< Stayed in Jul 2014 > 

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The Adagio 缓慢 family of lodging is sister brand to Lavender Cottage 薰衣草森林, with three accommodations located in Hokkaido 北海道, Hualian 花莲 and Jinguashi 金瓜石. Prior to Tainan's Roots Inn 台南古根 (formerly operated as Adagio Travel Tainan Roots Inn 缓慢文旅 台南古根) and Taichung Xinshe's Vanilla House 台中新社 香草 House, my very first experience with the Adagio 缓慢 hospitality was at Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石.

Related reading:
[Taichung Xinshe 台中新社 ⌂ Stay宿] Adagio Reindeer : Vanilla House 缓慢 寻路:香草House
[Tainan 台南 ⌂ Stay宿] Tainan Rootsinn 台南古根

My 2-night stay was in high anticipation of getting away from city bustle, as well as their much raved-about inhouse breakfast and dinner. Setting off from Taipei Main Station, I took an approximate 45-minute train ride (TRA 台铁) to Ruifang 瑞芳 followed by a 20-minute cab (street hail outside the train station or pre-arranged with the accommodation) ride to my destination. Nestled in the mountains of Jinguashi 金瓜石, the lodging has its own carpark cum drop-off point which may take a while to find, if your driver is not so familiar with the area. 

1. Surroundings & lodging exterior
2. Interior & environment
3. Guestoom
4. Lodging F&B
   4.1. Breakfast
(Classic 9-slot Breakfast 九格朝食)
   4.2. Lunch
   4.3. Afternoon tea
   4.4. Dinner
(Shan Yue Slow Food 山月慢食) 

 

☷☷☷ 1. Surroundings & lodging exterior ☷☷☷

Compared to the neighbouring Jiufen 九份 , Jinguashi 金瓜石 may seem like a less popular (/touristy) destination, its attractions usually a by-the-way bundled with the former. Admittedly, if not for Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石, I may not have ventured this far to experience its charm. Surprisingly, there is quite a decent number of accommodations (民宿) - though not as dense as Jiufen 九份 - s0 the environment still feels rather exclusive.

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Arriving at the elusive (secluded?) carpark and vehicular drop-off by cab, located at the foot of the hilltop lodging.

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There are stone steps to mount, so try to travel light (I came with a cabin suitcase, having deposited my bigger luggage at a city hotel).

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The first sight of Adagio Jinguashi after ascending the stone steps... 

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The accommodation is basically a 4-storey building. The reception/front desk, common and dining area are on the ground floor. 2-4F house a limited number of guest rooms and shared areas.

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☷☷☷ 2. Interior & environment ☷☷☷

Embraced by tranquility once I entered the house...  

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Pumpkins 金瓜, after which the mountainous zone is named. 

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A modest housekeeper's desk... Guests are brought into the comfortable common/dining area for the check-in procedure.  

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Part of the ground floor is a retail area, for their house brands, music albums in the room playlists, as well as some local crafts and produce.

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Guests are brought upstairs after completing the check-in procedure, and are required to leave footwear in a common shoe cabinet (same thing done at Xinshe Herb House 新社香草 House) and put on room slippers.

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Pardon my wrongly-placed room slippers...

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A chill-out lounge on 2F, with a little garden at the back. Guests are welcomed to borrow books and movies to enjoy inroom (note: the TV inroom only links to a music and movie player, yes, NO TV programmes). Or just sit out here and browse over some comfort tea (a literal translation of 康福茶).  

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There was no inroom fridge, so guests would have to share a small one on 2F (which didn't seem to be well-utilised).  

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Venturing to the highest (4th) floor...

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There are two guestrooms on this floor (1 of which a loft) - which were occupied during my visit thus not photographed - and a shared look-out deck.  

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Just in case you are wondering, that is actually NOT a pool.

