Since we were already staying in Yilan on Friday, I originally thought we might as well stay another night on Saturday and make it a two-day trip before heading home. But the Saturday rate at The Moment Hotel Yilan by Lakeshore was much higher, and when booking I was also worried that two full days at the Yilan Park of NCFTA might get a little boring. In the end, I found OA Hotel.

When I booked, OA Hotel only had four-person rooms and six-person rooms left. The six-person room had three beds, and one of them was on a “second floor.” I thought my daughter would definitely love that kind of bed, so I reluctantly paid more than NT$3,000 extra for the six-person room. I had originally thought about asking my daughter’s aunts whether they wanted to join us, but their schedules were all too full.

We drove from the Yilan Park of NCFTA along Provincial Highway 2 to Wushi Harbor. The distance was not far, but traffic was slow the whole way, so it took longer than expected. OA Hotel has an underground parking lot, but there are not many spaces and the signs are not very obvious. In the end, we parked in the outdoor lot. There were plenty of spaces, and we saw quite a few people organizing surfing gear.

Our room was on the third floor, facing the mountains. The room was really large, which made sense for a six-person room. The interior was simple and pleasant, with two sinks and two toilets, clearly designed for groups. Unfortunately, there was no bathtub. My daughter loves bathtubs the most.

Every floor has a lounge area right across from the elevator, plus a free washing machine, though there is only one per floor.

OA Hotel has a rooftop sea-view bath. You need to take the elevator to the tenth floor, then walk up the stairs. We changed into swimsuits and brought a swim ring up, only for the staff to tell us that it was a soaking pool, not a place to play in the water, and swim rings were not allowed. Looking out from the rooftop, the beach really was very close, so we decided to go back to the car, grab our sand toys and camping chairs, and head straight to the beach.

From beside OA Hotel, you cross the road along the embankment, go over the seawall, and there is the beach.

My daughter had a great time. We played until 6:00 PM, when the beach swimming area closed, before leaving.

On the way back, we noticed free rinse-off facilities outside OA Hotel. After washing the black sand off ourselves, we went back to the room to shower properly.

After showering, we went to OA Pizza on the second floor for dinner. While we were still at the beach, my wife had already called to reserve a table for 7:00 PM.

I thought their Margherita pizza was just okay, but overall it was not bad.

OA Hotel has a movie theater on the first floor, with one movie in the afternoon and another in the evening. But since I had brought my own projector, watching movies in the room was enough. There is also a game room in the basement, but my daughter was not interested in that either, so I did not even go down to take a look.

The railing around the second-floor bed felt like it had gaps that were too wide, and I was worried my daughter might roll down during the night. In the end, she still slept with me on the lower bed.

That said, while this room type was fun, the sound from the next room when people climbed up and down the beds was very obvious. I was already lying in bed after 10:00 PM, and I ended up being startled awake by the noise from next door.

Breakfast for OA Hotel guests is served at pelago on the second floor of THE ARCHIPELAGO next door. We chose the 10:30 AM to noon slot and treated it directly as lunch. We packed our luggage first, left it at the first floor, checked out, and then crossed the road to THE ARCHIPELAGO.

As soon as we walked into THE ARCHIPELAGO, it felt quite different from OA Hotel, which makes sense given the much higher price. The restaurant was bright and comfortable, and there was a children’s kitchen by the entrance. I was not sure whether it was for classes or a playroom. The food selection was varied, and you could tell it was breakfast from a more upscale hotel. Their danbing was made in a softer, more tender style. My wife liked it, but I felt it was not cooked enough. Overall, it was plentiful and above average among the hotels I have stayed at, though I did not find it especially delicious. I wonder what their dinner buffet is like.

After breakfast, we walked around the lobby a little and then set off back to Taipei. I did not expect to still hit traffic, but it took more than forty minutes just to get onto National Freeway No. 5. Terrifying.

Overall, OA Hotel was pretty good, especially because it is so close to Wai’ao Beach, which makes it very suitable for my sand-loving daughter. But the six-person room was too hard on the wallet. I hope we get a chance to stay in a cheaper room type in the future. As for THE ARCHIPELAGO, I think I cannot afford it…

Note: This article is translated from Traditional Chinese.