Wellspring by Silks is located at the heart of Yilan Jiaoxi, known for its hot spring resorts and spas. It’s the first boutique hot spring resort operated by the Regent Hotel Group.
I was so impressed to learn that each room in Wellspring by Silks is equipped with its own private hot spring, and couldn’t wait to check it out.
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At A Glance
Checking into Wellspring by Silks
Check-in is from 3pm, and check-out is until 11am.
I’d a seamless experience checking in, with a lounge area nearby.
Each lift lobby also has art pieces like this, which added to the zen vibes of the place.
Wellspring by Silks has won the prestigious Red Dot Award 2017 for Interior Design, highlighting their attention to detail, and care in integrating local culture and landscape into every aspect of the hotel design.
Hollywood Suite
The Hollywood Suite has a foyer upon entering. The room features a king-sized bed and living corner, which can be separated by a sliding door.
There are elements of Japanese styles in the room, including indigo-dyed yukatas (Japanese summer kimono) placed on the bed and matching slippers. This reminded me of the hotel rooms of my last holiday in Japan.
The ledge above the bed also comes with a power socket, a good way to place some small items like your phone and water at night.
The living area is suitable for watching some TV and relaxing, less so for proper work. On the other hand, this is what it looks like from the other side if you opt for 2 single beds instead.
I was pleasantly surprised with the hand-drawn welcome card, with even a printed photo, even though it was of Bel and not me, heh. There were also some local snacks and preserved fruits.
At the mini bar, there are coffee and tea amenities. The tea set was really befitting of the ambience of the room.
In the mini fridge, there are also some complimentary drinks– one of which was Pocari Sweat, which I thought was really thoughtful. The facial masks already placed in the fridge were also an excellent addition.
TIP: After going into the hot spring, drinking Pocari Sweat can help to replenish the fluids and ions lost while sweating!
The star of the show is the outdoor spring tub, which you can already see from the inside.
The bathroom comes with a double sink, and the shower and toilet cubicles are located on either side, with toiletries provided. I loved having the Japanese-style bidet toilet.
You’d enter the hot spring tub through the shower area, which I thought was a good use of space.
Jiaoxi Hot Springs contains sodium bicarbonate, known for its marvellous skin-enhancing effect as a “beauty spring”.
I did a foot bath first, then a full body soak later at night. The water temperature controls were easy to use.
While I can’t be certain about the beauty effects, it was definitely a wonderful, relaxing time!
It’s recommended to soak in the hot springs for not more than 20 minutes.
Facilities at Wellspring by Silks
1. Outdoor infinity pool
The outdoor pool gives a scenic view of the Lanyang Plains, and you can even see the shadows of Guishan Island (Turtle Island) in the distance– do you see the turtle-like mountain in the photos below?
Guishan Island is the only active volcano in Taiwan! Guishan Island is great for a day tour from Yilan, where you can go dolphin and whale watching.
There’s also a hot spring jacuzzi, which I loved.
Come nighttime, this place turns into an outdoor cinema area!
We were lucky to witness a supermoon when we were there, and the rooftop at night makes for a great viewing spot.
Love the soothing and luxurious vibes of the showering facilities.
2. Lounge
I managed to check out the lounge, which is open all day for guests. It’s on the same floor as the lobby, and even comes with an outdoor onsen area for a nice foot bath!
This gallery area has visiting art exhibitions from time to time. They also have little tabletop games placed on the tables are a good way to spend time with your friends in a light-hearted way.
During the happy hour, guests can enjoy some snacks and wine.
Just Sleep, located right next to Wellspring by Silks, is a sister boutique, and its facilities are open to guests as well– most notably their gym, kids’ room and open-air hot spring.
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Dining at Wellspring by Silks
1. Mihan Jiaoxi
I’d dinner at Mihan Jiaoxi, a contemporary Japanese restaurant. They’re an extension of Mihan Honke, from Regent Taipei.
The restaurant handpicks the freshest seafood from Yilan and pairs it with hot spring vegetables.
The salad bar is vibrant and is also available at breakfast.
We had the Surf and Turf Hot Pot Set. Look at how fresh the seafood looks, with an assortment of lobster, clams, scallops and fish! The pork and beef slices were great as well.
You can choose to cook up your own food, or else the staff will happily support as well.
It was a hearty and nourishing meal. We also had Dassai 45 – sake and hotpot work so well together.
Towards the end of the meal, the staff came by to make this little porridge situation, by adding some rice to soak up all that soup goodness.
I love having Mui Fan (a Chinese dish that’s basically rice with savoury gravy), so this was right up my alley.
We then had some free-flow Haagen Daaz ice cream from the dessert bar, which had 6 flavours to choose from, like mango, chocolate and blueberry.
2. Hotel breakfast
Hotel breakfast is also located at Mihan Jiaoxi. Apart from the salad bar, there are also some Western and Japanese spreads. I also had a yummy Kong Bak Bao (pork belly bun)!
Activities by Wellspring by Silks
1. Linmei Shipan Trail Trekking
Wellspring by Silks offers guided trekking trails, one of which is at Linmei Shipan, about 7km from the hotel. Shipan means “Great Stone”.
We were lucky to be there on a day with good weather. We took about an hour plus to walk about 2 km, from start and end, including a short walk to the entrance of the trail itself.
It’s a low-elevation river-valley trail through gentle mountain terrain, fairly easy but comes with some steps.
Being usually surrounded by lots of city life, I enjoyed the little respite in nature. There was a lot of greenery, and Linmei Shipan actually earned the nickname “Yilan’s Little Taroko Gorge.”
Location of Wellspring by Silks
Wellspring by Silks is just a 5-minute walk away from Jiaoxi train station.
Post-dinner, we walked along the streets nearby to check out some street food and sights.
I finally got to try this peanut ice cream roll with cilantro! We also had some egg waffles with unique flavours, like cheese and mango.
Nearby there was also Xiao Chun (Little Spring), a 50-year-old stall selling some Yilan specialities, like deep-fried century egg, gao za (deep-fried soup) and bu rou (deep-fried pork).
The gao za was so interesting, with a gelatinous, chewy middle and a crispy exterior.
Next morning, we also headed to Sinbow Scallion Expert for some scallion pancakes. Have you ever seen them in this unique shape? This swirly roll ensures that there’s maximum crispiness in each bite!
Scallion PancakesI really enjoyed my time in Yilan, a nice getaway from bustling city life, with interesting street food finds and nature activities.
When I return, Wellspring by Silks is certainly one of the best choices for indulging in the Jiaoxi hot springs at night, in the privacy of my own room!
Wellspring by Silks No. 67, Wenquan Rd, Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 262 Location
Written by Esther Yip.
Special thanks to Wellspring by Silks for making this stay possible! All opinions remain my own.
