Our Taiwan Child Friendly Itinerary Day 2 - HsinChu to Yilan via Taipei

Our Taiwan Child Friend Itinerary Day 2: Hsinchu - Leofoo Village > Taipei Stopover > Yilan 2 nights

- Driver pick up from WeGo Boutique Hotel at 930am > Leofoo Village theme park 新竹六福村, spent 5-6 hours there!

- 鶯歌陶瓷老街（拉坯，童玩）- Ying Ge Pottery street - nothing much though unless you have older kids, you can then do mosaic art

- 三峽老街（金牛角）- we skipped this place

- Dinner in Taipei, Chaosan Ye Wei Mian, 草山夜未眠(台北市) - awesome view similar to peak view in Hongkong

- FromTaipei to Yilan (1 hr journey)

- 2 nights stay in Miffy Baby （Ludong）- Cars themed kids friendly accommodation with slide 

-  米非寶貝 Miffy Baby宜蘭縣羅東鎮 純精路二段77號

Cost of driver: 4000NT SGD183

Today is really the highlight for coming to Hsinchu in our Taiwan Child Friendly Itinerary. We're heading to Leofoo Theme Park! Woohooo..You may have come across some bloggers review mentioning that they did not know Taiwan is so child friendly and that they have theme parks too! I second that. For some reasons, they do not do heavy advertisements to tourist for their theme parks. And all this at half the cost of what we'd usually spend at our very own Universal Studios in Singapore.

Breakfast at WeGo Boutique Hotel Hsinchu

Alright, I'll introduce the Leofoo Theme Park in a bit. First of we head for breakfast at WeGo Boutique Hotel. The breakfast spread was pretty decent. Not a huge space but cosy and I was quite impressed with the chairs and decor in fact. Love the high back arm chair.

A typical breakfast spread common in Taiwan's hotels consists of porridge with its condiments, fried rice/noodle, cooked meat and veg, ham, sausage, egg, toast bread and cereals as seen on Sticky Bean's and Mr. Keir's breakfast plate.

Again it must have been a really low peak season when we stayed over on weekday, we're the only ones in the breakfast area. Two guests came in when we were about to leave. 

Sticky Bean & Mr. Keir with the huge teddy just outside the breakfast lounge.

So our driver came to pick us up at 930am. Again, it was so convenient that we just need to open our hotel room door and load the luggage onto the car. Check out was a breeze, just pass the room key to the hotel staff while you're seated comfortably in the car.

Finally, we're headed for one of our highlights of our Taiwan Child Friendly Trip - Leofoo Village Theme Park!

About Leofoo Village Theme Park

Some visitors described Leofoo Village Theme Park as a 'Disneyland wanabe'. In certain areas, the look and feel in terms of layout, mascots and themes do resemble Disneyland but they also have their own characters represented. In fact, there are more to it. There's actually an animal safari inside were you can take the bus ride or train ride to watch the animals. The Leofoo group is also into animals breeding and conservation hence they managed to breed almost extinct animals such as Rhinoceros and others. The number of animals they have in the park is amazing. It's definitely different from the usual Zoo we've seen.

We do enjoy ourselves a lot at Leofoo Village Theme Park.

photography opportunities right in front of the entrance.

There are also parade timings and performance in the central area, similar to Disneyland. Just that the timing of the parades are not stated in the flyer so we missed them - What a bummer!

The park is suitable for all ages. They have exciting rides for those who love the adrenalin.

Sticky Bean, standing at 95cm get to go on all of the kiddy rides available at Leofoo Village Themepark.

Most of the height requirements for kids ride is at a minimum of 90cm.

Adult tickets cost about NT$980 (SGD47). However, authorised tour agents will be able to get a discounted price for you. Our driver, who is also a certified tour guide in Taiwan got us a discounted ticket price for Leofoo Village Theme Park. That helped us save a lot!!!

They are opening the Leofoo Village Water Theme Park, right next to Leofoo Village Theme Park sometime in mid 2017.

