Mom CokeFruit
The Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien is well-known for being family-friendly, so the CokeFruit family chose to stay here on the first day of their four-day, three-night relaxing vacation in Hualien. Although they hadn’t visited the JiMi Square and Starry Train in Yilan yet, they unexpectedly encountered JiMi at the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien.
Staying at the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien feels like living inside a JiMi picture book, with JiMi-themed installations and guest rooms everywhere. Additionally, there’s a spacious "Happy Forest Playhouse" with a wide variety of toys, ensuring non-stop fun. Outdoors, there’s also a pool and sandbox that kids love, while parents can relax in the sauna—truly capturing the hearts of the whole family.
Located in Meilun, the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien is a five-star hotel in Hualien.
The colorful window frames on the exterior leave a deep impression. Inside, the hotel collaborates with renowned picture book author JiMi, ingeniously integrating the concept of the story *Hug* with the hotel space and even launching JiMi-themed rooms. Starting from the large installation art piece "A Gift of Hugs for the World" at the entrance, you’re immediately enveloped in JiMi’s world.
JiMi: 'After leaving Mom’s hug, it seems I’ve never been hugged again? It’s okay, let’s open our arms and hug once more.' I love how the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien uses the line 'No hug should ever be forgotten' as the soul of the entire hotel.
Conservative Eastern values often make it hard to express love, leading to a lack of hugs and affection. By making "hugs" the central theme, the hotel helps travelers reconnect with their inner child and feel warmth during their stay.
The welcome black tea is not bitter at all—so delicious. I really want to buy some to take home.
The Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien brings JiMi’s hugging spirit to life through murals and three-dimensional reliefs, vividly recreating the picture book experience. From the check-in lobby to the rest areas and even by the pool… you’re completely surrounded by JiMi’s "hugs."
The Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien is famous for being family-friendly and was awarded "Best Family Hotel in Asia 2017, First Place." This family-oriented hotel even thoughtfully provides mosquito repellent cream.
Before entering the JiMi-themed room at the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien, I’d like to introduce the hotel’s spacious 'Happy Forest Playhouse.' It’s a space where kids can freely play for two to three hours, almost like a theme park.
With a special room card for the Happy Forest Playhouse, we headed to the third floor. This level is divided into multiple themed zones, including a ball pit, slides, LEGO blocks, a play kitchen, a picture book area, climbing equipment, ride-on cars, DIY stations, an art zone, and a puzzle area… among others.
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The facilities in the Happy Forest Playhouse include both active and quiet play options, as well as toys suitable for younger babies. The floors and furniture are all safety-protected, ensuring children can play in a secure environment.
This table football game is perfect for some parent-child competition, guaranteed to liven up the atmosphere instantly. Look at their smiles—whether they win or lose, games like this easily bring families closer.
Little Guoguo pushed these tiny beads, saying, 'The bead train is moving on the tracks.' Even playing alone, he could focus completely.
The Happy Forest Playhouse has parent-child restrooms equipped with cute little toilets, toilet seat covers, and changing tables—all very well-maintained and spotless.
Besides free toys, the Happy Forest Playhouse also offers scheduled DIY classes and paid activities. There are several "Happy Art Rooms" where kids can freely paint, even on the walls—something parents wouldn’t usually allow at home, but here, they can go wild.
After booking a time slot, we chose the 250 NT$ package (four colors, unlimited kids).
After putting on painting smocks, the kids could freely splatter paint. The younger they were, the messier their hands got. Guoguo ended up painting everything.
The paints are water-soluble, so they can be easily washed off in the rinsing area outside. But if they get on clothes, they might not come out—so it’s best to wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
To be honest, I don’t mind if kids paint in just their underwear, because some even lifted their feet to stamp with them.
Alright. After playing in the game house for a long time, we finally headed to our JiMi-themed room. (It was already dark by the time we entered.) As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, we saw a sleeping lion lazily sprawled on the window.
Our room was on the seventh floor, the JiMi-themed floor of the Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien, featuring multiple JiMi-style artworks with different themes.
Staying in a JiMi-themed room, the walls are adorned with JiMi murals, JiMi bedding, and pillows—it feels like stepping into a JiMi fairy tale world. The patterns on the duvet cover are embroidered, and the theme of holding hands and hugging remains central.
