Written by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal
Yilan has entered its fallow season, and the rice paddies have shed their golden coats of grain, left with a shallow layer of water to rest and rejuvenate. The entire paddy field brightly reflects the white clouds, the tall trees casting long shadows, and the La Palette Dreamweaving Pavilion standing by the fields. This rainbow-themed homestay uses a variety of vibrant colors to inspire every guest with the courage to chase their dreams.
From the outside, it truly lives up to its name as a rainbow homestay. (Image provided by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal)
What is happiness? It’s intangible and untouchable. To incorporate elements of happiness into the design of the homestay, so that every guest leaves with a joyful heart after just one night—this was the challenge that La Palette Dreamweaving Pavilion owner Cao Huizhen posed to designer Li Yuqi. He thought of the happy expressions on children’s faces when they see a rainbow, and decided to create a dreamlike design homestay themed around different colors.
Natural daylight, beautiful and serene
The La Palette Dreamweaving Pavilion is located not far from downtown Luodong, in a rural area where the entire community sits beside vast open fields. There are no high-rises nearby, and in June you can see large expanses of golden rice paddies. Even in winter, more than ten species of birds fly around. Herons, Eurasian coots, egrets, and sparrows are regular visitors. On the day of our visit, we stood by the second-floor window and watched egrets strolling leisurely through the fields. It’s far from the hustle and bustle, yet close to the tranquility your heart desires.
Climb the clover-decorated staircase to reach the second-floor dining area. (Image provided by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal)
Because the house has a square shape, like a gift full of surprises, its façade is adorned with vertical stripes of colored mosaic tiles forming a ribbon. From afar, you can easily spot the location of the La Palette homestay. Cao Huizhen said that when she visited the designer’s own home, she noticed how he made great use of floor-to-ceiling windows, with soft light blending harmoniously with the surrounding natural scenery—exactly the style she wanted for the homestay.
On the other side of the second-floor dining area are many children’s books, with this one featuring a tree-shaped upright bookshelf. (Image provided by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal)
The entire homestay has three floors. The first and third floors feature rooms named after colors—for example, the yellow room represents hope, and the sky blue room represents flying. After guests receive a room key matching the color of their assigned room, they walk up an iron, lace-patterned staircase inlaid with clovers. Looking up, they’ll see stone lotus designs scattered across the transparent veranda. Even with a gentle breeze, you can clearly see the ripples created by the swaying leaves, and the segmented view of the fields reflected on the green partition panels outside the homestay—it’s quite charming.
Infusing five colors into cuisine
On the second floor is the open kitchen and the dining area for guests. La Palette Dreamweaving Pavilion serves a rich breakfast and afternoon tea. Since Cao Huizhen’s partner is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, the homestay incorporates TCM elements into its meals. Chef Adrian prepares hot Western-style breakfasts ten minutes before guests come down, and if you look closely, the presentation of the dishes is based on the five elements of TCM, using ingredients of various colors. The breakfast I tried that day included black mushrooms, green cabbage, yellow fried eggs, red sweet potatoes, and a specially made multigrain porridge, all reflecting the homestay owners’ thoughtful care.
Besides breakfast, the homestay also offers afternoon tea served on an English-style three-tier stand. Dishes such as Kumquat Mochi from Yilan’s Orange Village, a special white fungus-red date-lotus seed soup cooked by the chef, and generous servings of sandwiches give your afternoon stay a warm and cozy start.
The English-style afternoon tea presentation looks delicious just by looking at it. (Image provided by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal)
On sunny days, you can see colorful marbles on the terrace, their dancing light refracting onto the indoor floor. Cao Huizhen said the terrace was originally planned to be filled with water to raise ornamental fish, but considering the possibility of birds trying to catch them, they opted to fill it with marbles instead—also quite playful.
The rich Western-style breakfast can also be customized to Chinese flavors upon request. (Image provided by TRAVELER Luxe Traveler’s Journal)
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