Butterfly Valley Resort

The resort can pick visitors up from the nearest train station, which made meals and transport easy to leave to them. We also loved the hot springs and the buffet breakfast and dinner. Hualien's secluded setting is peaceful and beautiful, and we really enjoyed the park trails: the loop that goes to the hanging bridge and ancient rock, plus the shorter path beside the turquoise river. I would add hand soap and towel hooks in each room, and a playground for children.

The clean room looked freshly remodeled, and both breakfast and dinner buffets were included. We enjoyed a great five mile loop hike, with breathtaking views and huge butterflies around. Mosquitoes kept appearing in the room, though. I think they got in whenever we opened the door, so plan accordingly.

The area is beautiful, but the hotel is an overpriced, aging dump. Calling it five star is a crime. The buffet was inedible, and not one dish was hot enough for flavor or health. Who serves room temperature congee? There was no hand soap in our room. When we asked about it, staff blamed the government. Some creatures, probably rats, scrambled around in the ventilation in my daughter's room. After staying here, our family was covered in bites on our legs, as another reviewer mentioned. What a nightmare!

The rooms and bed were comfortable, and the early morning hike up to the suspension bridge was really scenic. I saw very few butterflies, though, and the butterfly house wasn't in good repair. The buffet felt mediocre overall.