Budget Flight to Taipei
{ Updated Post in Day by Day Format in Oct 2025_Note: This trip happened in 2018}
This was a last minute trip to Taiwan as we only decided a month before to go Taiwan for our year-end trip. We had to book Jetstar Airlines due to this and there were no suitable timing on Scoot Airline for daytime. The return timing was not good this time as we arrived back home in the wee hours of the morning (boarded at 8.20pm and reached 1.05am) and Vin still had to go to work at 6.45am. He took a few days to recover from the tiredness. Therefore, I made a mental note not to book such a weird timing again for future trips. We went up to Terminal 1’s foodcourt to eat an early breakfast before boarding the flight. Hence, there was no need for in-flight meals.
Day 1 Arrival in Taipei
We took an early day flight (5 hours 20 mins) and landed in the afternoon. The temperature was a disappointing 25 degrees Celsius. I had hoped the end of November would be more chilly (around 18-22) but it was still quite “hot”.
For this trip, we decided to pre-book a taxi driver to take us straight to Yilan, a county which was about 1.5 hours away from Taipei by car. This would save us time and we would have a toddler car seat for Ling (3 year old).
Queuing time for the customs was quite alright and we were out very soon. Vin WhatsApp the driver and told him we were collecting our luggage and heading out. We met up when we saw him holding a white paper with Vin’s surname.
The driver, Mr Huang, suggested for us to eat some snack first before driving to Yilan. I agree too since the kids had eaten too early before boarding. We could buy stuff from a convenience store just downstairs. Thus, he looked after our big luggage while we took our valuables with us down the lift.
It opened directly to the convenience stall where Dar saw appetizing big sausages and could not resist buying. I bought an tuna Onigiri to share with Ling and topped up a little for a cold tea with pearls. I opted for less sugar and it was not tasty. For Ling, it was her first time eating a rice ball like this and she enjoyed it.
Booked Taxi – Convenience of a Driver
To get to Mr Huang’s taxi, we had to take a small bus. He said that they were not allowed to wait there in the vicinity of the airport and he had to park at the taxi headquarters. I’m not sure how true this info is though. I wasn’t too happy that we couldn’t just get straight onto the cab as it was already quite late for lunch and water play later.
The baby car seat was quite high but a little too inclined. It was easy to strap her though and Ling was comfortable in it. Soon, she fell asleep during the journey and did not wake up even after we reached Jiaoxi. We continued booking Mr Huang for the duration of our trip, except for the third day where we spent most of our day on Maokong Mountain and did not need him.
As we had our own itinerary, we used him more for his driving services than guiding. He was a quiet man and did not have much additional information to share (like which places are nice or where are the good food) but his driving skills were good and we had a comfortable ride for the five days we were there.
Arrival at Yilan County
The longest driving tunnel connecting Taipei to Yilan was a driving experience in itself. Mr Huang took us on a wrong turn when we arrived in Yilan County but the turn allowed us to see some of Yilan’s farming areas.
Yilan County – Jiaoxi Township
Lunch – Jiaoxi Weng Yao Chicken (甕窯雞 )
Vin wanted to try the famous Jiaoxi Weng Yao Chicken (甕窯雞 ) and specially requested our driver to bring us there. We had first tried this type of clay oven roasted chicken in a Cing Jing restaurant before. It was called “Weng Zai Ji” there but in this Jiaoxi restaurant, they called it “Weng Yao Chicken”( 甕窯雞).
The chicken is roasted in a huge clay oven over burning logs of longan wood tree trunks. This traditional cooking method requires lots of hardwork and skills. They had to keep checking the roast chicken or adding logs to ensure the right temperature.
How to Eat Jiaoxi Weng Yao Chicken
Vin first put on a pair of gloves, then another set of plastic gloves over the pair of cotton ones. The chicken was extremely hot, so the woollen pair of gloves would protect his hand from the heat. The thin plastic pair of gloves was for not contaminating the chicken when he tore the pieces.
