Minsu (民宿) are residences or properties of the locals who rent out a room or more to travellers who want to experience living like the locals. In Taiwan, there are many minsu to choose from, many with their own theme or speciality.
Our first-ever Minsu stay in Taiwan turned out to be one of the best decisions made for the trip. Being inexperienced in staying in this category of accommodation made us wondered how we would take to living in another family’s residence together with them. But we ended up being glad we tried.
We stayed for a night at Still True Minsu (初心旅行农庄民宿-何家牧场), located in Taichung’s Shigang District (台中石岗区）.
A bird’s eye view of the farm from our room. Within the compound, chickens are reared for eggs (top left) and a variety of organic greens are grown on their small vegetable beds (top right).
They have 4 rooms available for booking; 3 nos. of 2-bedders on the 2nd storey and a family room for 4 on the 3rd storey. The four of us took the family room, while my mum and sister took a 2-bedder. As this was not a peak period for local travelers, we were the only family staying for the night. The feeling of exclusivity enhanced our comfort.
Here’s a peek into 初心旅行农庄民宿’s 2 bedder room #203 (珍珠鸡 room) on 2nd storey. Other than room numbers, each room bears the name of a chicken species.
Their most popular room we understand is the family room #301 (黑凤鸡) on 3rd storey, where we slept on tatamis. It is a simple room with a TV, a small table and lots of cushions, but with a good view of the farm from its full height windows. Being the only room on 3rd storey means lots of privacy for the guests staying in this room.
There is no shower facilities in the indoor toilet at 3rd storey though.
Guests staying in the family room have access to this outdoor shower on the 3rd storey veranda. Basic toiletries such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrushes are provided, so need not worry about not having those packed. Fancy a shower with a view of the farm? We loved it.
There isn’t much to do around the vicinity as it is surrounded by other farms and plantations. It was all quiet outside with few vehicles on the road when we went out for dinner. So, it is a place to stay if you just want to take things slow and relax.
For our dinner, the dining place 仙塘跡农园餐厅 recommended by Ms He is located around half an hour walk away. The sun set at around 5:30pm in end December, so we ended up walking in semi-dark streets to get to the restaurant. The weather was cooling for an evening stroll, but the kids got impatient along the way for such a long walk with little distraction. As there were few road signs to lead us the way, we had to depend on Google Maps, which meant that mobile data was required. The food was good and worth the walk though. However, if you don’t feel like venturing out for a meal, we understand that Still True Minsu can arrange for steamboat or pizza making session, so check with them.
The whole minsu experience comes with morning activities for the children as little farmers feeding the chickens with fresh greens and collecting newly-laid eggs.
Into the chicken coop we went for the kids to collect newly-laid eggs. Thankfully, the place was clean and well-ventilated when we went in. It was quite an experience for both the kids and us city-dwelling adults to have the
chickens walking around us. We were introduced to the various species and learnt some facts about the differences.
Wholesome breakfast was served in their dining cum activity room. We got to taste millet breakfast porridge with vegetables harvested from the farms, newly-collected eggs, homemade bread and soya milk. A healthy start to the day though i did miss my daily dose of caffeine.
After breakfast, Dad had a chat with Mr He over a pot of Chinese tea while the ladies packed up the luggage. Mr He shared that the chicken farm used to be much bigger in size with thousands of egg-laying chickens, which had since been downsized. In the meantime, DL and CL had great fun playing in the garden with Ms He’s son.
Overall, it was a good experience *thumbs up*
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Read more about our trip itinerary and the other places we visited during the trip in Taiwan 2016 – Family Trip Itinerary.
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Useful information
Address: 台中市石岡區萬仙街仙塘坪巷125-1號 (125-1, Xian Tang Ping Lane, Wan Xian St., Shigang District, Taichung City, Taiwan)
Getting here: There is a bus 263(Dongshi→Kuensan) that stops at Xian Tang Ping Kou; approximately a few minutes walk away. Or you can take a cab to Still True Minsu, just like we did.
Web information (in Chinese only): 台中民宿-初心旅行农庄
Facebook page (in Chinese only) 初心旅行农庄民宿-何家牧场
Booking information
Please contact the host directly for booking or do it through their web page (link as shown above).
When we first spotted this minsu, we called up the host to get more information. After a short conversation, Mr He told us to contact his daughter instead via their Facebook page to save on long-distance call charges. It was very thoughtful of him to suggest that. Do note that deposit need to be remitted over for overseas visitors to secure the room(s). You may need to find out from your local banks how this can be done.