Yangmingshan Tien Lai Resort & Spa

“Wonderful day trip”

We went during a weekday in October 2022 and there were very few tourists. There were many different pools and it was one pool per person. There were water jets and hot stones. It was beautiful & quiet. The kids swim park was freezing cold and you need to ask the staff to turn on the slides. My kid… more

We went during a weekday in October 2022 and there were very few tourists. There were many different pools and it was one pool per person. There were water jets and hot stones. It was beautiful & quiet. The kids swim park was freezing cold and you need to ask the staff to turn on the slides. My kids had a blast! The day spa package included a lunch. It wasn't very tasty but portions were huge. Fun and good value.

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“Really good hot springs resort but food needs improving”

The title is pretty much self-explanatory. I really enjoyed the hot springs there, and the diversity of types of rooms (Western, Japanese-style, etc) they have from previews before checking in for the first time. The dining there needs improvement since there were not many excellent choices of food… more

The title is pretty much self-explanatory. I really enjoyed the hot springs there, and the diversity of types of rooms (Western, Japanese-style, etc) they have from previews before checking in for the first time. The dining there needs improvement since there were not many excellent choices of food for dinner; I really loved the resort's beef noodles.

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“Little old, but still the best hot spring resort on Yangmingshan (Mount Yang-Ming)”

BEAUTY: Yangmingshan (Mount Yang-Ming) is arguably one of the most scenic areas in Taipei and to be able to soak in a natural, sulphury hot spring near the source (i.e. near the top of the mountain) was truly quite a luxurious treat. Being over 30 (or was it 40?) years old, this resort still beauti… more

BEAUTY: Yangmingshan (Mount Yang-Ming) is arguably one of the most scenic areas in Taipei and to be able to soak in a natural, sulphury hot spring near the source (i.e. near the top of the mountain) was truly quite a luxurious treat. Being over 30 (or was it 40?) years old, this resort still beautiful with blooming sakura trees in every corner of its gardens and its traditional Japanese themed hot spring pools. You could take beautiful pictures in the lush gardens in the hotel-provided yukatas in the mornings when there are less people. They have dozens of pools with varying degrees, some with shelters and gentle rain showers, others with powerful jet streams for that much-needed shoulder massage. STAY: Guests can choose to stay at the newer, Japanese-themed wing with tatami/treehouse/in-room hot spring tub/greater proximity to the playground pool. For us, we chose to stay at the older, main wing which was still perfect for us because we liked being in the same building as the indoor play area for our kids and our breakfast AND dinner buffet. Most rooms here have two comfortable queen beds and truly suitable for families. We slept like babies after our daily soak in the hot spring. Just a small detail - we loved their self-formulated, refreshing bubbly handwash so much that we purchased one to use back at home! FOOD: The breakfast and dinner buffet spreads (kinda compulsory in peak seasons such as the two weeks leading to Chinese/Lunar New Year) were sumptuous. We LOVED that they used plenty of locally-sourced ingredients (e.g. mountain-grown vegetables) that we have never tasted before in any other hotels/restaurants despite our extensive travels! The numerous self-fill drinks stations, 12 types of Haagen Dazs AND Thai Mingo ice-cream flavours are just examples of how well-stocked their buffet stations were. We also ate at their Blue Magpie Lounge to try their signature beef noodles and some Western dishes... but would advise that their buffet dinner would be a better choice in terms of variety and taste. By the way, their steamboat dinners are available only in non-peak seasons, and all other eateries seemed closed.

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“Comfortable enough, but old and dated”

We stayed here for two nights. There are two buildings and we stayed in the Japanese Wing. Both wings are similar size in terms of their building height. Our first room ended up having no WiFi , so we ended up changing rooms. Our second room was larger but in a lower floor (3rd floor as opposed to … more

We stayed here for two nights. There are two buildings and we stayed in the Japanese Wing. Both wings are similar size in terms of their building height. Our first room ended up having no WiFi , so we ended up changing rooms. Our second room was larger but in a lower floor (3rd floor as opposed to 5th). This second room was large enough to fit two double beds. There was enough space for seats and coffee table; TV and cabinet; and sufficient wardrobe space. Generally the rooms had a dated feel to them. There is a balcony looks over the hotel gardens and to the mountains. Although we were not on a high floor, we still had a really nice view. The balcony also houses the onsen bathtub, which is the feature of this room, so you can have a relaxing bath outside. There is another door connecting the tub to the separate shower area and toilet and sink. Towels and the provided toiletries were basic but sufficient. Toothbrushes and similar items were available on request rather than already placed in the room. The hotel caters for children in that there is a kids playroom at the main wing. It’s a fairly big room with climbing and slide facilities, which kept the children entertained enough. The pool and spa complex was of decent size. The outdoor water slides were open for use if you wanted to play in them, which we did and it was fairly cold in the winter air. There are outdoor and indoor spa pools of varying functions all for use as well, which were relaxing. There is also a public onsen for nude bathing, but we didn’t use. The gym looked quite small in relative terms; the basketball court was empty and a bit dilapidated; so as their small farm. They advertised a mini golf course but I couldn’t see it within the grounds. So generally the leisure facilities were not that great. Breakfast was in the other wing so a three minute walk from our building. It was a buffet type with an adequate range of local and international foods and drinks. No particular dish stood out. The restaurant itself was clean. We also tried another restaurant in the hotel. This one had a different decor to it than the breakfasting restaurant. We ordered a la carte, where prices and food were ok. The hotel is a little on the remote side so you’ll either have to take a taxi, bus or shuttle car to get to places. Overall a comfortable enough stay was had. However, it is not five star as they claim. Generally the hotel is showing its age and staffing could be a lot better for the rating they have.

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