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☷☷☷ 3. Guestroom ☷☷☷

Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石 had an interesting room selection "ceremony" during check-in, which I did not manage to photograph during my solo trip. Essentially, the housekeeper presents to guests:
1. A deck of cards bearing poetic quotes, to be slotted at the room door. The book from which your selected quote came from would also be placed inroom. (Sigh ~ such a romantic way of checking in guests...) 
2. Variety of sister brand Forestmosa 森林岛屿 bath and body care products (which I buy often in Taiwan), for guests to pick a scent for use inroom. I'm a fan of their rose series, so no prize for guessing which one I picked.

Note: I had arrived earlier than the check-in time, so the housekeeper went about these inroom preparations while I enjoyed welcome snacks and drinks.

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My choice of room was Mountain View Double Room 景观双人房 (Room 2B, on 2F). Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石 is rather popular, especially with locals and despite a pricier-than-average (local) room rate (my 2-night stay cost NT$9000, booked directly on their official website). Not forgetting the limited number of rooms, so check out booking sites early.

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My randomly-picked《家离水边那么近》which literally means "home near the waterbank".

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The double bed was extremely comfortable and both nights, I fell into deep slumber quickly, though not sure if it was the therapeutic mountain vibes or just fatigue that was waiting to be relieved.

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The book from where my poetic room name came from... 

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A handwritten welcome note from housekeeper Yi Rong ~ another lovely touch of hospitality. 

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Guests can also leave a note of appreciation in a notebook. 

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Other collaterals...

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Mentioned earlier, the inroom TV doesn't connect to regular channels, but has a ready music playlist (local music, and mainly relaxing or instrumental pieces), or can play a movie from the 2F library. I was happy with just the music (on a pretty good sound system!) and ended up buying a couple of the albums from ground floor.  

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Comfort tea (康福茶) inroom, though you still need hot water from the 2F lounge.

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A small wardrobe at the doorway...

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...and the bathroom right beside it.

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Bath and body products I am all too familiar with, in my chosen rose scent. (Check out Forestmosa 森林岛屿 here.)

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I had picked this room type for its private sun deck, which I lazed at quite abit, just soaking in the surroundings and fresh mountain air.

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The area is not densely populated, so unless someone is watching you with binoculars, reckon the privacy and lovely view are a luxury away from the city. 

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After sunset, the surroundings projected yet another ambience, if not too chilly (and to be on the guard for bugs and the occasional frog). The hills turn completely dark, without excessive street lights, their silhouette a mysterious presence in the distance. (I even remember the sound of the garbage truck making its evening round, the tune of "A Maiden's Prayer 少女的祈祷" somewhat melodious in these mountains.) 

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☷☷☷ 4. Lodging F&B ☷☷☷

It is unusual for me to be able to feature so many inhouse meals, considering I am not quite a fan of hotel F&B. Here at Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石, it was a highly-anticipated segment of my getaway. Perhaps logically so as the lodging in mention is situated away from civilisation (i.e easy access to other food options), though I had ventured to nearby attractions and brought food back. But most importantly, they have made a name for their 9-slot (九宫格) breakfast and narrated (说菜) dinner. 

These were enjoyed over my 2-night stay:
- Day 1: afternoon tea (as part of my check-in welcome reception) and
*dinner
- Day 2: breakfast (spent the entire day out at Jinguashi and Jiufen attractions)
- Day 3: breakfast and
*lunch before departing
*reserved & paid separately


☷ Classic 9-slot Breakfast 九格朝食 ☷
Taiwanese porridge with dishes must be a perennial favourite, with both locals and tourists. Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石 takes it to another level, in terms of presentation, choice of locally sourced ingredients and culinary method. Waking up fresh and bright after a good night's sleep here, a hearty breakfast is the very thing guests need to start another great day. The 9 dishes are presented in a 3x3 grid, termed 九宫格 - a very pretty sight to whet anyone's appetite. 

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The porridge - self-served at a separate free-flow counter with beverages - came in 2 flavours, pumpkin 金瓜 (being the town's speciality) and barley sweet potato. There is also a homemade sauce that you can choose to add to your porridge. 

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The platter of dishes is served to your table, with a serving of bun and fruits. All the 9 dishes are refillable upon request. Over 2 mornings, there was some variation in the dishes, but everything tasted so good I didn't mind any repetition. 

