Ever since our daughter turned 4, I’d wanted to take her to Silks Place Yilan – a kids-friendly hotel in Yilan in a city neighboring Taipei, that almost any kid would love. The minimum age to enjoy its biggest feature – driving electric vehicles – was 3, and we finally planned our first trip there when she was 4.5 years old in September 2025. It also turned out to be our last trip during my pregnancy with our second child.

Transportation

Yilan is a little over an hour’s drive from Taipei without traffic. We thought about renting a car but decided to take the train, since we’d likely spend most of our time at the hotel and parking locally can be stressful. The faster trains took about 1 hour and 10-20 minutes, depending on the type.

From Taipei to Yilan

On a Sunday, we took a Taroko Express from Taipei to Yilan Station and arrived after 75 minutes. We had lunch on the train and caught the ocean view along the coast as we neared Yilan. Arriving early at noon with plenty of time, we walked from the station to the hotel — about 15 minutes at our daughter’s pace. Along the way, we passed Diu Diu Dang Forest Park, decorated with characters by the well-known local illustrator Jimmy (Jimmy Liao).

From Yilan to Taipei

Yilan Station has a traditional charm. We took the hotel shuttle to the rear station beside platform 2. Since our train departed from platform 1 and most of the food options were at the front station, we got crossing passes and took the elevator up and over the bridge across the tracks. Inside there was just a small Family Mart. The restrooms were outside and without air conditioning, but there was a family restroom with a kids’ toilet and a diaper-changing pad. We crossed over to grab a quick Burger King takeout.

Early check-in

The earliest check-in was 12:30 PM, and all the facilities on the 6F check-in floor were open before and after the official check-in and check-out times of 3 PM and 11 AM. These included the pools, spa, gym, and ping-pong rooms. The hotel sent an SMS when the room was ready — ours came around 2:30 PM.

Driving electric cars/scooters/trucks

The hotel’s big draw is its abundance of electric vehicles for kids aged 3 and up. Families staying in the Fantasy theme rooms each get a dedicated vehicle per child. Our daughter chose a Paw Patrol scooter, and it took her some practice to get the hang of driving it on the track. In the Fantasy Castle, an outdoor space on the 8th floor, staff also ran driving tests for confident little drivers at set hours. There was a bounce castle, a slide, and plenty of other vehicles to try. Our daughter attempted the cyber truck but got frustrated by the higher speed after a few bumps. The whole area is fully outdoors and subject to the weather.

Fantasy theme room

Our room was on the 8th floor, with a large bed and a tent for our daughter. The tent had its own mattress, and she happily filled it with her toys. The room wasn’t especially spacious but was comfortable, with a view over Yilan city. Its biggest feature, again, was that each child gets a dedicated vehicle for the stay, parked right outside the room.

That said, for those who value a quiet room, I’d skip the Fantasy theme rooms on 8-9F. Driving runs until 10 PM, and the noise is hard to ignore. Thankfully, our daughter was tired enough to fall asleep through the hum of electric cars circling the floor. Since she wasn’t the most enthusiastic driver, next time we’d probably choose a different floor and accept the trade-off of not having her own vehicle.

Swimming at indoor and outdoor pools with water spa

For swim enthusiasts like us, the pools were a highlight – we used them all three days. The facilities had everything we could ask for: lockers with hangers and a laundry bag for wet clothes, towels, showers with body wash, Dyson hair dryers, a water fountain and bottled water, and a kids’ play area near the front desk. There were two main pools. The outdoor one (open April to October) was built for kids 60-80 cm tall, while the covered pool (half open-air) was split into a shallow 70 cm section and two 120 cm lap lanes. A few water-massage areas were great for relaxing. We spent at least 1.5 hours here each day. Kickboards and an air pump were available; we didn’t bring our own this time, as our daughter was comfortable in the kids’ pools. She loved switching between them, and the view of Yilan from the semi-indoor pool was wonderful. Several water spas were open to kids too, with one area reserved for ages 16+.

Movie time

There were two movie options. One was an actual cinema in the same building as the hotel, Luna Cinemax; the other was a small kids’ theater on the 8th floor in Wow Wow Land, showing mostly Disney films three set times a day. After weighing the schedule and runtime, we watched an Anpanman film in Mandarin that ran just 58 minutes – our daughter’s first movie in a theater. On a Monday morning it was quiet, with only a few families, most likely from the hotel.

