Okay, so I’m a total flower fanatic. Seriously, stumbling upon gorgeous blooms in Taiwan always makes my day! I once found this cool book, “Traveling with Flowers,” at Eslite. It totally kickstarted a new obsession: exploring Taiwan flower spots. Today, I’m dishing on some of the island’s best flower-viewing locations.
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Lavender Cottage (薰衣草森林)
Getting to Lavender Cottage in Xinshe, Taichung? That was a trek and a half! First, nine bus stops took me to Taichung Train Station. Next, I endured a crazy 56-stop bus ride to Xinshe. Then, a shuttle navigated super twisty mountain roads. They say “Initial D” filmed scenes here! We climbed what felt like a dozen mountains. Whew!
Honestly, I pictured endless purple fields like Provence. What I found was a few pretty lavender patches. I was slightly disappointed at first. But the story behind Lavender Cottage completely shifted my view. It’s about two incredible women: Grace Chan and Ting-fei Lin. Grace worked at a Taipei bank; Ting-fei was a Kaohsiung piano teacher. They met traveling, connected over herbs, travel, and coffee. Their dream? Plant lavender in Xinshe forest and open a cozy cafe. Talk about inspiring!
My main goal was lavender, so no, it wasn’t massive lavender fields. Still, if you love coffee, this spot is paradise. Grab a casual lunch at the Forest Cafe. Their ingredients are homegrown, super fresh, and organic! Even the water tastes faintly of lavender. Then, check out Purple Hill Coffee for a brew. Don’t forget their lavender ice cream. Just relax, enjoy the pretty flowers, and soak up the chill, natural atmosphere. It’s less about tons of flowers and more about enjoying a simple, natural life.
Fun fact: Lavender Cottage didn’t take off right away. But they worked hard and nailed their marketing. Now it’s a huge Taichung hotspot! They have three locations across Taiwan. Plus, they own other awesome brands like “Moncoeur” and “Xinshe Castle.” It’s become a real empire! Turning passion into a thriving business? Seriously impressive!
Our shuttle driver to Lavender Cottage was a really friendly guy from Hunan. His dad was a KMT officer. They moved to Taiwan in the ’90s. He said making money was simple back then. Things are different now, but he owns three cars! He even convinced his son, a Taipei civil servant, to run the family tourism business. He bragged, “My son’s a real looker!” And honestly, the son was definitely a looker!
Oops, totally got sidetracked! Anyway, Xinshe is east of Taichung. It’s known for its flowers and fruits. I saw loquats, guavas, and citrus trees for the first time. Plus, so many other beautiful flowers! Xinshe is also big on mushrooms! Our driver even took us to a mushroom farm. We picked our own mushrooms. I couldn’t bring fresh ones home, sadly. But it was still neat to experience. And seriously: mushroom rice bowls, mushroom sausages, even mushroom ice cream! My mind was blown.
This is Xinshe’s landmark: the “Star Wish Purple Windmill.” Too bad I didn’t see it spin! Fun fact: I was off to Maolin to see purple crow butterflies. Turns out, Xinshe is a key stop for them. They migrate north each spring. Locals plant lots of nectar-filled flowers. This offers butterflies a spot to rest and refuel. They even net highways intersecting the flight path. Pretty amazing, right? They call it the “Butterfly Freeway” for literally making way for butterflies!
Xinshe has an annual Flower Sea festival. Sadly, I’ve always missed it. Still, even without the festival, I saw a ton of different, beautiful small flowers. Honestly, too many to even count!
I only recall two flower names from Xinshe. First, the camellia. It’s Madame Wang’s favorite flower in “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.” Xinshe has “Mingyueju Camellia Villa.” It covers 6,000 ping (about 4.8 acres). It boasts thousands of varieties and 50,000 camellia plants! This includes a 600-year-old “Camellia King.” I missed out on that, unfortunately. The second was the Brazilian Spider Flower (Glory Bush). My guide pointed it out. It literally popped up everywhere in Xinshe! Later, my parents adored these pretty purple flowers at Sun Moon Lake. They even asked me to take photos for them.
My client recommended seeing maple leaves in Alishan. I passed on it. But guess what? Xinshe had them! I remember wanting to see autumn leaves at Xiangshan in college. I always timed it wrong. I never saw any red leaves there.
On the way back, our driver even drove us to a small river. We fed the fish! So, while the lavender itself didn’t quite meet expectations, it was still a really fun day!
Since my 2015 trip to Lavender Cottage in Xinshe, I’ve been obsessed with their lavender ice cream. Seriously, it’s amazing! But getting to Xinshe from Taipei is a major undertaking. You take the High-Speed Rail to Taichung. Then, suffer through sixty or seventy bus stops to Xinshe. Finally, book a shuttle to tackle those wild, winding mountain roads. It’s like “Initial D” meets a rollercoaster!
So, as a compromise, I visited their Miaoli Mingde location in late 2018. But doing the math, it wasn’t exactly a budget trip! For one 90 TWD ice cream cone, I paid about 2000 TWD. That covered round-trip HSR, taxis, and admission. Plus, I went during major “Nine-in-One” elections. Everyone in Taiwan was traveling home to vote. My first HSR non-reserved seat experience? It was like a sardine can during peak holiday travel! When I told my mom, she just said, “Are you crazy?!”
P.S. Mingde Reservoir is pretty awesome, too!
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Yangmingshan Zhuzihu (Bamboo Lake)
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Taipei Rose Garden
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Shuangxi Camellia Garden
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