A Taipei family activity at Suiye Farm where the kids learned about chickens, mixed feed, fed hens, picked eggs, and met retired horses.

After our summer trip to Baishawan, our daughter kept asking to go back to the sea, but somehow we ended up at YUN ESTATE HOTEL in Tamsui instead. The apartment-style room was spacious and the family facilities were solid, though a wrong dinner order and a midnight system reboot made the stay more memorable than expected.

Our daughter hadn't stopped talking about Songlong Waterfall since the first trip, so back we went. This time: the Yuehsan Trail, Tian-Ti-Yen, Chinglong Waterfall, and a stop at Yoshan Tea on the way home.

Our first mountain trip with our four-year-old — hydrangeas in full bloom, a waterfall, suspension bridges, and a stay at Ginkgo Hotel in Xitou.

A family afternoon at Baisha Bay in New Taipei, with sand play, calm shallows for young children, and a practical note on why the second parking lot is less convenient than it looks.

Even during the pandemic, we wanted to keep one meaningful zhua zhou first-birthday picking ritual for our daughter, so we chose Radium Kagaya in Beitou for a banquet, the issho mochi tradition, and adorable tiger-costume photos.

Our first overnight trip with our daughter in Taipei, staying at Radium Kagaya International Hotel in Beitou for a Japanese-style room, private hot spring, and dinner at the hotel.