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The rental decision: Company and Pick-up/Drop-off
We picked-up a car in Hualien with Avis.com. Many people recommend against driving in Taipei and the road from Taipei to Hualien is apparently notorious for heavy truck traffic. Avis was not the cheapest, but in the end we chose it because we have a membership to their loyalty program and it is international. Normally one way rentals (i.e. you pick-up in one place and drop-off in another) are much more expensive but in Taiwan they are common and there are even some companies that don't charge extra. Do your research months ahead to be sure. We dropped-off the car in Taichung's HSR station, which was very convenient since we wanted to cross back to the west coast through Taroko NP. From there we were whisked away by the fast HSR back to Taipei main.
Getting to Hualien
We took a train from Taipei main station. The train is very easy to get, although the reservation system is not good. I found this blog post very helpful going through the process. One thing to note is that you can only reserve up to 2 weeks ahead and you have 3 days from your reservation day to pay it in full. The major hassle we had was that foreign issued credit cards are apparently not accepted! We tried multiple times and we even called their office where we were able to speak with an English speaking lady who told us basically "no foreign cards". In the end, we just booked when we got to Taipei, 1 day ahead of our train ride. I guess we were able to do so because it was on a Tuesday. We heard on weekends the train gets very crowded. It took us 2:30h to get there. The train was comfy and the landscapes are beautiful, they alternate between mountain and coast.
Details in Hualien
When we arrived to Hualien, we went
to Avis (left side from train station, in the main roundabout) and picked up our car. The rental
included full coverage insurance. The staff was professional and efficient.
First
time we parked the car we got a ticket... We were puzzled. Luckily we went to a
7/11 to ask about it. Turns out it was not a ticket but rather a parking spot fee. The way it works is: you park the car and don't have to worry about paying anything. Then some guys constantly pass-by and leave a ticket on your windshield stating the time you arrived. When you return to the car, you go to the closest 7-11 that charge you according to the expired time. So don't freak out like we did! We had just gotten the rental...
Driving in Taiwan
I thought that driving in Taiwan would be challenging but in fact it was perfectly OK. Just avoid the tour buses. If you go inland, landslides are constant and mountain roads are always under repair. Gas has the same price everywhere, so your only main worry there should be to be cautious about availability of service stations. In Taroko there are none for kms and kms so just try to have your tank full before you go on mountain roads, particularly Highway 8 and then Highway 14. Drivers are a bit reckless, but not nearly as much as we thought they would be and we are Portuguese so we are used to crazy driving. Cars have automatic shifters convenient for those who do not drive manual.
Accommodation in the East Coast/Central Highlands
Driving in Taiwan
I thought that driving in Taiwan would be challenging but in fact it was perfectly OK. Just avoid the tour buses. If you go inland, landslides are constant and mountain roads are always under repair. Gas has the same price everywhere, so your only main worry there should be to be cautious about availability of service stations. In Taroko there are none for kms and kms so just try to have your tank full before you go on mountain roads, particularly Highway 8 and then Highway 14. Drivers are a bit reckless, but not nearly as much as we thought they would be and we are Portuguese so we are used to crazy driving. Cars have automatic shifters convenient for those who do not drive manual.
Accommodation in the East Coast/Central Highlands
Tripadvisor is not very helpful in this part of Taiwan. However, we found that accommodation is generally good provided you do your research and check out the rooms before you decide to stay. We had good experiences in Antong Springs, where we stayed in a fantastic onsen and got great stories to tell. People will be super nice but they might not know English so you'll need to give your sign language it's best shot.
Food
Hualien has many options, but on the road sometimes we found there were not many restaurants available. One of the best meals we had in Taiwan was in the hotel we stayed in Antong Springs, that dinner was great. There are many seven elevens on the road and sometimes bigger supermarkets.
Food
Hualien has many options, but on the road sometimes we found there were not many restaurants available. One of the best meals we had in Taiwan was in the hotel we stayed in Antong Springs, that dinner was great. There are many seven elevens on the road and sometimes bigger supermarkets.
Hi Helena-thanks for you! I appreciate it, as I am heading to this area over the holidays and am really struggling to find info. How many days total did you spend in this area? How many in Antong? One night/two nights. Do you have any contact info for that hotel? Do you need to have a car? Where did you return the car? Did you go to Ruisui? I love hot springs, so that's why I am wondering. Thanks again for your help!
ReplyDeleteHi Jill.
ReplyDelete- We spent 2 days south of Hualien, and then went into Taroko on the third day. I would say you can take as long as you want, depending on how relaxing you want your vacation to be. For us, we want to always pack many things in one day...
- We only spent one night in Antong but wish we had spent more, i really recommend it!
- check the link to my review on Tripadvisor of that hotel on the top of this post, you'll find all contact info there; I was the one who created the entry on TA so I know the info is good :)
- Car is a must, if you don't want to drive hire a driver, but it really makes a difference and you are flexible to explore the rural areas. Driving is easy.
- we picked-up in Hualien/dropped-off in Taichung;
- we only passed by Ruisui, but if you like hot springs you should check it out;
You might find it useful to read the other posts in the East Coast Road trip series for extra info and all the links to my reviews on TA. Let me know if you have additional questions. You will have a good time.