Reading room with coffee and snacks at Wow Wow 7F

Open after 1 PM, the 7th-floor space was beautifully decorated with bookshelves and snack bars. From 1:30 PM they also served drip coffee, which was quite good. On the first day, we treated our daughter to cherry tomatoes, kiwi, bread, and cookies, and there was a toy area right next to the reading room. Each table had outlets and phone-charging mats, with natural light coming in from the sides. On the second day, during our daughter’s nap, we took turns spending some quiet time here to recharge.

Snack & play time at Wow Wow Land

The 8th floor had a snack bar with crackers and drinks for kids and adults, plus the kids’ theater. Upstairs was a loft with a toy and book area and a small slide alongside two game screens. Neither floor was huge, but there were enough options to keep the kids entertained, and the toys were generally in good condition. The hotel also offered childcare for up to 9 kids aged 4-7 from 4:30 to 9 PM, though we didn’t try it.

Book time at Eslite bookstore

On the same third floor as the cinema, we spent time browsing and reading at my favorite bookstore in Taiwan, Eslite. This branch wasn’t as large as some others, but it had a kids’ section and seats for reading by the full-length windows. I loved reading with our daughter there, sunlight streaming in. There was also an impressive diaper-changing and nursing room nearby.

Food

Breakfast buffet

The breakfast buffet – usually included and something I look forward to now and then at Taiwanese hotels – suited the hotel’s family clientele, with plenty of healthy options for our daughter. Her favorites were the kiwi and passion fruit, and she polished off a cheesy mushroom omelette made to order at the station. I sampled different things across two mornings, and the build-your-own juice bar was fun. Of all the hotel breakfasts I’ve had in Taiwan, this one’s Nespresso machine was among the most memorable – its lattes even had a low-caffeine option, which I appreciated during pregnancy.

Dinner at a local restaurant 勁愛呷

We were really glad to have tried this local spot, a five-minute walk from the hotel. It closed early at 7 PM, and we sat down at 6. Our daughter and I shared a bowl of chicken-and-shrimp rice with braised meat sauce, a seaweed soup, and the soup of the day, pumpkin. The pumpkin soup took 20 minutes because they pureed it fresh, and it tasted wonderfully so. The seaweed soup was generous and well seasoned, and the staff were friendly, even sharing tips on where locals buy souvenirs.

Teppanyaki at the Carrefour food plaza

Another convenience is the Carrefour supermarket in the building’s basement, which also has a few restaurants out front. We had dinner at a teppanyaki place with self-serve rice, soup, and fountain drinks. Our daughter and I shared a fish entrée that came with two vegetable sides. It got crowded at dinnertime on a Sunday, but we enjoyed the casual meal and saved a little room for dessert.

Traditional ice cream at the “Dark store” (涼心冰店/黑店)

About five minutes’ walk away was a hole-in-the-wall ice cream parlor. There was no air conditioning, but plenty of locals stopped by for takeout or to sit. We got a table and lined up to order. In business for over 50 years, the shop earned its “Dark Store” nickname because the founding grandmother kept the lighting dim to save energy. They served traditional ice cream in Taiwanese flavors like peanut, sweet bean, pineapple, milk, and longan. The texture was lighter and less creamy than Western ice cream. Our daughter had milk and pineapple, and we got milk and peanut. The portions were a bit much for her, and we happily helped.

Shaved snow at Migu Ice

On our second night, we set out for another dessert adventure, along with some souvenir shopping at a local bakery. Unlike the ice cream shop the night before, this place had air conditioning and a bright atmosphere. We all shared a kiwi shaved snow that our daughter chose – a great size for sharing, with a generous amount of kiwi. On the way there, we also stopped at a park with fun playground facilities.

Wrap

Three days and two nights was the perfect length for simply making the most of the hotel’s facilities. The hotel offers free car and e-scooter rental for Taiwan license holders, but we spent most of our time on-site, venturing out only in the evenings for dinner and dessert nearby. Their duck restaurant was another big draw, though it’s better suited to larger groups or true duck lovers. When our daughter is older, we’d love to try dinner at a night market — Dongmen near Yilan Station, or the Luodong one a short train ride away.

Last but not least, here is the full itinerary and lists of places that we visited and considered for our Yilan trip: