King's Resort & Spa

King’s Resort has a very local feel. We saw no other foreigners, and cereal and toast at the breakfast buffet were the only Western food. That suited us fine. The sandals they provided barely fit me and were four sizes too small for my husband, so tall guests with Western-sized feet should bring their own. We spent three nights here in February and enjoyed our stay. The hotel is family owned, and the owner and staff were very friendly. Our room was comfortable and clean. Dinner was tasty and different each night. We loved the private rooftop jacuzzi tubs and watched the sunset from them every evening. The main hot spring pools are small and can get crowded at busy times, but we avoided that. Our son enjoyed switching between hot and cold pools and trying the sauna and steam room. For the price, it was okay that the hotel didn't have some things we've had elsewhere, like a bidet toilet or a robe for going to the springs. The one thing missing from our room was patio furniture, so we could sit outside and enjoy the view. The location was great.

The staff and owner were incredibly helpful and friendly. They went out of their way to sort out an issue for me, then offered us dinner afterward. I'd never experienced hospitality like that. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the food was good, and the spa was quiet enough to enjoy the surrounding views. We chose this hotel for its location and variety of baths, hoping to try the hot springs during our two-night trip around Taiwan. Our stay was amazing. I'd recommend coming here!

Our balcony looked out over the mountains and river, a beautiful view. We appreciated having four single beds instead of two doubles. Apart from a few cobwebs on the ceiling, the room was quite clean. The outdoor hot spring was fantastic. We were lucky to have it to ourselves. Don't miss the indoor jacuzzi either. I'd go there in daylight or at dusk for the views, then try the outdoor one after dark for the atmosphere, as long as it isn't too busy. Breakfast had a nice range of dishes. We stayed one night.

Getting here is a trek. The hotel is in the middle of nowhere, and without a car you'd need a cab from Dahu, about 700 ntd one way. I'd only stay if driving, since then you'd have more dinner choices and could explore the area. Even then, you might get bored after two days. Beitou and Guguan are easier by public transport. The facilities are dated. The private jacuzzi is the best part, but you only get an hour per night, it shut off after 30 minutes, and you can hear kids running around from the private jacuzzi room. The in-room hot tub isn't usable because the water doesn't get warm enough. The bathroom is large but drafty. There are no bathrobes, and the outdoor pools are a long way from the changing rooms, with stairs on the route. The cold pool was closed too. Dinner costs an extra 550 ntd per person. The portions were really small for two. They could easily have added vegetables, beancurd, or egg instead of serving overly sweet plum wine. From older reviews, I think they used to serve fruit after dinner, but seem to have stopped. The set meals for four or more have more dishes and better value. I found dinner bland, even though I like food with less salt. We ended up getting BBQ skewers from roadside vendors in front of the hotel. I wouldn't buy the dinner package if I stayed again, though I'm unlikely to return since the experience didn't match the long journey. Maybe upgrade and try onsen papawaqa instead? Discounted rooms are listed on various e-commerce sites. Breakfast options include minced pork over rice or Taiwanese porridge, with a few cooked dishes: bland braised firm tofu, black fungus, bamboo shoots, tea eggs, pork floss, and jarred condiments and pickles. There are also sweet potatoes, mantou, sliced bread and toasters, cereal with milk, plus a simple salad station with canned(?) sweet corn kernels, cucumber, sprouts, thickly sliced cucumber, and large pea shoots with two dressings. The tea eggs were tasteless, much worse than 7-11/family mart, so they could offer scallion eggs or sunny-side-up eggs instead. The sweet potatoes could be heated up too. The sliced oranges were the best thing at breakfast.