My Friends from Australia: Part II

One of my favorite vacation/conference was in Key Biscayne near Miami, where we stayed in the conference hotel with afternoons off. I long for days with a copy of the latest Harry Potter (not happening again) on the beach and drinking beer in the ocean... Anyways, I was looking for somewhere relaxing and calm, which is not so easy to find in Taiwan. The Royal Hotel is supposed to be one of these places... however, Winnie's husband Jimmy started to make lots of noises when they found out that the rooms starting at 400 USD a night. So I set out to look for 'min-su' 民宿, basically bed-and-breakfast. Ming-su's is gaining great popularity in Taiwan with their themed rooms and tax-breaks. In Ilan, I found several intriguing options:

p-water 浮線 owners are architects so very slick... however, with prices similar to that of the Royal hotel, and not child-friendly, this one is out of the question.

Dong-Shan Villa 福泰冬山厝 is part of the Dong-Shan Traditional Art Center. While it has potentials, the fact that it is government run makes me feel that it might be more like a hostel...

Designer's House is also a famous Ming-su... but our friend Josephine who is a designer herself strongly opposes this one.

Riverside Inn Our final choice, since Josephine thinks this one looks cool, and with the appropriate price of ~100 USD/night.

So it took about 35 emails to decide on the location and hotel. Then comes the time of who is actually coming. Cat was going to come but her husband has to work that weekend so she is not coming either. Maggie was going to come sans the new BF but he changed his mind and is coming now, and her brother/GF decided to join us a day later. Josephine's husband may or may not come, pending work. The question of who is coming, with whom, and what kind of room, took about another 17 emails. 52 emails in 7 days... I really felt like a travel agent! I just paid the deposit yesterday and warned everyone that if they are pulling out, I am keeping the deposit. Anyways, in 2 months, hopefully I can report a calming experience with beautiful sights... or perhaps more complaints about my friends from Australia!