Originally, there was no baby crib in the room, but after calling the front desk, one was promptly delivered. Even though Guoguo is over three years old, he still loves sleeping in his own special bed—so I don’t have to worry about him falling off.
The room’s fridge has complimentary drinks, and the table has a snack tray. The rice crackers from the Toucheng Farmers’ Association are delicious. When checking out, we even picked up a few packs from the first-floor shop as souvenirs.
One of the biggest concerns when staying in a hotel is the pillows—too soft, too flat, or too hard—and poor sleep quality can ruin the next day’s trip. The Howard Plaza Hotel Hualien thoughtfully offers a variety of pillows for guests to choose from. If you’re not satisfied with the ones provided, you can ask the front desk for alternatives.
Each of the Jimmy Liao-themed rooms comes with an exclusive picture book. Admiring Jimmy Liao’s colorful illustrations can instantly lift your spirits. A special feature at “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” is that they provide mobile phones for guests whose own phones don’t have unlimited data—perfect for taking out of the hotel.
The bathroom design is more traditional. The sink is equipped with a water filter, which can be used to boil water. It also includes a scale, a dirty laundry basket, and a small stool.
On our way to the hotel, we bought some pineapples, and it was great that there were stools in the bathroom so the little one could sit on one by the basin and eat the pineapple.
From the toilet and bathtub to the mirrors, everything has been wiped clean and shines brightly, though the water pressure is a bit weak.
The wardrobe includes bathrobes, a dirty laundry bag, and slippers. The wind picked up in Hualien that day and it got a bit cold; sleeping in a bathrobe at night was really cozy and warm.
Our “Jimmy Liao-themed room” has a view of the outdoor pool and sandbox on the first floor from the window. As a Coca fruit mom, I secretly wish there were a few more lights in the room corners to make it brighter inside.
The first floor features an outdoor pool and sandbox, while the basement level has a sauna. After dinner, my husband and I took the sauna vouchers for a relaxing spa moment just for the two of us. The sauna is separated by gender and is clothing-optional, and children under 13 are not allowed.
The sauna area isn’t very large, but it still includes a steam room and a heated bench. Since it’s clothing-optional, photography isn’t convenient—you’ll just have to experience it for yourself Up!
In addition, “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” also has a fitness center and business center on the third floor, accessible only with a room key. There are many types of fitness equipment, even including yoga mats.
We originally brought swimsuits for the kids, but due to the windy and chilly weather in Hualien that day, my husband was worried about them catching a cold, so they didn’t get to play in the water—it was such a pity.
There’s a sandbox by the pool that the kids love, along with changing rooms for showering.
Breakfast at “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” is served in the restaurant on the first floor, which is very spacious with a wide variety of food. Besides salads and hot dishes, there are also freshly made omelets, Gongzheng Street buns, yogurt, porridge, hot soup... and more.
They say a beautiful day starts with breakfast. That day we chose to dine in the bright area, and our mood danced with joy like sparrows.
The breakfast at “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” also features a kids’ buffet station, allowing children to serve themselves—how thoughtful is that?!
The little one, who had woken up listless and dazed, had bright eyes after breakfast.
Before leaving the hotel, you can check out the convenience store for some souvenirs. We bought seaweed rice crackers, and half the pack ended up in mom’s tummy—the lifelong companion of a “fat ring” definitely doesn’t form in just one day, haha~
This trip to Hualien was a vacation we drove to from Kaohsiung—it took six or seven hours, from day to night, and our butts were completely numb.
If you want a more relaxing and enjoyable holiday, you can take the train to Hualien Railway Station and use the shuttle bus provided by “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel”—it’s definitely a stress-free and tiring-free option.
The recreational facilities at “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” are quite rich, and both the environment and amenities are very family-friendly. Using Jimmy Liao’s picture book theme “Embrace,” the hotel makes guests feel happiness, love, and warmth upon arrival.
The maintenance of the artistic installations at “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” is well done, keeping the hotel feeling clean and lively. Though not a perfect 100, if you want to embrace Jimmy Liao or are looking for a family-friendly hotel in Hualien, then “Hualien Howard Plaza Hotel” is a great choice.
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■ Address: No. 2, Yongxing Road, Hualien City, Hualien County (near Hualien Port)
■ Phone: (03)823-5388
[Authorized reprint from Cocoa’s World of Thoughts] Original source: [Family Stay. Pool, Sandbox, Playhouse, Sauna – Hualien [Howard Plaza Hotel]]