Wefie at the entrance while our driver went to settle our tickets. Stick Bean so so distracted with the surroundings, it's hard to take a photo of her

Alpaca!! Her expression says it all - reluctant to pause to take photo, she can't wait to explore Leofoo Village Themepark

You can download the Leofoo Village Theme Park Map HERE. To plan your day there especially if you're pressed for time. The park closes at 5pm on a weekday.

We decided to conquer Leofoo Village Theme Park in a systematic manner - clockwise direction since we've almost the full day here to enjoy. So we visited the Wild West area first, which is on the left side upon entering the park.
Oh I forgot to mention, strollers are available for rent at the visitor centre for just SGD2! Love how affordable the strollers rental are in Taiwan.

We're lucky to catch a mini-performance at the Wild West area.

This is a kiddy roller coaster ride that went pretty fast and Sticky Bean loves it!

it's so quiet on a weekday, it was as though we have the whole Leofoo Village Theme Park to ourselves! You can see from the photos

Again, we missed the first show of the day at Wild West area and was asked to come back at 3 pm for the next one but we missed that as well. In fact, we did not catch any of the shows! If we're coming back again, I will probably do my homework this time round and try to catch some of the shows.There are just so much to do when you're in Leofoo Village Themepark!

They have actually have an arcade area in all of the zones. Again, maybe it's a weekday, the park's not crowded at all and we hardly need to Q for any of the rides.

We took all rides that allow Sticky Bean in....like ALL kinds..

Moving on to the next area - the South Pacific area. This round about in the middle is like the heart of the park. I believe the parades are done around here.

By the way, after we walked all the way to the middle and enter Sounth Pacific area the long way, then we realised that you don't really have to walk all the way out to get to the next area. All the areas are interlinked together.

Weather's getting warm so we went to an air conditioned cafe for a short break. There Sticky Bean was, happy and excited to eat her sheep cupcake. Unlike the typical attractions in Singapore, the prices for food and beverages within Leofoo Village Theme Park were reasonable. A cupcake like this cost between $2-3 and a cup of beverage cost around the same price as well.

And then we went for the kids ferris wheel!

A serpent ride that was a little bumpy and went round and round pretty fast

One of Leofoo Village Theme Park Mascot

We love how we hardly need to Q for the rides! 

This looks really fun but you can get super wet. Ponchos are available for sale too 

This is the biggest pirate ship I've ever come across.

A lovely, slow boat ride

Boring for the adults, but fun for the little one

Headed over to the Arabian Kingdom right next to South Pacific. This area is undergoing renovation so most of the rides aren't open though.

We played a Laser quest similar to mission impossible where you have to complete the mission in the dark without touching any of the lasers. Sticky Bean didn't enjoy it very much, she doesn't like dark places in general and perhaps the environment was misty and came with warning sounds everytime u touched or crossed a laser line.
She kept repeating that she doesn't want to go back to the room again. Oops, should have checked before we attempt the game.

Well, a carousel ride cheered her up and made her forget about the laser quest room at least.

We went for a 5D show which both Mr. Keir and I think that it's a waste of time. This was the only 'ride' we queeued for as there are stipulated timings for this. Personally, I preferred the Shrek 5D ride at Universal Studios.

Riding on a super tall camel. Again the pricees were reasonable these rides are bigger than the usual kiddy rides and it cost $1-$2 SGD.

Next, we headed over to the African Safari area. This is a MUST GO! if you're ever at Leofoo Village Theme Park. Head over to the Animal Safari area and hop on the Nairobi express to get closed up with herbivores.But they do have fixed timing for the Nairobi Express the next train will arrive in 30 minutes time and the friendly staff at Nairobi Express strongly encourage us to go for the bus tour to see the carnivores first. - which was what we did but we have to run after the Nairobi train after that especially it was the last train at 2:30pm on a weekday.

All the rides within the park are covered by the entrance tickets already so the only item that cost you extra will be the goat feed for feeding the goats.

Meerkats sitting on the steps leading up to African Safari

Looking at the animals from the bus.  

Highly recommend the bus ride to see the carnivores in the African Safari too. Get close up to the animals and the habitats there were housed in were huge! They have large quantities of animals as well, unlike the zoo where you get to see only a handful of animals. The driver also act as a guide and give you an introduction about the animals, habits and enclosures.

