Evergreen Garden House

The owner was friendly, but the way the house is run made our two-night stay feel uncomfortable and restrictive. We booked the whole place for 40,000 NTD over the Dragon Boat Festival and paid a 2,000 NTD deposit. The karaoke speakers were distorted, too, so singing was hard. I also worried about fire safety: the only apparent exit was the front door, while the back door and the door between the kitchen and the owner's room were locked, which could make getting out very difficult. The kitchen was off limits under the “whole-building rental” arrangement. Its door, which also separates it from the dining area, was usually locked, though the owner would sometimes open it from the room beside the kitchen. We also saw a camera in the living room soon after arriving; she said it monitored the shared areas. On the first day we needed pots or spoons and a way to wash food, but had to ask her ahead of time for those things. She would gently ask whether we planned to bring food back, when we'd sing, or whether we were going out. Those questions felt stressful, like we were being tested. The next morning she opened the kitchen door while we were all in the living room to take out the shared trash. She noticed the floor and said ants might come. Before we'd even returned with our purchases, ants were crawling over the sofa and the kids screamed. She then said there were just a lot of insects there. We were even asked to help carry out the trash while they were cleaning. Supplies were another frustration. She said toilet paper wasn't usually provided, and only gave us two packs after we said we'd never encountered that at a guesthouse. Later she said bath towels were only supplied once and wouldn't be available after July 1st. After we explained that towels weren't included, she reluctantly gave each family two large ones. She also said the place wasn't meant to provide a kitchen or barbecue, and future guests might need to bring their own towels. I wouldn't pick it for a comfortable, luxurious, or home-like stay. The owner is nice, but seemed very stingy. I got the impression she and her family mainly use the living and dining rooms themselves. This is just what happened to us, so take it as one person's experience.

The place was tidy enough, and the large parking lot was a plus. Seven of us paid 10,000 yuan to rent the whole building, which the owner said was a mistaken quote; he originally charged more, but we accepted the price as given. Still, the stay left us disappointed. We'd booked the whole building, but the owner asked if an elderly couple needing surgery could use a room on the third floor. He offered to put them in the four-person room there, move us to a five-person room downstairs as an “upgrade,” and provide breakfast. The rate stayed the same. We weren't keen on those terms, and Hualien has plenty of good breakfast choices, but we agreed out of consideration for the couple's health. Before leaving, one of our party found they couldn't come, so we asked whether a refund might be possible. The owner said no because we had booked the entire building. We understand the usual no-refund rule, but the couple had a separate room outside the building and that room's price wasn't part of our bill. We'd tried to accommodate his situation, so it was disappointing that he couldn't show the same understanding when plans changed for us. The owner also lives in the building and came and went freely. It felt as though conversations in the common areas could be overheard, and not being able to use the kitchen seemed odd for a guesthouse. Maybe I'm just not accustomed to this setup. The drawers and nearby areas were full of the owner's belongings, and the drawers were messy, which didn't feel like a typical professional guesthouse. Breakfast was another letdown. The owner had stressed the day before that it was worth 100 yuan per day. My travel companion said it was prepared at 6:10 a.m.; we didn't leave until 7:00, so the simple thick toast had been sitting out nearly an hour. You can imagine how it tasted. For clarity, we communicated with the owner calmly and reasonably throughout and made our requests directly.

It felt like being at home on our family trip. The landlady was really friendly.

Breakfast was a filling vegetarian meal: pumpkin, potato salad, nut sandwiches, and homemade soy milk, all tasty. The hostess said a Buddhist monk from Fo Guang Shan had stayed there before. I stayed at Cuiyuan B&B with a Buddhist monk last night, and the room opened onto a balcony where we could have a drink, chat, and take in the view. The place felt elegant and lovely, with rose petals on the pillows and walls. They also provided Gubao soapberry organic lemongrass body wash and shampoo.