Coca Fruit Mom
It’s been five years since our last visit to Nantou’s “Yao Guai Village”! This time, in addition to the big red lanterns, there are now torii gates, giving the place a strong Japanese vibe, and the lively, monster-themed atmosphere is even better than before.
This time we stayed one night at the “Kuma No. 2 Guesthouse” to fully experience both day and night in “Yao Guai Village.” Everything in the room—from the TV on the wall, the bedside, the pillows, the towels, the toothbrush cups, to the room key card—featured the adorable Kuma to lull us to sleep. Though Yao Guai Village isn’t very large, it’s definitely worth bringing the whole family to soak up its cute and not-scary monster charm.
After five years, I think staying overnight in Nantou’s “Yao Guai Village” is a great idea to truly immerse yourself in its unique atmosphere.
Coca Fruit Mom suggests this 2-day, 1-night itinerary for visiting Nantou’s “Yao Guai Village”: Spend the daytime exploring Xitou Forest Recreation Area to breathe in the phytoncides, check into the Kuma-themed room in “Yao Guai Village” around evening, then enjoy a buffet dinner and live performances at the “Qingshan Cafeteria” within the village.
The next morning, start with a hearty and elegant breakfast, then explore the newly renovated “Yao Guai Village” area starting at 10 AM. Let the kids play in the brand-new children’s playroom, have lunch with some ramen or lu wei (Taiwanese-style braised snacks), and pick up some souvenirs before heading back in the afternoon. It’s a fulfilling itinerary that lets you enjoy a relaxing weekend without feeling rushed.
This time, the Coca Fruit family stayed at the “Kuma Themed No. 2 Guesthouse,” which was newly renovated in June 2016 and is currently the newest room type available.
At the entrance of the Kuma Themed No. 2 Guesthouse, there’s a nearly 3-meter-tall red lantern, paired with a sun-and-moon torii gate and three large-eyed lanterns, creating a new popular photo spot in Yao Guai Village.
The emergency exit staircase at the Kuma Themed No. 2 Guesthouse is open-air, allowing guests to walk through without clutter, which I really appreciate.
The interior of the room is comfortably minimalist and clean, with lots of cute monster-themed designs on the walls—even the wall lamps are built into the walls, making it very charming and child-friendly.
The beds are sized 150*180 cm, with two large beds, and the room is about 8 pyeong (approx. 26 square meters). We also requested an extra baby bed for Guoguo from the hotel. (Guoguo really loves sleeping in the baby bed!)
There’s also a wooden platform by the window, giving off a faux-Japanese vibe, with green trees outside—just missing a cup of hot tea to complete the scene.
Even the amenities at the Kuma Themed No. 2 Guesthouse are thoughtfully designed, with cute Kuma-shaped toiletries, cups, and soap. Even the towels, ceiling lights, and slippers feature designs of Kuma and Bado Yao.
The bathroom has a dry-wet separated shower setup, is kept quite clean, and is equipped with a bathtub and bath chair. There’s also reverse-osmosis mountain spring water at the sink, which you can pour into a kettle to boil and drink.
Each bedside has a charging station, which fits perfectly with modern people’s pre-bedtime ritual of scrolling on their phones in bed—ha ha.
Yao Guai Village centers around the plaza in front of the torii gate and expands outward to form a little village.
The current Yao Guai Village area isn’t very large, with many cedar forests and big red lanterns throughout, offering a serene ambiance with splashes of fiery red. It’s perfect for families and couples to stroll leisurely. As evening falls and the lanterns gradually light up, occasionally accompanied by mist, the whole Yao Guai Village takes on a mystical beauty.
Without wandering too long, it was soon time for dinner. We dined directly at the “Qingshan Cafeteria” in Yao Guai Village, where they serve a semi-buffet style meal. The spread included a hot pot with both spicy and mild broths, several plates of fresh seasonal vegetables, butterfly chicken… and more. Look at how much food we finished on that table.
That day, the Coca Fruit family tried “sturgeon” for the first time—a luxurious seafood. Sturgeon is the largest and longest-living freshwater fish, and its meat is low in fat and high in protein, containing 30–50 times more omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid (a blood-producing vitamin) compared to other fish.
Sturgeon meat has a Q-textured bite, and the cartilage parts are full of collagen—perfect for beauty-conscious women looking to nourish their skin.
The spiciness of the spicy-mild hot pot combo comes from herbs simmered for hours, offering a numbing rather than burning heat. If you’re still hungry, you can grab other ingredients from the counter to cook in the hot pot.
Besides the sturgeon hot pot, other highlights included the nourishing bitter tea oil chicken, fragrant mountain pork, flavorful butterfly chicken, and the sweet trio of taro and sweet potato in a classic “three-cup” sauce—all of which earned our highest praise.
The kids absolutely loved the sweet taro and sweet potato, mom enjoyed the sturgeon and butterfly chicken, Coca Fruit Dad loved the mountain pork, and Guoguo loved the juice—ha ha. Everyone had their own favorite, no need to fight over anything.
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The restaurant’s decor is very retro, and they’ve even preserved the first-generation Kuma head designed by a Japanese team.
