Hsianghua 81 Homestay

The kids had a great time with the billiards table and other things to do upstairs. There were comic books all over the room, which was a real treat, and we found the spacious room reasonably priced. It was a comfortable place for a fall visit, and I'd stay here again.

It's very quiet at night since the guesthouse is in a remote spot, so it suits people looking for peace. The rooms are spacious, the beds have just the right firmness, and there are lots of comics and play facilities. Water pressure is strong, though it takes a while for the hot water to come through. Once it does, it's quite hot.

We stayed at Xianghua B&B, where the owner also served as our guide. The tourism business hasn't fully recovered, so there weren't many tourists around, even though flights were fully booked. The owner was friendly and made us feel at home. I wanted Dadan Island to be the main purpose of my first visit to Kinmen, and seeing Juguang Tower was a must too. I remembered it from childhood stamps and wanted to know if it still had its old charm. Kinmen beef noodles made with beef fed kaoliang liquor lees were also on my list. I wasn't trying to cram in every attraction, especially since our three-day, two-night trip had only a few places left after the half-day outing to Dadan Island and afternoon tea at Haoxiang Coffee. Our guides explained Kinmen's history, architecture, and local ecology along the way, so we learned a lot. They did their best to fit in as many places as possible, including Yangdi, the Folk Culture Village, the Shishan Artillery Fort, the Shouting Spring, Jiangong Island, and the Taihu Sunset. With their enthusiastic guidance, we saw most of the well-known sights and fulfilled what we'd hoped to do. The food mattered too. Kinmen's breakfast made a lasting impression alongside the beef noodles. We were taken to the restaurant early, which meant a hearty meal without long lines or wasting time. Thank you to our guide for that.

Everything else was good, and the boss was very kind with good service. But the summer mosquitoes are really scary. If there were a way to deal with them, the value for money would be amazing.