Jimei Homestay

Cozy Home Away From Home

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Visited: Jan-2015
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 7
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $160 per person.
- $160 Accomodation 4D3N
-$0 Room Service


Nearby Attractions: Taroko Gorge, Eternal Spring Shrine, Farglory Ocean Park, Seven Star Lake, Ziqiang Night Market, Danong Dafu Forest Park, Qingshui Cliffs, Liyu Lake, Jici Beach, Pine Garden, Stone Sculpture Museum, Hua Hai Farmland, The Abode Of Still Thoughts, Rareseed Ranch


Hotel Facilities: Laundry Service, Free Wi-Fi, Guest Dining Hall, Tour Desk, Cable TV, Foosball Table, Bicycle Rental, Currency Exchange


Hotel Activities: Internet Surfing, Foosball, Cycling, City Tours






Introduction
Located about 10 minutes drive away from the Hualien High Speed Rail (HSR) Station in Taiwan, Jimei Homestay offers a comfortable, cozy home stay / bed & breakfast style concept. Despite looking rather small, Jimei Homestay can house up to 30 guests at once! Jimei Homestay is actually the 2nd business of the owner / boss, whose primary business is a food distribution warehouse facility located nearby.


Ambience
Ambience at Jimei Homestay is homely and comfortable. You feel like you're living in a huge bungalow house. Wooden furniture and decor abound, with colours of wood, brown, white, and green. As Jimei Homestay is located in a quiet neighbourhood, the surroundings are peaceful and serene, and the cool mornings are great for walking. Small farms flank the house, and you may even catch the farmers tending their crops!


Room
Rooms at Jimei Homestay are large and spacious. Our room had a living area, a bedroom loft with 3 queen size beds, and 2 bathrooms! There is no dining table, as the Guest Dining Hall downstairs had ample room for dining. The rooms are clean and well maintained, and housekeeping is performed daily. Beds are comfortable, there is cable television with a range of channels, as well as free wifi throughout the room. The only drawback is the windows were coated with frosting, which limited the view outside.


Food
Food at Jimei Homestay revolves around the breakfast, served daily from 7:30am - 10:30am. The small kitchen churns out a good range of dishes for breakfast, using fresh produce from the nearby market, and sometimes, freshly imported food from the owner / boss warehouse nearby. I find all their dishes to be of excellent quality, not restaurant standard, but more like tasty home cooked meals. Food isn't served the rest of the day, though guests can make use of the dining hall, but Jimei Homestay also provides a (paid) drink / beverage vending machine, as well as free coffee throughout the day.


Service
Service at Jimei Homestay is down to earth, and friendly. Staff treat you like a family member, and are knowledgable enough about the surrounding area to offer advice. Even the owner / boss sometimes mans the reception! Don't expect hotel style service though, although staff do their best to assist if you have a request. They even provide transport services to the HSR Station!


Facilities & Activities
Jimei Homestay only has a small range of activities on the premises, such as Foosball, a children's play area, and several swings. You can however, rent a bicycle to ride around the city, or arrange for tours of the Hualien area of Taiwan. As Jimei Homestay is primarily catered for leisure, there are no business facilities or conference rooms, although you could use the Guest Dining Hall for small meetings if needed.