The Secret Path is Our Happy Place

Back in December Twilight and I went to Xiao LiuQiu, a small island mysteriously similar in shape (though thankfully, in no other way) to my birthplace of Staten Island.
A tale of two islands. Decide for yourself.We spent three days there, and how much we liked the place should be evident in the title of the article I wound up doing for Taiwan Scene Magazine: Three Days in Xiao Liuqiu (were not enough). So we decided to head back there in February to spend more time, eight days to be exact. We did a lot more exploring of the island's fantastic culture, nature and temple scene (absolutely out of this world), and I'll be doing a few more articles for Taiwan Scene in the next couple of weeks. For the moment, I'll confine myself to raving about the hotel that we stayed at:
The Secret Path B&BThe hotel's Chinese name is 朵小路北歐民宿, but since most readers of Snarky Tofu read English, I'll be calling it by its English Name, the rather poetic (and appropriate) Secret Path Bed and Breakfast.
A week at the Secret Path was kind of like an extended sleep-over with super-cool cousins who'd decided to ditch big city life to be artists on a beautiful island.
This is the Chen family. They speak English, and are excellent hosts. It's safe to say that The Secret Path is their baby.
The Chen FamilyLike myself, the Chen family have their own cartoon alter-egos, which I found particularly cool.
The Chen Family in Cartoon form. (Younger brother not drawn)The Chen's artistic touches are all over the hotel, from the complimentary comic book (featuring the cartoon family's adventures) in the room to the wall art in each room (each individually done). In our room one wall was taken up with a large mural of cartoon turtles posing for selfies.
Another room featured more happy turtles listening to a merman playing a ukulele. On another wall there was a series of drawings which resembled a comic strip. They told the story of a turtle getting a straw stuck in its nose. (Sea turtles are a big thing on Xiao Liuqiu.) The cartoon aesthetic made the message seem poignant and reminded us to use our metal straws and chopsticks during our stay.

The artistic flair continued to the bathroom where a wall of hand-painted tiles greeted us. Tiles featured
owls, spectacles, John Lennon and messages like Love, Truth, and Life is simple when you live simply.
The bathtub was lined with dark stone and big enough to fit two people comfortably (and three people
intimately, if that's your thing).

The VIP room at the Secret Path B&BArt in each room was unique. One room featured a jungle scene with several cats lounging by a river. Even the doors were decorated with green plastic grass, prompting us to pet our room door before entering.
Shaggy was kind enough to let us have a peak at his VIP room which featured a working two person carousel. Quite the sight to behold indeed!


Twilight's favorite piece was the life-size llama statue in the hotel lobby. It had brown fleece with a golden head that wore sunglasses. You can take the elevator to your room but the stairs are a better choice. That path leads you by more fun artwork, including a clock that features various male facial hair like the Chopper or Hustler mustaches. So the place is basically heaven for fans of cool art.


Quirky Art Heaven!
I found the facial hair clock quite inspiring. For a while.





Breakfast was great, usually some artistically prepared combination of eggs, fresh fruit, veggies, toast and jam, with the all-important endless coffee without which no day can properly start. They also do a special kids breakfast, on an elephant shaped wooden tray with a breakfast hamburger dressed up with a flag.


The most important meal of the day. Also, food was served.

Beer
Spirits and libations were also available in the form of a local craft beer, as well as a Taiwanese brand only sold on Xiao Liuqiu called Captain.
Secret Path gets its name from its location, set back from the main drag. Not that the main drag in Xiao Liuqiu is particularly busy, at least not in February. (July is another story). From our balcony we saw the ocean, and heard the occasional light construction noise from a neighborhood temple that was being finished in time for Lunar New Year. (Watch this video for more on that:)
But the island is a small place, and the hotel is a short ride from anywhere on the island. We zipped around the island on electric scooters, and were never bored.
We loved our stay at the place, and are looking forward to returning in November for a massive festival that takes place every three years on the island. If we can make the time, we might return sooner. Because eight days weren't quite enough, either.

I recommend The Secret Path BnB without reservation. Except, you know, that you should probably make reservations before you show up so that the Chen family know you're coming.

The Secret Path BnB
Address in Chinese: 中華民國(台灣) 929屏東縣琉球鄉復興路163之2號
Telephone (From Taiwan): 0988598592
WebsiteShaggy's Facebook Page