With the heat, he found it quite difficult to twist each part out. The roast chicken skin was also easily separated from the meat. The resulting dissection was a big mess when he was done with it. Fortunately, it was only the four of us so we need not care about the chicken’s aesthetic value. With friends sharing the dish, one might need more care slowly separating each chicken part.
People who enjoyed the dish, said that the Weng Yao Chicken skin is crispy and the fragrance is so good (due to use of herbs and longan wood). Frankly, I did not found it fragrant so I was quite puzzled about the hype. I still prefer the usual crispy chicken (脆皮鸡) with really crispy skin in Chinese restaurants (try this crispy chicken in Shanghai, nice!).
Side-Dishes
You can order lots of different types of side dishes to go with the chicken. There are free soups from a corner which we took ourselves . I had wanted to order a veggie dish but we were not familiar with the locally grown Taiwanese vegetables. I also found the veggie dishes too expensive at almost SGD$9 a dish. With so much meat to finish and a hurry to check-in for our hot spring experience, we did not order side-dishes in the end.
Name: 甕窯雞 Weng Yao Chicken
Address:No. 7, Section 7, Jiaoxi Road, Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 262
Jiaoxi Hot Spring Bath Experience
Jiaoxi, known as an area for abundant clear mineral spring waters (mainly sodium bicarbonate).Soon, I found this spring spa hotel which has a water play area for children. For the adults, they had different spa pool mixtures to dip in. The great thing was that, we need not be “naked” nor separated by genders. Our entire family could play together inside the hot spring spa area by wearing swimming costumes. Thus, we were really excited to try this for the first time in Taiwan as a family.
Spring Spa Hotel Room
The room was really huge with two big double-beds and a sofa day bed. The bathroom was also huge with a shower area, a sink and a huge spa bathtub. The waters that run through their taps were naturally clear mineral waters. There was even a jacuzzi button we could press, to have water jets spurting out from the floor for a spa experience.
Hot Spring Play
We stepped into the hot spring bath area with swimwear. The open area has a dining area, children’s pool, a slide, hot baths, jacuzzi spa and sauna. I bought swim caps for all of us thinking it is a must to use but they informed that we only need to use them in the spa area.
I first saw a small pool for the children. I tested the water first and found it was just warm, like the bath temperature we usually use. Thus, we placed Ling inside and the depth was alright for her. She loved it so much and did not want to go other areas, except stay there for the entire time. Unfortunately, the children’s playground I came here for was too mouldy for play.
As we were there early, there were few people and everybody was polite to give each other space. If there was somebody already soaking, they would choose another tub – about 6 mixture tubs to choose from and several hotter ones.
If it is your first hot spring experience, remember to go in slowly and try dipping your feet first before slowly submerging. I tried four tubs – rose syrup, milk, ginger and mint tubs at 38 degrees Celsius. Entering at first, it felt hot and it took a while for me to get used to it. I did not try the sulphuric one because it was listed as 40 degrees and fluctuates upwards, so it might be too hot for me. There were some which was 42-43 degrees Celsius, which I saw people soaking in. Vin also found an extremely cold spring water, which was for an alternating experience. Dar soaked his bottom half first and gradually entered. It still took him a while to get use to the high temperature and he only soak very minimal.
We alternated with sitting at the fishes’ pool to let the little fishes eat dead skin off our feet. It was my first time and I felt it was quite a ticklish, strange feeling. Ling was scared and refuse to place her foot in.
Vin and Dar went to try the higher water slide which allowed them to splash into a deeper pool. It became Dar’s favourite to do the slide and he went down several times on it.
As the hot spring tub area is opened until late at night 11pm, Vin went back to soaking them after our dinner, while the children played in the hot tub in our hotel room.
