Kinmen Travel

While the room was basic, it was spacious for a couple. The toilet and shower were built like an afterthought. Even so, we liked it as it was in the main building which was a beautiful traditional house. The nearest attraction from the homestay is Chen Jinglan Western-style Mansion. Apart from that, it isn't near anywhere. Rented a scooter from the host so getting around wasn't a problem. The biggest problem was eating, especially breakfast. There was only one small stall right next to the convenience store at the main road. Yes, there is a convenience store nearby! The hosts were polite but didn't talk much initially. After chatting for a while, oh they could talk! Like the other reviewer mentioned, there were quite a lot of mosquitoes at night in the outdoor areas. Light a mosquito coil and stay in the room would be fine.

Stayed here last week (mid-May) during the City God Festival. Our room was actually in another building separate but very close to the main guesthouse, though it was still a pretty home. Rooms are tiny, but comfortable, with beds of average firmness compared to other hotels in Taiwan/China. Mosquitoes can be a problem, but the owner can provide both a mosquito coil and electric mosquito repellent (the kind that you plug into the wall) upon request. There's also an A/C unit that works pretty well (it may not provide heat though; don't need heat in May!). We only got one big bathroom towel for two people, but again, if you ask, you shall receive :-). Speaking of which, there's plenty of hot water for both the shower and faucet and you don't need to wait long for it heat up. Shower pressure is pretty good. The owner is a fairly nice guy, though he didn't speak with us much or show us around his home. His English is extremely limited by the way. Despite that, we were walking to the giant duty free shopping mall, not realizing how far it was, when my chance his family was driving by, picked us up, and dropped us off at the mall. That was much appreciated it. There's a hot/cold water dispenser outside the room along with a refrigerator and basic kitchen. Just outside the room there are some chairs you can relax in. There seems to be a WiFi router outside one of the rooms, but neither me nor my friend could access any WiFi the entire time there. On the road near the guesthouse, there are some dogs that appear aggressive, but they probably just bark, not bite. Still, it might be good to have a few rocks handy. Breakfast is not provided at the guesthouse, but right next to the convenience store in town there's an outdoor breakfast stand selling a variety of Chinese style egg pancakes. It's not open in the afternoon. Besides that, lunch/dinner dining options in town are limited to just a noodle/rice/shared dishes restaurant on the right side of the road heading towards the guesthouse. If they're not open, you can try knocking on the door and ask if they can cook for you. There *might* be another restaurant on the opposite side of the road, but I'm not certain about that one. In terms of location, the guesthouse can be a bit tricky to find; head up the main road behind the convenience store and look for a sign that say 夏興客棧. Go right and down the alley and keep you eyes open for a No. 27 on the left side of the alley. Most people in town should know where this place is should you get lost. To get to the town, you can take buses 红1, 1A, 2, and 3 from Jincheng. Get off at the Xiaxing (夏興) stop, carefully looking out for the pink convenience store on the left side. In Kinmen, you have to press the button on the side of the bus to let the driver know to let you off, otherwise he'll just keep going. You can also tell the driver you're going to Xiaxing Zhan (夏興站). The fare is 24 TWD from Jincheng town, *not* 12! To sum up, very nice and quiet guesthouse and owner, though there are better guesthouses and villages to stay at on the island. This one, however, is one of the cheapest village guesthouses on the island. Keep your eyes open for the wind-lion god, who is located by the little pond to the left of the convenience store.