Author Cat Thomas
Photographer Cat Thomas, An Tong Hot Spring Hotel
One of the many joys of living or traveling in Taiwan is luxuriating in a good soak in one of the country’s many hot springs. From the sea springs in Green Island to the hot spring hotels in Beitou, or public baths on Yangmingshan visitors, like locals, head to the springs as the weather cools down to enjoy this natural bounty.
Antong Hot Spring Hotel(安通溫泉飯店） near the border of Hualien（花蓮） and Taitung（台東） counties is a fine example of resort style hot springs. Nestled alongside the mountain road between Yuli （玉里站）(a major stop on the Taitung-Taipei trainline) and Chengong（成功站） these springs are relatively easy to access, being around 15 minutes drive from downtown Yuli.
Despite being alongside the road, the clever design of the outside springs means that you can relax on one of the many wooden loungers and take in the view of the surrounding mountains, barely aware of the mountain-cross road hidden right outside.
Inside all the instructions on the walls are clear and in both English and Japanese, as well as Mandarin. A fair price of NT$350 gets you access to the onsen style indoor bathhouse, the outdoor springs and spa, and also private bathrooms. You also get a free flannel to use and take home, but you should provide your own towels. Each patron is issued with a basket to carry their essentials around in (lockers are also available). If you add an extra NT$20 to the entrance price, you can also get a voucher for a delicious ice cream cone made with fresh milk from Mingde Ranch (established in 1948).
The changing rooms are adjacent to the onsen baths, and you can either change into your swimsuits and caps there and head straight outside or go into the onsen. There are showers fed by the hot spring water where one must first shower. Shower gel and shampoo (for after) are provided. To the left you’ll see a place for your basket, and to the right a sink with plastic bowls that you can use to splash some hot spring water over yourself to adjust your body to the temperature of the water.
The onsen has three baths, icy cold, mid-temp and hot. Most people start in the middle and rotate between them, it’s recommended that you spend no longer than 15 minutes in the hot baths. Inside I found a gaggle of affable local aunties enjoying their daily soak, and varied between enjoying my soak alone and chatting.
After this, I got into my swimming togs and went to the outside area. Being a late September weekday, where it had only cooled down in the afternoon, I found them practically deserted, which was a definite bonus.
Klook.comThe pools in this area vary between old school stone baths and more modern pools. There’s also a steam room and a stone spa (be sure to make sure you are already wet before trying the stone sap, it’s pretty hot!). I meandered between the stone spa and the various pools taking plentiful breaks to relax on the wooden loungers and enjoy the view of the lush mountains. The hot/warm pools have temperatures displayed, and the cold pool is in the center.
There’s a pool with two water massage options in this area, one a gentle water curtain, the other a waterspout that descends noisily from a height of around 1.5 stories. Although at first I was bemused by a grandma being under there for at least 40 minutes straight, when I tried it I found that 15 minutes had gone by in a flash, since the sheer height means you can get in a good all over back and bum massage even with most of your body under water. With the benefit of hindsight, five minutes might have been a better choice as I felt the effects well into the next day.
The section to the right of the changing building exit has two pools, one with three normal height waterspouts and one crescent shaped pool with the temperature naturally graduating depending on the distance from the aesthetically pleasing waterfall spring water feed.
Inside the building, opposite the onsen reception area, is a corridor lined with private bath rooms. The simple set up has tubs that are serviceable for two, or perhaps a family with younger kids. It’s nice that this option is included in the entrance price, as in many places this would attract an additional fee.
Visiting on my own, I fully expected to get bored quickly and perhaps spend just an hour or so at the resort, however, as the clock ticked toward the reasonable time for me to leave and scoot back down the mountain to catch my train, I found myself rather jealous of the people who were booked in for the night. Three hours had passed, soaking, dipping, and circling back to the steam room and stone spa and lounging around. So, I reluctantly decided to get my ice cream in, a satisfyingly dark Mayan Bittersweet Chocolate, to enjoy on one of the loungers poolside while my swimsuit dried off.
Overall, Antong is now among my top hot springs, with bathing at night in the Green Island sea water hot springs being the peak. It’s well set up, in gorgeous surroundings and, at least when I went, peaceful. The water is suitably fragrant with sulphur and the sense of deep relaxation lasted well into my train journey back up to Taipei.
Side bar
If you are a first-time visitor to hot springs, it can be a little confusing to know which type of venue you will enjoy. Broadly speaking you have a choice between ‘onsen’ or public baths, which are segregated by sex and in which you must bathe nude, outdoor shared pools, where swimsuits and caps must be worn, and which often have spa facilities, or private rooms with a single bath, and wild springs —many of which are technically out-of-bounds, but which still attract the more adventurous, or loyal residents.
There are also hot spring resorts, some of which are upper scale adult-orientated affairs with the full complement of spa facilities, and some of which are more family orientated with a wide variety of pools including shallower ones for the little ones, or even splash pools and simple slides, and multiple water massage features.
Directions
Antong Hot Spring Hotel is situated around 8km out of Yuli downtown. There is a bus stop outside the hotel, but the service (number 8181) only runs 3 times a day in each direction. Other options include hiring a scooter (around NT$400) near the train station or hopping in a taxi. There are multiple hot spring hotels in the area, some of which, being more out of the way, may be quieter in the busier winter months. There are also wild hot springs along the river.
Yuli Stinky Qioatou Tofu (橋頭臭豆腐）
While you are in the area, it’s worth checking out this unusual stinky tofu (chou dofu;臭豆腐) store. This is the original store of a modest chain (with branches in Hualien city, Jiaoxi, Taoyuan, and Keelung). While the setup is nothing fancy, the method of preparing the stinky tofu is special. The blocks are fried in quick succession in three pans of differing temperature oil, which ensures that the inside remains soft and pliant and the outside is reasonably firm and crispy. It’s also served with piles of freshly shredded radish (much like you usually get with sashimi) alongside Taiwanese-style kimchi. Instead of the standard cilantro they season it with basil. The resulting fragrance and taste is quite a different dish from regular chou dofu. Be warned though, the thin innocuous looking spicy sauce is very spicy. So its probably best to trust the server’s portion rather than tip on a healthy dose blind from the provided bottles as I did. Another tip, while you might think you can find the store with your nose, they have a very effective exhaust fan over the cooking area. If it’s busy (you’re handed a numbered ticket upon arrival), there’s a big park opposite that you can wander in while you wait.
