We got to the B&B from Fenqihu where we had taken the Alishan Forest Train up from Chiayi. We ended up taking a taxi to Tea Cloud and arrived before our room was ready. As such, Karsing, the owner's son, offered to take us to a trail in nearby Shizhuo. We were brought to the starting point, shown a map and told to call him when we reached the end point at the 7-Eleven in Shizhuo. The only advice given was that the first portion of the walk was steep, and we could opt for the shorter route (1 hr) or the longer route (2 -3 hrs). The walk turned out to be a climb up to the top of a mountain ridge that looked down over several tea plantations and mountains that stretched as far as the horizon. It was a spectacular view and well-worth the arduous climb up and steep slopes down. We just wish we were more adequately prepared for it and were asked whether we had sufficient water or energy for such a tiring trail. The short route turned out to be a 2+ hour route, and we met other hikers who had been walking on the longer route since morning!

The owner Mr Liu and his son are affable hosts, with the former being more willing to talk and share his obvious passion and pride in his family tea plantation and the life he leads. If he has time, Mr Liu will brew you many cups of tea and tell you stories, take you to his tea plantation and make you guess all the different varieties of fruit and vegetable he also has growing there. He and his son will drive you speedily to Shizhuo for dinner or to take the bus up to Alishan. They also arrange for transport to see the sunrise at Alishan and we left at 4 am from Tea Cloud for that.

Rooms are comfortable and more than adequate although hot water is not consistent throughout the day. Breakfast is homestyle, homemade and delicious. Mr Liu is also into chinese calligraphy and takes pride in his collection which you can also admire and chat with him about.

If you enjoy personal attention that a Taiwanese minshu can provide, Tea Cloud has all that in the owner, Mr Liu. It's almost like staying in the home of a relative you don't meet often.

Reading all the reviews pushed up our expectations, but we were wowed all the same. The three-generation Liu family, owner-hosts, were nothing but hands on and personal in their bid to make us feel at home... with social 泡茶tea sessions, recommendations for walks, meals and excursions, home cooked breakfasts, pick up/drop service to stops within the vicinity. We totally enjoyed their company.

The B&B is tastefully decorated and furnished and also well-maintained. Was cold at night (no heater provided) so bring adequate warm wear.

Don’t miss here and around:
-daily sunrise from their sixth floor viewing gallery at 630am, no need to wake up earlier to go all the way to Alishan
-a quick lesson in managing tea plantation at the family’s plantation just a stone’s throw away
-short easy jaunts on trails around Shizhuo 石桌
-coffee and cakes at 咖啡王
-苦茶油鸡 meal

We had travelled from Taipei on HSR to Chiayi then directly to Teacloud B&B in pre-booked Tripool car (USD33, 1 hour)
To get to Alishan from Teacloud, we took a bus from Shizhuo (TWD82, 40 min)

Everything about this Airbnb was a pleasant surprise to me. First, I have to start with the service. The whole place is run by a family -- a mother, a father and a son. Each of them go out of their way to help you, especially the son. He’d drop us off the nearby bus station 3 minutes drive away, walk us to their tea plantations next door, tell us about his family’s roots in tea plantation, and prepare tea using the very leaves from said plantation. This was made easier as I spoke some Mandarin.

The room itself was great too -- the bed was plenty big and clean. It was equipped with little touches like -- a shower door that gently snaps shut when you bring it to a close, shower water takes a couple min to heat up but was otherwise perfect, and electric plugs in convenient locations. As someone who tries to eat healthy, the Taiwanese style congee breakfast was both tasty and delightfully simple.

I hope to visit this family again in the future and would love to show them around if they ever visited me in San Francisco!