Tigers! At least 20-30 of them.

The number of baboons here is pretty scary. This is a super huge area for them and there are easily few hundreds of baboons here! No kidding, it's definitely an experience for us. The baboons were probably very used to seeing the safari bus filled with guests inside, some of them ran towards the bus.

Lions! Again at easily 20 of them.

We rushed off the Safari bus and ran all the way to the Nairobi Express Station. Thankfully there were a few people catching the train as well so we half brisk walk and half jogged there. The train was waiting for us!

image from kkday

This is one of the endangered species - White Rhinoceros. Leofoo Village Theme Park successfully breeds them and increase the quantity from just a few to 30 over White Rhinos here. The guide was saying once they reach a certain number, they will then release the Rhinos back in Africa where they originate from. The Baby Rhino here with the mummy is barely a month old!

So strolling down from the Nairobi Train Express station, we came to the Animals Petting area where there are domestic animals for petting and feeding. I've only seen feeds available for the goats though. 

Someone can't wait for us to pass her the goat pellets so she can start feeding them. 

Sticky Bean's favourite..animal feeding time!. The hungry goats waiting for food.

you can purchase the goat feed in pellets form via the vending machines. Cost NT$20 only. Less than SGD1.

There are Alpacas here too! Ooh my I fell in love with Alpacas during our Kids Friendly Trip to Taiwan. They are so docile and love to be close to humans.

So much so that I got kissed and licked by the Alpaca! Mr Keir managed to capture a video of this and it was so funny Sticky Bean was so amused by both the Alpaca and my reaction. The first time when I was attempting a Wefie with the Alpaca, it licked my hand and gave me a shock.

They second time I was trying to do another Wefie, this happened!

The alpaca turned its head and tried to kiss my head. Perhaps it was thinking if my hair is actually hay and edible. Anyway, Alpacas are so cute and I fell in love with them so much so that I bought an Alpaca soft toy at the Leofoo Village Theme Park souvenir shop on our way out. Very reasonably priced too cost around SGD13

Sticky Bean riding on the horse all by herself. There's a small track where the horse carriage will run. We decided to just wait for her while she goes on the ride by herself. She turned her head couple of times to ensure that we're still around. Kids sure grow up fast. I'd dread the day where she no longer need us by her side. =(



We had lunch at the Aladdin restaurant. Lunch sets cost around $10 or slightly more and the kids meal is pretty worth it as it comes with a free character bottle as well. They serve mainly japanese curry rice which taste good. We asked them to separate the gravy for the kids portion though.

After lunch, we went for this ride beside the Aladdin Restaurant.

Fun outdoor Pegasus!

Went back to the animals petting area which is near the Aladdin restaurant too and cos I was so in love with the Alpaca and wanted to catch a glimpsse of then again. We were lucky to witness them releasing the goats from the animal petting area back to their enclosures. Didn't get to take a photo of that as it all happened too fast. The keeper will open the gates and the goats will run to their respective enclosures automatically. 

The Animal Safari area closes early around 4:00pm while the rest of the park closes at 5:00 pm so we went for one last ride and slowly made our way out of the park.

Big Alpaca vs the soft toy version we've bought. Sticky Bean chose an even smaller one initially and I coerced her to get this size since this version resemble the Alpaca better than ther other version she chose. Bad choice for me though cos she really didn't like this soft toy as much as the smaller one.

Happy Sticky Bean with her helium balloon which stayed with us throughout our Taiwan Trip! This balloon is less than SGD$2! It came to a point we just start buying and paying for items without even asking how much they cost cos almost everything is just so reasonable!

Gosh, we spent about 6 hours at Leofoo Village Theme Park, taking our time, exploring the place, going for rides and we managed to cover the whole park. Yea! thankfully we don't have to waste time queuing for rides.

Late Dinner at Cao Shan Ye Wei Mian, Taipei

Our driver came together with his wife, who's my friend, to pick us up and we head off to Taipei for dinner. 

The car journey from Hsinchu to Taipei took about an hour plus during peak hour. It was past 5pm when we left the park.

