MORNING QUALITY
Morning breaks in sleepy Yilan City, just 40 minutes from Taipei by car. Following a hearty international buffet breakfast at the Silks Place Yilan hotel, enjoy a guided bicycle tour of the old town, suitable for groups of up to 20, and stop to admire the traditional temples which dot the city.
Return to collect your luggage and take a private bus to the National Centre of Traditional Arts (NCTA), a 20-minute drive from Yilan City. Enjoy the English language audio tours of the 24-hectare arts and crafts village. Before leaving, stroll down Folk Art Boulevard and pick up some gifts from the stores selling traditional arts and crafts.
AFTERNOON ADVENTURES
Journey by bus to Yilan Station and board the Tze-Chiang Limited Express for the one-hour trip to Hualien. From here, a bus will take you to the picturesque Chinghsui Cliffs. Stop and admire Taiwan’s highest coastal cliffs, a 5km stretch reputed to be the sighting point for Portuguese colonialists in 1544.
Eat lunch on a deserted beach with a picnic catered by a local hotel for groups of up to 25. Enter Taroko National Park, and take a guided bus tour through the gorge. Hear how the road was hand built by an army of workers, and enjoy stunning view of Taiwan’s Marble Gorge. Stop off to enjoy the views of the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail, the Baiyang Trail and Shakadang Walkway.
STYLISH EVENINGS
Check into Silks Place Taroko, a former hunting lodge now a retreat for Taiwan’s political and social elite. Take time out to enjoy a rejuvenating spa treatment in the Wellspring Spa, and lounge in the Jacuzzi listening to the sound of the river outside.
Dine at one of two VIP dining rooms at Mei Yuan restaurant, meaning plum garden, which offers the best of Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine. After dinner retire to the hotel courtyard, where you can enjoy a performance by indigenous dancers.
For adventurous groups, there are guided bike rides into the gorge after sunset. The views as you glide downhill are worth the effort, but save your energy for the climb on the way back. End the night on the rooftop bar at Silks Place Taroko, drinking a cocktail or taking a dip in the pool.