Tea Way Hotel - Also Known As Green Hotel (葉綠宿.茶覺旅): Standard Double Room (City View, With Window) in Taichung [Taiwan]

Coming to the last of our hotels at Taiwan for this trip made more than a year ago; Tea Way Hotel - Also Known As Green Hotel (葉綠宿.茶覺旅)!

As we were driving the rental car, I had intentionally searched for a hotel with parking facilities and there was an underground carpark at Tea Way! Sadly, the lots were full despite me indicating in my reservation I required a lot.

No matter what, the checking in would be important as we needed to unload the luggage first into the hotel room. The car shall wait while I single-handedly man-handled the luggage. Service from the front desk wasn't helpful and friendly, at least for this very first day. 

Anyway, at least my request for high floor was acceded to. The 12th floor it was, from this hotel that was opened in 2022, with a total of 93 floors. 

Water dispenser on every floor, I presume.

With hot, cold and warm options. 

Room 1205

Our 23 square-meter standard double room with window facing the city. Given its name, there was a good use of green and wood to "soothe" the hotel guests.

More photographs for reference; the bed and pillows were comfortable and that's sometimes quite hard to find as we grow in age, and get super accustomed to the bed and pillows we have at home. There's also a 3-pin plug near the TV.

Included in the room were mini-fridge, in-room safe, and hairdryer. In the past, I used to discount the need for hairdryer but now that I am much older with use of hair essence; it's important to have one!

Now, the important window view.

Well, not exactly Taichung city skyline view (unlike the ones we were blessed with at Freshfields Hotel) but the alternative of no window was not something I find acceptable. 

I was more curious about the hive of activity under and surrounding the above sheltered space that didn't have walls and reminded me of multi-purpose court near Khatib MRT station in the notorious Singaporean town of Yishun.

Back to the room, and to the washroom.

No big surprises until I turned to my right. Oh my gosh, a Japanese electronic bidet! That to me, might be one of the biggest reasons for returning back to Tea Way Hotel in the hotel! Nothing beats having water washing my ass after a great shit. 

Evacuation map for reference! 

Parking

Circling back to parking, I understand there was no lot available at the basement carpark of the hotel and were at least comforted that there were carparks that we can still park our rental car. 

Problem was, there were two and the 100-meter one was available only from Sundays to Thursdays. For Fridays to Saturdays (and public holidays I think), it would be a 300-meter walk away! I love walking but the thing that irked me was the wait for an available parking lot! 

We spent more than 20 minutes just to wait for an empty lot for our very first night, and that's such a bloody waste of time! I begged the frontline staff for a lot at the basement carpark and thankfully, my request was approved! 

So here's me, waiting at the basement for our rental car to arrive from the car lift. Alex was the designated driver and I am basically the vehicle commander, given my " bad track records".

Thankfully, we got a small car.

Any bigger, and we would sweat. 

Carpark wasn't that small though.

Capacity for maybe 10 vehicles.

Miscellaneous

Supposed to have a self-serviced laundry room but it was closed for maintenance when we were there. Other amenities (combs, toothbrushes, shower caps etc) and services were also available via the front service counter, as above. 

You could even rent other kinds of pillows, if the ones in the rooms are not up to your expectations. Day tours could also be purchased via the reception counter.  

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Address

No. 173, Jianguo Rd, 

Central District, Taichung City, 

Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Standard Double Room (City View, Window) - S$91.08 a night

(Booked via Klook.com)

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Luck Bros Kopi @ Antara Signature Mall in Genting Highlands [Malaysia]

There was a recent hype on Antara Signature Mall, especially regarding Haidilao which would finally be opening a branch at Genting Highlands! 

Other that that, there's really nothing much in this small mall that requires a 15-20 minutes walk down from the top of the highlands; except for maybe Luck Bros Kopi! This would be my second patronage, after my first visit in November 2025.

Our verdict after that first visit was favourable; hence the reason for a second time! There was also a good view at the eatery, even though the cars traversing the road in front can be quite a disturbance. 

The simple breakfast for four persons! 

One of whom already had food earlier. 