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Another pumpkin dish - this time a savoury pudding.

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The bun is homemade with pumpkin.

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☷ Lunch ☷
In retrospective, I may not have been wise to reserve lunch, served at 11.30am, that soon after a hearty breakfast. If not for a last meal here after check-out, and before returning to the city. A basic set of juice + salad + a choice of main + rice + soup + fruits at NT$300, definitely value for money though more suitable for guests who are not planning to venture out.  

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I chose pork chop as my main, not quite remembering what were the other options.

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While nothing fanciful like their breakfast and dinner, it was still a delectable lunch set for any lazy guest preferring to stay indoors.

 

☷ Afternoon tea ☷

Room guests get to enjoy a small and complimentary selection of local pastry, cookies, fruits and beverages, free-flow. (Off their official website, looks like this is now available to public visitors at NT$250.) As I was out the entire next day, I only enjoyed these on day 1, after checking in and waiting for my room to be ready.  

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There was also a single serving of taro ball dessert, a speciality at Jiufen. 

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☷ Shan Yue Slow Food 山月慢食 ☷

Staying put at the lodging through day 1 (and heading out only the next day), I had pre-ordered dinner (NT$600) - something I was extremely looking forward to, having read online about how the crew narrates dishes, sharing the history behind the cuisine, about locally sourced ingredients, and the chef's method of preparation. Starting promptly at 6pm, and estimated to last a nice, leisurely 1.5 hours (thus named "slow food 慢食"), I had the company of only 1 other group of 4 local ladies.

1 | Skinned cherry tomato in fruit vinegar (with gold dust), to cleanse the palate. 

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2 | Appetizers. The two on the sides flanking the seafood ball are variations of seaweed, found in the Jinguashi 金瓜石 area.

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3 | Scallop on squid. The neighbouring Yin Yang Sea 阴阳海 has boats catching these squids late at night. (I experienced 1 such night fishing at Penghu 澎湖.)

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4 | Grilled fish - totally sold on its elaborate presentation!

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5 | The lodging's interpretation of a local dish gua bao 刈包 (some call it Taiwanese hamburger). Basically fatty pork & garnish in a bun - and made DIY for the diner. (The bun is made inhouse using pumpkin.) 

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The housekeeper Yi Rong "storytelling" our dinner as each dish was served.

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6 | The afternoon tea counter now laid out a vegetable buffet, another "DIY activity" for diners to cook & garnish - the fun part of dinner, I must say. 

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7 | The last second course is a nourishing soup of pork rib, lotus root and peanuts. (I love chinese soup!) 

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8| Wrapping up with lightly-flavoured lemon jelly and sweet potato (the latter, a locally cultivated type, smaller than what I usually see).

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Housekeeper Yi Rong then introduced his crew members who took turns to give thanks to (by now stuffed) guests. (We thanked them too of course, for the unforgettable dinner experience!)  

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I had earlier noticed this and bought rose-flavoured ice cream (NT$50) to enjoy back in my room. (There is always a separate compartment for dessert~)

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☷☷☷☷☷

I had spent my second day venturing away from
Adagio Jinguashi 缓慢 金瓜石 on foot, walking as far as Jinguashi Gold Museum 金瓜石黄金博物馆, then bus-ing to Jiufen Old Street 九份老街, before cabbing back to the accommodation in the evening. While my excursion is not featured in this post, I highly recommend a walking (or more accurately, HIKING) trail to appreciate the charm and hidden gems of this area, though best to plan your route based on your stamina. Part of my exploration was spontaneous, thus an unexpected number of winding, up-slope, down-hill pathways, almost giving up before I reached my first attraction. Thank goodness for strategically available pit-stops enroute (plus to have some snacks handy, stay hydrated and UV/rain-proof) - I was totally wowed by the scenery, and definitely have more uncharted places for a revisit.  

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Till my next stay ~

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Adagio Jinguashi | 缓慢 金瓜石
Address --- No.93-1 Shanjian Road, Shishanli, Ruifang District, New Taipei City  新北市瑞芳区,石山里,山尖路93-1号 


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