Image from tripadvisor

They brought us to this amazing place for dinner, Cao Shan Ye Wei Mian, with a stunning night view of Taipei. Similar to the peak in Hongkong.

We heard that a lot of men came here for their wedding proposal.

That probably explains the heart shaped lights on the ground.

 We tried to take a romantic couple shot but failed miserably hahaah....

A lot of couples took their engagment / proposal shots here too.

Heartshaped tables perfect for couples.

Even though they have plenty of seats available but I heard the Q is usually really long and they do not take reservations.

The food served here is really yummy too! 

Finally from Taipei to Yilan - Our Child Friendly Accommodation with Slides @ Miffy Baby B&B

It was a really long day for us. We set off to Yilan close to 10 and managed to reach our accommodation at Miffy Baby B&B by 11 pm. Miffy Baby is our first choice of Child Friendly Accommodation with Slides in Taiwan - we chose a Cars themed room with slides.

This was the personal highlight of Sticky Bean's trip, She's been asking for her cars room. Imagine her delight when we entered the room?

There're 2 double beds available in the room and it comfortably sleeps 4 pax. The room can get a little claustrophobic though as there were really limited empty space where you can open your luggage and start to dig things out. But the ball pit and makes up for that.

The ball pit look so inviting, Sticky Bean has to jump right in immediately

Again, this accommodation is walking distance to Yilan's famous night market - Luodong Night Market. This might explain the room size at Miffy Baby B&B since property pricing is a lot higher in town area as compared to most of the other minsus in Yilan where they are located in a countryside.

A small playing area for the children upstairs. Lighting's too dim up here though.

Sticky Bean getting so hyped up about the room even though it was well past her bedtime.

Miffy Baby B&B very much operates like a minsu so most of the things here are very much self-service.

Because we checked in so late, the boss came personally to collect the remaining payment from us and pass us the keys. You have to carry your luggage to your room and tadah self-service.

Common area in the minsu - acts like a lobby area. Breakfast will be placed here

Breakfast wise, Miffy Baby B&B will purchase takeaways and place it neatly on a tray with your room number in the common area so you can come out to collect your food in the morning. Quite an interesting experience.

There is a water dispenser as well where you can dispense both hot and cold water. Very convenient.

The lobby / common corridor

I don't know what are these for actually.

We had a little bit of trouble locating the place as there are no signs of the minsu. Lucky our driver, Dong Lin is really familiar with the routes, he insisted that this is the correct address so we managed to get to the right place. To help you locate Miffy Baby B&B, check out these landmarks.

Temple directly across the road

The handbag boutique shop right next to Miffy Baby B&B. This is operated by the same boss and staff as well. So if you need a cab or something, can just enter the shop, the lady will help you book a taxi.

Quick review of our Taiwan Child Friendly Itinerary Day 2: Super long and tiring day but Leofoo Village Theme Park is so much fun! Definitely the best attraction and the highlight of our Taiwan Child Friendly Trip! Thankful for engaging a driver, so we get to rest in the car from Hsinchu to Taipei and from Taipei to Yilan. Thanks to my friend and her husband, Donglin whom we enaged as a driver and guide for bringing us to such a lovely place for dinner in Taipei. Everything went smooth and the room at Miffy Baby B&B met our expectations too.

Read up on the rest of out Taiwan Child Friendly Itinerary 

Taiwan Child Friendly Itinerary Preview - 7 days 6 nights

Day 1: Singapore > Taoyuan Airport > Greenworld Eco Farm> Beipu Old str > Chenghwan Temple Night Market>  1 night stay in Hsin Chu


Day 2: Hsinchu - Leofoo Village > Taipei Stopover > Yilan 2 nights

Day 3: FREE & Easy: Yilan  > Yinong Ranch > Jimmi Park > Luodong Night Market

Day 4: Yilan > Crayon Factory > Taipei Children Amusement Park > 3 nights stay in Rido Hotel

Day 5： Free & Easy Taipei > Taipei Main Station Underground city mall, Shi Lin Night Market

Day 6: Free & Easy Taipei > Taipei Zoo > Maokong Gondola > Ximending