Breakfast Set - most important item for breakfast for me would be the coffee and this Kopi Kaw Kaw (kaw means thick) hit the right note in every sip; richness without the insane sweetness and a perfect level of perkiness to start the day. 

Another irresistible Southeast Asian classic; the Butter Kaya Toast; which didn't excite us with its plain, utterly unappetizing look. I was thinking we can't expect that everything is good for an eatery with a variety of dishes. 

Fears were unfounded; the texture was crisp and there was a thick layer of butter in between the smears of kaya. I was satisfied with what I had ingested. The set also included soft boiled eggs and Alex would be a better assessor. His one word reply: good!  

Nasi Lemak Ayam Panggang - the signature dish of Luck Bros Kopi that was given a full-two-page highlights on the menu. One thing I did notice from my last view; the portion seemed a lot smaller.

The three types of chilli would capture your attention no doubt but there will be a favorite nonetheless. I am more impressed with the rice as it wasn't your conventional nasi lemak coconut rice; it's more similar to the rice from chicken rice and said to be cooked using bamboo! 

Deep fried berempah chicken was packed with the goodness of spices; well fried with juiciness. Just that the portion was really quite small. Guess inflation hits globally, not just in Singapore.

Cleared out the plate in no time! A friend ordered the egg on toast on curry which I didn't try, except for the curry, and it was too weak for my liking! 

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Address

Lot PG-01, Level Ground, 

AK Antara Signature Mall, 

Genting Highlands, Bentong,

Pahang, Malaysia

Map

As above.

Pricing

Breakfast Set - RM 16.90

Nasi Lemak Ayam Panggang - RM 24.90

(Subject to Service Charge and Tax)

Meals at Lamungan Rest Station, also known as Nantou Service Area along Taiwan National Highway 3

The national highways in Taiwan are not comparable to the expressways we have in Singapore; it's freakish long (again, in comparison) with multiple rest stations. Today, we shall talk about the interestingly named Lamungan Rest Station along highway 3.

In our decision to rent a car in left-hand driving Taiwan, we said never to drive at night for safety reasons but we were still an hour or two away from Taichung city and the sun was already on its glory way towards the horizon.

Hence, a rest was essential so that there's better focus for driving (for Alex) once night came. Anyway, it was a choice we didn't regret making as the orangey yolk with its splashes of colors in the sky was a soothing beauty.

Not to also mention the numerous trees blossoming with white flowers adding to the nice atmosphere! The flowers looked kind of familiar yet not native to Singapore.

Turned out they were plum blossoms! And do you know which country has it as their national flower? Taiwan! "Designated in 1964, plum blossom symbolizes resilience, perseverance, and hope as it blooms vibrantly even in harsh winter conditions, with its five petals representing the five branches of the ROC government and its three stamens mirroring Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People."

Lamungan actually means rainbow in the native language of the Bunun indigenous tribe and owls have a special place in the tribe, as the protector of infants! 

With too many options for dinner, we settled for something much more easier to decide; burger king! Having travelled with Alex so many times, I am well acquainted to his eating habits and fast-food dining is uncommon.

A whopper from Burger King is a safe option for sure although one thing upped the game; the burger bun tasted freshly baked! Irresistibly delicious! 

The meal with cheese fries and drink cost us NT$209. I was disappointed with the cheese fries as the cheese came from a disposable pack and tasted artificial. Come on, at least give us cheese fries similar to KFC! 

A dessert was necessary to complete the meal and something caught my attention at Milk Houses. It's not something I would eat when I am in Singapore but maybe due to a friend's recommendation and the trip to Taiwan back in 2023, it just felt right to crave for it whenever I am in Taiwan.

Mochi or Daifukumochi! There were  flavors like strawberry red bean, strawberry taro, but I am a traditionalist; the common strawberry one it shall be, at NT$65! 

Anticipating.....

Disappointment - there wasn't a real strawberry inside; just jam, cream and cake. Why jam?! Why cake?! While not bad tasting, I am a traditionalist! Alex took a small bite and there's indeed a strawberry; just a quarter of it. :( 

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Address

No 6, 142弄, 250巷, 

南鄉路, Nantou City,

Nantou County, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)