This Little Season

December 2025

The whole reason we decided to visit Yilan was what YB affectionately calls the “car hotel” — Silks Place Yilan. He first spotted it on an IG reel — children steering little vehicles on an indoor car track — and from that moment on, he was determined that this had to be where we stayed.

We were looking forward to it for months! And we weren’t disappointed when we arrived.

Silks Place Yilan sits within Luna Plaza, which meant everything felt very contained and convenient. The hotel lobby connects to the mall so we could step out for food or a quick browse without much effort.

The hotel was extremely busy — it felt like they were hosting hundreds of families at once — yet everything ran with impressive efficiency. There was a queue at check-in, but it moved quickly and calmly. No chaos, no raised voices, just families being processed one after another like clockwork.

During check-in, we were told that we’d been upgraded from a family room on the Fantasy Castle floor to a family suite on the same floor, with an extended living room (yay!). It made such a difference. The extra space gave the kids room to spread out, while the adults finally had somewhere to sit without perching on a bed.

What stood out most was how helpful the staff were, especially given how busy the hotel was. They walked us through everything patiently — helping us book breakfast time slots, explaining what activities were available, and making sure we knew how the hotel worked.

And there was a lot going on. A LOT!

The room: family-friendly touches

But first, the room.

We were honestly so impressed with the room. It was wonderfully spacious. Everyone was happy because no one was in anyone else’s way. The extended living room became our shared chill-out zone — where we lounged, ate and watched movies together. We actually stayed in for dinner one night because the kids loved the room so much and didn’t want to leave.

The bed was super comfortable, and the thoughtful family touches really stood out: a step ladder at the sink, kids’ bubble bath, a Nespresso machine and even a Dyson hairdryer. There was also a little tent set up in the room, which J slept in by herself at night!

The hotel’s overall decor does feel a little dated, but it’s clear they’ve leaned hard into being family-friendly — layering in all these thoughtful details that genuinely make travelling with kids easier and more enjoyable.

Vroom vroom!

From what we gathered, Levels 8 and 9 are the floors with the indoor car tracks. Each floor has its own car garage, where kids can choose their preferred car and keep it for the entire stay. And for fickle-minded kids — yes, they can change cars anytime!

YB picked a stylish blue car that he absolutely loved and refused to part with. There were noticeably fewer choices for girls, though — only one pink car, which was already rented out. She ended up choosing a yellow car instead and was still happy as sunshine. Honestly, just having a car was exciting enough.

What made it extra fun was being able to hop into the car and literally drive right up to our room door. It was super funny to see all the kids try to keep to traffic rules — and fail. Expect to see kids driving in the opposite direction, crashing into each other or just getting stuck after bumping into the wall! And parents, watch your ankles! We got rammed by cars many times during our stay and it was quite painful! Haha!

Role-play as a policeman

One of the coolest things about the stay was the scheduled role-play sessions, where kids could sign up to be “policemen” for an hour. Each child got to choose whether they wanted to ride a police motorbike or a car, then they were kitted out with a black vest and lanyard before being sent off on little missions around the track.

They had to check in at designated patrol points and even “hunt down” an errant car to issue a pretend summon. It was incredibly cute to watch — serious little faces, official-looking badges, and kids taking their roles very seriously!

Level 8 Fantasy Castle

We also spent time at Fantasy Castle on Level 8, and this turned out to be just as fun in a different way. It’s an open-air play space where kids can roam freely and try out all sorts of activities — from ball pits and a bouncy castle to slides and ride-on cars.

What the kids loved most was being able to try other cars here, not just the ones they’d chosen for their stay. Fantasy Castle closes at 8.30pm, which worked out perfectly for us. We headed there after dinner and still managed a good hour of play — just enough time for the kids to burn off energy without getting overtired. It was lively but not crowded and chaotic, and a really nice way to end the evening before heading back to the room.

Breakfast time!

We were honestly astounded by the breakfast spread. Once again, it was extremely busy — but also extremely well-managed. We were seated efficiently, and every table around us was a family, which immediately took the pressure off. No one felt stressed about kids spilling things or getting a little noisy. It felt understood.

The buffet was genuinely kid-friendly, and not just in the predictable cereal-and-toast way. There were good-quality yoghurt options, milk packets, probiotic drinks and freshly squeezed juices. One of the biggest hits was the DIY sushi station, and J enjoyed assembling her own kappa maki.

At the same time, there was enough variety to keep the adults happy too, so breakfast never felt like something we were just enduring for the kids’ sake.

Read more about our Yilan trip!

7D6N in Taiwan: Scallion-Making Experience with Animal Interaction (Sanxing)

7D6N in Taiwan: Zhang Mei Ama Farm 2.0 aka Shu Lan Restaurant (Yilan)

7D6N in Taiwan: Lucky Art Crayon Factory (Yilan)