The second leg of my Taipei getaway was a short trip to Jiufen (九份), a charming historic hillside village in northern Taiwan renowned for its narrow, lantern-lit alleyways, traditional teahouses, and sweeping ocean views. I first visited this dreamy village as a young man on a foggy, lightly rainy day and not surprisingly, the atmosphere felt straight out of a fairytale. Almost two decades later, I found myself returning to Jiufen hoping to rediscover that same sense of magic.
After a satisfying lunch at T+T, I called an Uber to take me to my accommodation in Jiufen. The drive from Taipei took around 40 minutes, mostly along highways. It wasn’t until the car began pulling up the tiny uphill roads that Jiufen truly revealed itself. It wasn't long before we arrived right at the footsteps of Daybreak (曉宅山民宿).
When I first came across Daybreak, a hillside Airbnb, on social media, I was instantly sold. The property consists of two buildings. The first, 曉宅山, clings dramatically to the cliffside, offering breathtaking, unobstructed views of the sea.
The second, 暮宅山, sits higher up the hill across the street, with a more modest vantage point and a noticeably more conservative interior design.
Needless to say, I decided to drop a few bucks more for the contemporarily designed room with the full sea view. Check-in was quick and straightforward. I was given two passcodes — one for the entrance to the Airbnb and another for my room. As expected, the property is unmanned after 6 pm daily.
I went straight to my room to take in the view, and it matched the online photos by at least 95%.
The room was flooded with natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The expansive glass panels framed the hills and sea like a living painting, and in the early morning and around sunset, soft light spilled into the space, creating a visually stunning and almost meditative atmosphere.
The bathroom itself was simple and functional — nothing fancy.
There was a separate shower room next door.
And of course, a large bathtub positioned by the window overlooking the hills and sea. It was one of those amenities that looked fantastic on paper but, in reality, I never ended up using.
Even from the bed, the view was nothing short of spectacular.
While the scenery was as good as advertised, I didn’t end up soaking in the tub or spending much time on the terrace.
The problem? Directly connected to the terrace was a small, somewhat worn-out grass field that could clearly use better upkeep. Being a corner room, I also noticed groups of tourists occasionally wandering through the backyard area near the grass field, which compromised privacy more than I would have liked.
That said, Daybreak is probably still one of the best accommodation options in Jiufen. After an afternoon spent climbing stairs and weaving through crowded, lantern-lit streets, returning to the room felt like a quiet exhale. At night, with Jiufen’s lights glowing softly in the distance, the space remained calm and still.
A complimentary breakfast was served at the ground-floor restaurant of the sister hotel across the street, and it was a good one — bacon and eggs, vegetables, corn soup, and more.
This trip felt like a long-overdue return to Jiufen. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait another two decades to revisit this magnificent village.
Rating: ❤❤❤
Price: $$$
Address: No. 49, Shuqi Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Tel: +886 2-2496-0988
Website: http://daybreaktw.com/
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