Postcard Getaway

Wood-Fired Pizzas and Thermal Valley Mystique: A Perfect Weekend Escape in Yangmingshan National Park

Written by Kaelie Piscitello

The Taipei weather finally cooled down, and I wanted a rest from running around every weekend and doing a million things. While I love high-energy day trips, sometimes it’s nice to slow down and take it easy. My boyfriend also just finished a busy semester at university and needed a way to relax during his winter vacation trip to see me.

Since arriving in Taiwan, I had known I wanted to visit Beitou, but the temperatures were too hot to enjoy the hot springs. Since the weather finally cooled down, December felt like a natural time to enjoy the natural sulfur springs in my backyard.

Things to Do in Beitou

I didn’t expect Beitou to still have a city feel since its location is in New Taipei, and people know the place for its beautiful nature. Beitou still felt close to the city, but as we neared the thermal valley, it started to feel less suburban.

Near the XinBeitou MRT station, we also walked through Beitou Park to reach our hotel. The park featured the Beitou library, the hot spring museum, and parts of the city wall. I didn’t make it because we came to Beitou later in the day, and the line seemed too long. However, I liked walking around the pretty space anyway.

After checking into our hotel, my boyfriend and I visited the Thermal Valley to see where the famous hot springs come from. Unsurprisingly, the Thermal Valley stunk! The sulfur makes the valley reek of rotten eggs, but the mists rising above the jade-green water looked beautiful.

Before dinner, my boyfriend and I also wandered into a pottery shop called 金象藝術陶瓷有限公司 and purchased some beautiful cups from a man who had been hand-making them for many years. I loved the tea pots and appreciated that everything was set at reasonable prices.

The Natural Springs

I didn’t use the public springs because my boyfriend and I booked a hotel room with a private bath containing water from the springs. When my boyfriend and I visited Japan back in July, we tried to use hot springs but learned that public hot springs mean lots of naked older adults. Though the Beitou public hot spring requires clothing, we booked a private room anyway.

We stayed at the Grand Pleasure Spring Hotel, and it was a great experience. This hotel typically would have cost us a pretty penny, but I kept my eyes peeled on Black Friday and got a room at half price! The staff had a friendly and helpful demeanor, and I appreciated that they let us choose whether we spoke to them in English or Chinese. I loved how the lady let me practice speaking in Chinese since so many Taiwanese people assume I can’t speak Chinese and will speak in English even if I talk in Mandarin. 

The Grand Pleasure also offered complimentary snacks and hot beverages in a dining room. We took the snacks on our hike in Yangmingshan National Park and were grateful to have them. The hot cocoa also tasted yummy.

In the room, we quickly discovered the convenience of having a tub. The room had standard amenities, but the bathroom and bathtub were unique for their role as the centerpiece. The tub featured a great lion head for the water spout, and it filled the tub fast.

The bath felt so lovely! Although it came from natural springs and seemed to have healing properties, the water didn’t smell like sulfur. My dead skin peeled as I soaked, and the water left my skin feeling soft and refreshed.

Dining in Beitou

My boyfriend and I started our evening at Kahu Craft Beer Garden. We had this awkward period where it was too early to eat dinner, but we didn’t want to return to the hotel, so we ended up there for a drink.

The beer garden hosted a live musician set up around when we left. We didn’t get to hear him play much, but from what we heard, he sounded wonderful and added character to the bar. The staff spoke English well but also let us practice our Chinese. I tried a guava beer, and the waitress gave me a plum powder to sprinkle over it. I didn’t love the plum powder-it was too sweet. However, I liked the beer, which surprised me because I prefer wine. 

We ate dinner at this pizza restaurant in a local man’s home. The man used a wood-fired oven to bake the hand-rolled dough pizzas, and they tasted delicious! My boyfriend and I chose to eat the mushroom pizza and the Hawaiian pizza. I was blown away by the Hawaiian pizza. The man used fresh pineapple for the pizza and tasty ham to decorate it.

For breakfast, we visited CJ Coffee. We ordered a piece of matcha cheesecake and the grilled chicken breakfast meal there. The cooks marinated the chicken in a rub similar to the ones made by my dad (a high compliment), and it came with two crispy pieces of bacon.

The matcha cheesecake tasted enjoyable and sweet! It has pieces of cranberry stuck in the bottom, adding an interesting flavor and texture to the desert. The shop offered low prices, and the lattes we drank had frothy textures and the perfect flavour-not too sweet or bitter. 

Hiking Qixing Shan

I haven’t hiked in a long time because it was too hot all summer in Taiwan, so I’ve been itching to get into those mountains! I should have started with an easier climb because the hike up Qixing Shan in Yangmingshan National Park felt challenging. We took the 2.4-kilometer route, and it all goes uphill!

The main hike up to the top of the mountain consisted of stairs. The stairs were intended to make the hike easier, but at some point, they became narrow, steep, and uneven, so I found myself crawling up a few of them. Some of the old ladies passing by laughed at me, but I felt more worried about falling than their laughter.

On this hike, the challenge grows as you climb. It starts off okay, and you feel like you can do it. But then the last kilometer slides straight up, with few resting places along the way. Finally, we reached the top and couldn’t see white clouds smelling like sulfur. If you go, check the visibility ahead of time.

Of course, coming back down the mountain felt more manageable, but descending the first kilometer challenged me with its steepness. My muscles were sore for two days afterwards.

Though it sounds like I’m complaining, I am glad I finally got into the mountains and did the hike because the scenery looked gorgeous-even if we couldn’t see the full view from the top.