Accommodations Review: Star and Mist B&B (Hualien, Taiwan)

We booked a 3 night stay at Star and Mist B&B: TripAdvisor reviews, Official website (in Chinese).

It was a lovely and relaxing stay! The hosts do not seem to live on the property (which is a plus, in my opinion, because you don't feel like you're intruding in someone's home!), but always seem to be available when needed! Pictures first, then pros and cons.


Star and Mist B&B - Exterior



Star and Mist B&B - Exterior


We stayed in Room 5


Pretty comfortable bed (by Asian standards), and cute decor.


Nice amenities


Wall-mounted TV, although we never used it.


Very cute bathroom. Great water pressure from the showerhead, but the drainage was not great.


Smallish bathtub, but serviceable for a nice long soak!




Breakfast featuring a local Hualien sausage (the mystery meat at the bottom right)

Pros:

• Very new and well-appointed. Cute decor throughout.
• Friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful hosts. English fluency. Very prompt email responses (booking dinner reservations, arranging a private driver for a Taroko Gorge trip).
• WhatsApp/LINE to communicate with hosts to arrange taxis, breakfast times, etc.
• Arranged taxis arrive within 10-15 minutes, and have a small discount (around 60NT)
• Strong wifi signal in common area and in room
• Electronic locks on doors (no need to carry around a key)
• Good air conditioning, great water pressure (rain shower heads, bathtub)
• Comfortable beds, pillows, linens (especially by Western standards).
• Gated house, very quiet location, unobstructed mountain view from back of the house
• Large deck with patio furniture, BBQ, flood lights, etc.
• Mini fridge in-room, nice amenities, free bottled water, strong hair dryer, flat screen wall mounted TV
• Well balanced breakfast (blend of Taiwanese and Western styles) with local delicacies. Option to have bakery bread instead if leaving early. We would have liked to see some local, seasonal fruit at breakfast, though.

Cons:

• There is nothing within walking distance, and some taxi drivers do not know the location (the hosts can provide you with a business card with handwritten directions to hand to the taxi driver — very helpful!) Hopefully as they become more well-known, taxis will become more familiar with the location.
• The shower drained slowly in our bathroom (when we notified our hosts, they promptly cleared the drain which improved the situation, but not 100%)
• No luggage racks in the room

Bottom Line: Highly recommended, would definitely stay again!