Overall, I had mixed feelings about introducing this place (Chuang-Tang Spring Spa Hotel) but still want to share our experiences. I like the hot baths but would not recommend this place to go with children because of the poorly maintained children water playground (*Note: This was written in 2018… they might have changed since then).
However, the rest of the amenities were quite alright (we enjoyed our private spa bath and rooms were clean) and we could still explore the Jiaoxi township around the hotel at night. For example, we went exploring after our swim, ate dessert and bought convenience store dinner. If you choose hotsprings in the Beitou area, they are usually high in the mountainous region and you could only stay inside the hotel once you checked in.
Night Walk in Jiaoxi
We walked out of our hot spring spa hotel with the intention to find dinner. The night air was cool and we were surrounded by lots of neon lights.A short video of our walkthrough of Jiaoxi township near our hotel.
Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park
While walking, we noticed a park and walked in. The surroundings were was lit with neon lights and looked pretty at night. We love walking on the boardwalk but had to keep a tight hold on Ling who might fall into the water. Soon, we came across people soaking their feet in a hot spring pond, free of charge. We did not try how hot it was since we were there for exploration.
That area was quite dark with faint lighting and the people were staring intently into their phones, faces illuminated (watch our exploration video above). I was quite surprised an auntie stood there in the water (most people were sitting), watching something on her mobile placed on a ledge. At another place, we saw people gathering around, soaking their legs in a fish spa pond. The Jiaoxi local culture is so unique since hot spring is abundant everywhere. I mean, how many people soak their feet outside as an activity after dark?
We also found several interesting props placed around the park for photo opportunities – a huge shoe and a bathtub. There were several shops selling goodies souvenir too but we were not too interested in such food and did not buy them.
Wei Jie Bao Xin Fen Yuan
We found a branch of the famous dessert shop in Yilan county and decided to try. I tried the black glutinous rice with Fen Yuan “包心桂圆紫米粥” -Bao Xin Gui Yuan Zi after asking the staff. Vin took the staff’s suggestion of a combined bowl of soya which was beancurd in soya milk（豆浆，豆花）with peanuts（花生），glutinous balls（粉圆）and black glutinous rice（紫米）.
What is “Fen Yuan”? They are actually tapioca pearls which look translucent. We often find them in Taiwan’s Bubble Tea. This dessert store made theirs special by stuffing them with red bean fillings and cooking them in different kinds of sweet soup.
The order was huge so we shared among us. However, even though the “Fen Yuan” was small, it has a chewy texture so the kids did not enjoy them. I find the texture thicker than the usual tapioca pearls and the taste was just faintly sweet. I’m the only one who enjoyed my order of the black glutinous rice with fen yuan. The glutinous rice was cooked very well and tasty!
Price： NT70 each (abt SGD$3.12)
Convenience Store Dinner
We ended up walking to a nearby convenience store to buy bento dinners for Vin and Dar. The toddler shared some of Vin’s dinner since she does not eat much.
[ In Summary ]
We enjoyed our first day in Taiwan Yilan County as there were many things to experience – famous crispy chicken, hot spring bath play as a family, town night walk, Taiwanese dessert. Look forward to Day 2 of adventures!
>> Read Next Post: Luodong | Bee Museum | Wushi Harbour | Waiao | Toucheng Leisure Farm
Taiwan Nov 2018 Yilan: Day 1 Itinerary
- Departure from Singapore in early morning
- Arrival in Taipei in the afternoon
- Travelled from Taipei to Yilan County (1.5 hours) with booked driver
- Lunch – Jiaoxi Weng Yao Chicken
- Check-in Hot Spring Bath Hotel
- Jiaoxi Town Night Walk
- Taiwanese Dessert Bao Xin Fen Yuan
Read our Summary Highlights Post for Taiwan Nov 2018 Yilan | Taipei : 5-Day Taiwan Trip Itinerary: Nature and Fun
Past Explorations in Taiwan: 8 day Taiwan Itinerary Chiayi | Nantou | Taipei | Hualien
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