Yao Guai Village regularly hosts various events. That day, right after dinner, we caught a performance. On the Binhama Stage, a reverent drum-beating ceremony was held to ring the Peace Drum in Songlin Township, praying for blessings so that all who hear the drums may live safe and happy lives.
In addition to the blessing ceremony, there was also a monster post office and Bado Yao playing with visitors. Watching Bado Yao and the monster post office dance was fun, but they even invited kids on stage to join in. The little girls were all confident and danced along to songs like “Monster Watch,” “Little Apple,” and “Loving Rose,” showing off moves even better than the monsters themselves.
After the performance, the kids went back to the room to watch cartoons, while Coca Fruit Dad and I took a stroll in the rain with umbrellas. Watching the night-time monster bus and red lanterns under the quiet night sky, Yao Guai Village took on a uniquely enchanting atmosphere.
As we strolled around the park, we discovered that there’s a newly set up playroom upstairs at “Old Pine Tree Pastry Shop”! It has slides and a ball pit—perfect for kids under 120 cm. Next to the playroom, there’s also a climbing wall, a multi-functional hill to climb, and picture books. We thought, tomorrow we’ll bring the kids here to play and tire them out so they can sleep quietly on the ride home.
Cola Fruit Dad said, “Every time we come to the cold mountains, I crave a hot bowl of instant noodles!” (Even though he’d already eaten way too much for dinner!) So, I accompanied him to FamilyMart, where Grandpa searched the instant noodle section for his favorite, while I wandered around and found that even the beers and fruit wines had cute monster designs on them. In the end, Cola Fruit Dad got his late-night snack, and I picked up a bottle of “Red Dress Little Girl” to enjoy back in the room.
“Monster Village” has ramen, lu wei (Taiwanese meat snacks), Taiwanese street food, restaurants, convenience stores—you name it. Honestly, you don’t have to worry about going hungry in the mountains when you’re in “Monster Village”!
The “Kuma Theme Room 2” in “Monster Village” has beds with just the right firmness—very comfortable to sleep in.
Breakfast the next day was again at “Qingshan Cafeteria,” which offers a buffet-style spread with quite a variety. They even thoughtfully provide hot soup, blanched vegetables, and hot tea—it’s basically an all-you-can-eat brunch experience.
“Qingshan Cafeteria” is filled with a nostalgic vibe, as if you’ve stepped into a time machine and gone back to the past. I love this retro decor, but if there were fewer supplies and miscellaneous items lying around, the overall ambiance and tidiness of the restaurant would be even better.
All shops in “Monster Village” open at 10 AM, so after breakfast, we continued exploring the daytime scenery, breathing in lots of phytoncides. The shopping street sells all kinds of accessories and snacks—you can take your time browsing.
Walking toward the forest trail, we crossed the Bone Bridge. There’s also the “Monster Grocery Store” and the “w?o Chocolate Workshop.” The “Monster Grocery Store” mainly sells exclusive Monster Village souvenirs, including photo frames, towels, sundries, cups, plush toys, piggy banks... and more.
This “w?o Chocolate Workshop” has three consecutive “w?” characters in its name. The chocolate here is of very high quality, and the store also sells quite a few other drinks. However, there are quite a few supplies and miscellaneous items lying around, which slightly affects the overall cleanliness and sense of order. That aside, the concept and creativity are really impressive.
After walking around the “w?o Chocolate Workshop,” we ended up buying chocolates called “Mango Jump” and “Jump in Place” as gifts. These small chocolates are filled with popping candy, giving a really cool taste sensation.
Continuing deeper into the forest, there are more and more tall, straight cedar trees, and nestled beneath them are little wooden cabins. These cabins, resembling homes for forest-dwelling dwarves or elves, seem to be guarded by tiny magical beings. There are also new buildings under construction—more fun things to look forward to on our next visit to “Monster Village”!
“Monster Village” is very close to the Xitou Nature Education Area, which features the famous University Pond and Skywalk—definitely worth a visit. Alternatively, you can choose to stay in “Monster Village” and enjoy a leisurely time surrounded by adorable yet not-scary monsters.
Also, make sure to try the must-queue-for “Biting Cat Bread” and “Biting Cat Crispy Cakes.” The Biting Cat refers to the green leaves on top—the bread filling includes smoked chicken and cheese, and the texture is pretty good. There’s also the tea-flavored “Xitou Cake.” When you come to “Monster Village,” be sure to give these a taste.
“Monster Village” has no entrance fee, and the monsters inside are not scary at all, so don’t worry about bringing kids who might be frightened. Plus, the Kuma-themed rooms are adorable and comfortable.
The architecture in “Monster Village” is very distinctive and detailed—they really put effort into creating a monster-themed park. Some of the decorations are a bit old, and we hope future updates will make the whole area cleaner and more tidy.
When you come to “Monster Village,” don’t rush to just browse and leave. It’s worth staying overnight to fully experience the atmosphere of “Monster Village” during both day and night.
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■ Monster Village Official Website: http://www.mingshan.com.tw/
Monster Village Theme Hotel Monster Village Hotel
■ Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/monstervillagehotel/
[Authorized Repost from “Cocoa’s Imaginative World” | Original Article: “Nantou’s Monster Village Has Cute, Not-Scary Monsters [Kuma Theme Rooms] Suitable for Families”]