Dafeng Hotel (嘉義大峯山莊) - Double Mountain View Room @ Alishan National Forest Recreation Area [Taiwan]

The drizzle was never-ending; a bad omen for what I would have considered as a bad start for my stay in Alishan. It didn't help that review rating score was below 4.0 yet I didn't have much choice given the limited list of accommodations! 

So here's our accommodation for one night.

Dafeng Hotel (嘉義大峯山莊).

What was deemed as a bad omen eventually didn't result in any negativity for the hotel as we were greeted exuberantly by the counter staff members, who told us we should have called them at the entrance of recreation area and they would send someone to pick us up in the car! 

After which was a barrage of information including breakfast , train and shuttle timings and frequency, catching the sunrise the next morning, attractions to visit at Alishan, suggested route, and room policy! And all information was in Mandarin; a language that I thankfully could grasp, verbally. 

A very important map, with recommendations on what we should eat at Alishan; like the wasabi sausage, chia seed drink etc. Very friendly staff members from the hotel and even though it wasn't the official check in timing, we were allowed early check-in, given that we were quite soaked from the drizzle! 

Room 301

Stepping into our Double Mountain View Room!

Unlike generally dated accommodations I saw on the web at Alishan, Dafeng Hotel appeared new! Turned out it was actually built in 1987, and newly renovated in 2024!

Given the rain and mist, no view of any mountain although the display of coniferous trees ahead of us was still a beautiful sight, at least in the daytime.

Coming back to the room, it was actually quite sparse; only a small dressing table, no study table (good for me as it means I shouldn't be working), no in-room safe, no mini-fridge (not a big issue for me), no proper wardrobe. By the way, the flooring wasn't carpeted and it can be cold for the feet! p.s. make use of the in-room slippers! 

Hot flask with pre-packed coffee and tea, and snacks! 

Dehumidifier and also an electric mattress (we were informed level 5 would be good enough) were also provided! Latter provided much warmth to the freezing winter night 2,100 meters above sea level. 

Now the all important washroom! Based on recent regulations, hotels are no longer allowed to provide disposable toiletries! So do remember to bring along your own toothbrush, toothpaste etc.

Water pressure was acceptable, temperature was good and the only negative thing was that the glass panel wasn't wide enough and the water from the showerhead kept wetting the "dry" section.

I was most impressed with the Japanese bidet! For the comfort of my butt and asshole, this was totally worth the price I paid for, for the hotel. I can't imagine why some four or five star hotels are still depriving guests of an electronic bidet! 

Evacuation plan! 

Remember the hot flask I mentioned earlier? You can fill it up via the water dispenser on every floor, providing guests with hot, warm or cold water.

Breakfast

To have your breakfast, provided free by Dafeng Hotel, you would have to get out of your hotel, go to its back, walk up the stars and cross the carpark of Alishan National Forest Recreation Area. Go straight up the stairs of the building in front, to the second floor.

Count the 4th store on your right, and you would have arrived at the eatery providing the free breakfast. Whip out the coupons and pass them to the staff member on duty. 

Non-air-conditioned but you honestly don't need it given the cool climate. Breakfast would be from 7am till 9pm during winter, and from 6.30am till 9pm in autumn, Spring and summer; unknown.

Although it was buffet style, it's not self serviced and the modus operandi was similar to our economical rice stalls in Singapore. While I understand some guests would take too much, like way over their stomach capacity, I am known to take a little bit of everything just to try.

Hence their style resulted in too much food for me! While I generally like broccoli, this was too raw for my liking and even the glass noodles were overly salty. 

Their sweet potato porridge was better, especially after you topped it with pork floss, peanuts and the sweetened gluten! Frankly, breakfast was better here than at Alishan Gou Hotel.

The beverages; I would strongly recommend the soy milk. Served steaming hot, it was warm comfort for my freezing body, and best of all, it didn't taste overly sweet! I had like two or three cups.

Like Singapore, remember to return your cutleries.

To their respective boxes, with waste dumped in a separate bin.

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My stay was much better than expected; service was great and the counter lady spoke impeccably good Mandarin and English (she stayed in USA for a while)! p.s. pillow was a bit too soft for my liking. 

Address

No 46, 中正村, Alishan Township

Chiayi County, Taiwan

Map

As above.

Pricing

Double Mountain View Room - S$213.85

(Booked via Trip.com)

Additional Information

For your viewing pleasure, including spa and massage services (only noted this when we were about to check out thee next day), and options for shuttle service to and from Chiayi, Kaohsiung Airport, Sun Moon Lake and even Taoyuan International Airport. 

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)