Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan: Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area; hotel review + restaurant review,

Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

23 Zhongzheng Rd., Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  211 rooms.  Full-service spa; bicycle rentals.  Buffet breakfast; 4 restaurants, 2 bars. 

Situated on the north end of Sun Moon Lake, the aesthetically pleasing Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel nicely integrates nature into the surroundings.  Large and colorful orchid arrangements are found throughout the serene premises,

orchids at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

as are large windows revealing views of the ever-changing lake.

view of lake from Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

Each guest room has floor-to-ceiling windows and a private balcony, as well as a deep marble bathtub that fills quickly with soothing natural hot-springs water.  

 

guest room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

  

guest room bathtub at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

My room, number 821, had a view of 

Wenwu Temple.

view of Wenwu Temple from guest room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

Amenities include comfortable flip-flop slippers to keep (mine were a delicious shade of pink that I am wearing right now) and a matching cotton yukata pajama set to borrow.  By request, a pillow cart offers a choice of 28 different styles.  A recreation center provides a series of hot springs pools, including a children’s pool and men’s and women’s nude pools, as well as exercise equipment, an indoor children’s play area, and a pet room.

children's play room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

Organized hotel activities include hiking, rock-climbing, bicycle and boat tours, and evening entertainment.  The breakfast room features a wall of windows open to a tree-filtered view of the lake.

breakfast room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

The food selection is extensive and tasty, and seating is available both inside and out on an expansive deck with heat-lamps.

mochi muffins in breakfast room at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

The Jade Luminous restaurant offers cutting-edge Chinese cuisine--for example, one dish included the entire scallop, which I had never seen before.

menu at Jade Luminous restaurant at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

  

scallops at Jade Luminous restaurant at Fleur de Chine, Sun Moon Lake hotel

More things to do in Taipei.

More things to do in Taiwan.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific.

   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan : Full House Restaurant, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area; restaurant review

Full House Restaurant in Taiwan

No. 8 Shuixiu St., Yuchi Township, Nantou County. 

The owner of Full House Restaurant began preparing fruit-enhanced dishes as a way to help his sick wife.  The menu features exotic and delicious items such as soursop fruit with shitake mushrooms or dragon fruit with salmon.  A personal favorite was a fruity-sauced pork dish with very ripe melon.  Hot pot cooking is also an option.

fruit-enhanced dishes at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

fruit-enhanced dishes at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

The intriguing dining room is a mish-mash of vintage tables and accessories and features an expansive granite floor.

interior decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

Throughout, fresh fruits such as giant pomelos and round green squashes are clustered together in attractive arrangements as part of the decor.  Also throughout are hung memorable paintings by the owner’s wife, Lin Yan Ping. 

fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

fresh-fruit decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

Plenty more seating is available in an expansive garden, where one umbrella is wired with a crystal chandelier and colorful blown-glass fruits decorate. 

garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

  

garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

garden decor cat pots at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

garden decor at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

Inexpensive lodging is available upstairs in ten knotty-pine rooms, some with deep Japanese-style bathtubs and lake views.

lodging lobby at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

guest room at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

bathtub at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

view from guest room at Full House Restaurant at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

More things to do in Taipei.

More things to do in Taiwan.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific.

images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan: Wenwu Temple, Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area; sights to see

Wenwu Temple in Taiwan

No. 63, Zhongzheng Road, Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  Open 24 hrs.  Free.

Located on the north shore of Sun Moon Lake and facing west, this large temple is also known as Literature-Warrior Temple.  Wenwu Temple was built in 1932, rebuilt in the 1960s, and then rebuilt again after a devastating 1999 earthquake.  Two gigantic red stone lions act as gate guardians, and three large halls are dedicated to Kaiji--the God of Literature, Guang Gong--the God of Justice, and Confucius--the Great Teacher.  Exceptionally beautiful and well kept, it features stone carvings and fountains.  Lakeside in front, the “Year of Steps,” also called the "Stairway to Heaven," is a flight of 366 stairs that represent each day of the year plus one extra for leap year.  This stairway leads down to the lake and was the original entrance to the temple.  Today visitors can hang prayer bells on either side.

Note that custom indicates that when there are three doors at the entrance to a temple, the middle door is for the deities and nobody enters through that door.  Facing the temple, you enter through the right door (the dragon’s mouth side) and exit through the left door (the tiger’s tail side).

entrance gate to Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

guardian lion at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

view of lake from Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

interior details at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

orchids in Confucius Hall at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

blessing dispenser machine at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

dispensed blessing item at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

offering in stone beast's mouth at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

prayer bells line "Stairway to Heaven" at Wenwu Temple
at Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

More things to do in Taipei.

More things to do in Taiwan.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific.

   
images and video ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Introduction to Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Introduction to Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Taiwan 

Popular for honeymoons, Sun Moon Lake is known for its natural thermal hot springs and crowded with Chinese tourists and tour buses.  It is located in the nation’s center 157 miles north of Taipei--about 2 1/2- hours by High Speed Rail--in scenic Yuchi Township, Nantou County.  At 2,454-feet altitude and surrounded by mountains, it is the only Taiwan county not by the sea.  A large power plant here, which was destroyed in World War II and then rebuilt, produces 40% of Taiwan’s electricity. 

Enlarged by half and made deeper during the Japanese occupation, this natural lake is the largest lake in Taiwan.  Its name comes from the fact that the southern part of the lake’s Lalu Island is shaped like a crescent moon, and the northern part is shaped like a sun. 

Bird-watching is good in the forests of Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area, and sightings might include the Grey-cheeked Fulvetta, Grap-throated Minivet, Formosan Yuhina, Gray Tree Pie, Bamboo Partridge, Chinese Bulbul, Muller's Barbet, and Black Bulbul.  Colonies of Black-crowned Night herons and Egretta garzettas, as well as birds such as the common kingfisher and the Green-winged Teal, can also be seen.  

Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

making selfies among the cherry blossoms at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

wedding couple at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, Taiwan

evening at Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area in Yuchi Township,
Nantou County, Taiwan

More things to do in Taipei.

More things to do in Taiwan.

More ideas for exploring Asia and the South Pacific.

   
images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers