to soak naked and enjoy a solo bubble bath.
By the way, maybe “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” could consider offering bath salts or bubble bath in bathtub-equipped rooms in the future to give guests an even more upgraded romantic experience.
The hair dryer at “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” is so convenient you won’t have to press the button until your fingers cramp up.
We had promised to go play in the water after changing into our swimsuits, but that day, as soon as everyone entered the room, no one wanted to leave. The kids stayed on the bed watching TV, Dad ColaGuo fell asleep the moment he hit the bed, and only Little Guoguo was running around with the toy car given by “Sheep Chimney Homestay”.
After taking a short rest in the room, we went downstairs for dinner. Since we didn’t feel like going out again, we opted for the set meal at the restaurant downstairs.
Look at this table full of delicious food — just 300 NTD per person, with fish, meat, soup, and fruit. Isn’t that just amazing?
The food was incredibly tasty, and the dishes were so good they went perfectly with rice. Even Guoguo ate half a bowl of rice.
Full and happy, the kids couldn’t wait to go play in the water. Quick, change into swimsuits. (This time, the whole family bought new swimsuits — that was quite an expense!)
There are three hot spring pools at different temperatures. It felt so relaxing to soak in the warm water.
They even thoughtfully provided tea for drinking, so customers can rehydrate after their spa session.
The ColaGuo family rarely visits hot spring hotels because we’re always worried about hygiene issues. But the cleanliness level at “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” almost earned a perfect score from us.
We soaked in the pool for over two hours before finally leaving the water and returning to our room. Suddenly, the doorbell rang — it turned out the hotel staff had found out we were there to celebrate Lele’s 6th birthday and specially brought us a birthday cake. What a surprise!! (They also gave us a plate of welcome fruit — so great!)
We’re truly grateful for the hotel’s thoughtful gesture, which allowed our Lele to have a birthday cake to make a wish. (Because mom and dad totally forgot to prepare a 6th birthday cake for Lele!)
The “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” has a different atmosphere at night.
When traveling, the kids almost always get too excited and end up sleeping very late, making it impossible for them to get up for breakfast the next day.
Although the beds at “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” are super comfortable, we still had to painfully leave the bed because we were nearing the final serving time for breakfast.
Actually, we didn’t eat much for breakfast, but the meal provided by “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” was more than enough to satisfy the ColaGuo family.
When we travel, we always choose rooms with windows because the feeling of sunlight streaming in is wonderful. (There’s also a night view at night.)
The room we stayed in at “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” this time, when we pulled open the curtains during the day, we were greeted by sunlight, grateful for the beautiful start to the day. Outside the window is the beautiful scenery of Taitung’s mountains and waters, and on clear days, you can even see the ocean in the distance — truly refreshing.
Before checking out, the kids went for another swim. They just had to play in the water until they were completely satisfied. The daytime pool reflected the blue sky and white clouds, making it look even clearer and more beautiful.
“F Hotel Zhiben Branch” is a fairly standard hotel — there aren’t many wow factors in terms of decor or hardware. But we really, really love how clean and tidy they keep the environment.
If I had to point out a downside, I think the only thing lacking is adding power outlets to the bedside tables to meet the modern need of scrolling phones in bed.
Recommended reading:
(Okay, I admit, I moved my laptop to the bed and used it while watching TV, so not having an outlet by the bed was a bit inconvenient for me, haha!)
“F Hotel Zhiben Branch” has comfortable and quiet rooms, a spacious and clean outdoor pool, hot spring SPA pools, a children’s splash pool specifically for kids, plus thoughtful service and careful maintenance — definitely worth a strong recommendation and a return visit.
Lele’s 6th birthday East Rift Valley trip: On the first day, we rushed from Kaohsiung to Hualien to meet up with Dad ColaGuo and checked into “Sheep Chimney”. On the second day, we headed south for fun and then returned to Taitung, where we stayed at “F Hotel Zhiben Branch”. Though on the third day we had to say goodbye to Dad ColaGuo at Taitung Railway Station as we headed in opposite directions, this birthday trip surely left the kids feeling happy and fulfilled.
We’re also grateful to “Sheep Chimney” and “F Hotel Zhiben Branch” for giving our family of five such joyful and happy birthday travel memories.
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■ Address: No. 33, Dasheun Road, Taitung City, Taitung County
■ Phone: (089)511-555, (089)511-333
[Authorized reprint from Cocoa’s Imaginary World | Original article titled “Taitung ‘F Hotel Zhiben Branch’ – Winter SPA and Hot Springs. Summer Pool and Kids Pool for Splashing Around”]