Kinmen Warning: Who The Hell Is Still Saying This Place Is Fun?!
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Hello, everyone who is planning to visit Kinmen! Here are some personal experiences and complaints that I hope will be helpful!
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We spent the following on various documents:
- A travel permit for mainland Chinese (Qianzhu): RMB75
- Kinmen entry permit for mainland Chinese (Ru Jin Zheng): RMB90
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Accommodation:
- We stayed at Tastin B&B (Tǎsītīng Mínsù), booked through Ctrip, a popular travel site in China. RMB304 per night.
️ Important reminder: Be cautious of recommendations by B&B owners for car rentals!
* This includes our experience. The owner took us directly to the recommended rental car dealer with our luggage along, leaving us no choice but to rent from them.
* We later learned that there are ‘special partnerships’ among some car rentals, B&Bs and stores for selling goods. Look around for alternative car rental options before deciding.
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️ Renting an electric bike (or motorcycle) seems like an unwise choice - no other words can justify its absurdity!
- The policy of each person renting one vehicle is fair, so I accept it, understanding its purpose.
- However! It costs NT$600 per day (TWD) and NT$60 for every additional hour during off-peak hours.
- Just think, if you arrive in the morning and leave the next afternoon, how much extra would that cost?
- Here's the point: prices can be negotiated! After lots of discussion, we managed to lower the time by 2 hours. The dealer said there were some ‘applications’ required to modify prices which clearly indicates that there are no standard rates, it depends entirely on the bargaining made. So, remember to negotiate with car dealers!
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Overall feel:
- I got the impression that Kinmen was a bit like a small and old Chinese county.
- As for tourist attractions. Most places were just suitable to take photos and sign the visitors book before going back to the next location without too much fun.
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Regarding eating and drinking:
- There’s been plenty of online recommendation about different milk teas that are supposedly incredibly excellent…
- To be honest, I merely consider them mediocre.
- Please don’t try “No.5 Ton” - it is truly very bad!
- However, there are also some delicious items
- Lǎo Diē Niúròu Miàn (Old Dad Beef Noodles), highly recommended! We two had three bowls each; the beef chunks are huge!
- Měngjiǎ Jīpái (Wangjia Chicken Grilled Katsu), also delicious with good flavors, as the name implies the fried chicken is thick enough to cut into slices, yet quite tender and juicy.
- Other food items were only okay.
- ️ Another gripe about Yuán Tóu Niúròu Miàn (Yuan Tou Beef Noodles):
* Their beef jerky is tasty to eat, so we bought some of it.
* However! The noodles at this shop were just fine.
* In addition, they have a minimum charge policy, so two people must order two items.
* Two of us, shared one noodle bowl plus a small cold dish, costing NT$508.
* (This place was recommended by our B&B owner who also had a connection with car rental companies – their receptionist even asked what rental company we used.)
- There’s been plenty of online recommendation about different milk teas that are supposedly incredibly excellent…
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Others:
- Kinmen wasn’t that big, but there were frequent sightings of promotional slogans from a specific faith-based group (which might be rather uncommon in Mainland China). It left me feeling somewhat uneasy.
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Summary of visit experience:
- To be honest, I don’t plan on visiting again, except if the Xiamen-Jinmen bridge really goes ahead with its plans.
Hope all these shared observations will come useful!
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Well, that's because you rented an electric bicycle, not a scooter. Naturally, it's only designed for one rider.
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I'm not saying there's an issue with it being single-seater. What leaves me speechless are the rental fees and overtime charges. Locals would never rent these, so the pricing is clearly targeting tourists. Moreover, the rental shops collude with guesthouses and souvenir shops – it's all interconnected. They ended up offering to 'apply' to waive two hours of charges for me, which just goes to show how flexible these prices are and that there's no such thing as a 'standard rate'.
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But I've already gotten the travel permit and endorsement. Not going now would mean losing the 75 (currency units) I spent on them.
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Hearing what others say isn't as good as seeing it for yourself. It really depends on your mindset going in. I've been to Kinmen about ten times and I genuinely like it. I've never rented a vehicle. Many people do those whirlwind day trips, rushing from place to place, and then they're exhausted and feel it wasn't worth it because the effort didn't match the experience. If you've never been, it's definitely worth a trip to walk around and take a look. Most of the time, friends drive me around, or I use public transport or taxis.
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Everyone likes different places. Regarding prices, it's wise to do some research before your trip, make a budget, and manage your expectations. The price levels in a place are established over a long period; they're not typically designed just to scam tourists.
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Besides tourists, who else would rent electric bikes? Do locals rent them? Aren't these prices and overtime fees obviously targeting tourists?
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Pardon me, but if I'm to review Kinmen, I'd risk my comment being deleted to sum it up in what would be about 15 Chinese characters: The place is a lot of fun, the food is delicious, and the locals are very hospitable.
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Exactly. Everyone's local environment is different. Isn't the whole point of traveling to experience the local cuisine and culture? Everything was great when I went.
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I'd been to Kinmen four times before the pandemic. At that time, bubble tea shops hadn't yet proliferated in Xiamen. So, purely from a bubble tea standpoint, Kinmen didn't seem particularly competitive. A pack of beef jerky was in the thirties (currency). I felt the prices were quite reasonable, and the chicken cutlets were genuinely delicious. Electric bikes went from allowing two riders to only single riders. After looking at some travel guides post-pandemic, I feel like prices have gone up a lot.
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Oh, the beef jerky I bought was 250 New Taiwan Dollars a pack – that's 50 RMB.
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I quite like Kinmen. There are fewer cars and people, it's very quiet, and the birds are quite tame. The local people and guesthouse owners I encountered were all very friendly. For me, it was a truly unforgettable trip.
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I think Kinmen is quite nice. Its unique appeal lies in experiencing a different atmosphere and environment, I guess. In any case, those few days in Kinmen were truly the most relaxing days I've had all year.
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Agreed. Getting away from work and the usual hustle and bustle, and spending a few days in an environment different from daily life, really helps you feel much more relaxed.
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A trip to Kinmen really tests your planning skills. We arrived in the morning, spent time exploring the main town (county seat) until the afternoon, and only then did we go to rent a vehicle.
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Our guesthouse owner took us directly to a rental shop, then took our luggage and left us there. We felt we couldn't really say no or leave, so we just had to rent from them.
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The endorsement fee was 75??? I thought it was 15.
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That's the travel permit plus the endorsement fee.
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Their bubble tea is mostly made from powder too, you know. I looked into a few shops, and they all just seem to mix various powders. It tastes pretty much like regular bubble tea. Given how fiercely competitive the bubble tea scene is on the mainland, it's surprising they can't outdo what's over there. I'd say for 13 yuan, it's a decent value, especially since the cups are quite large.
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It was disgustingly bad. I went full of anticipation... couldn't drink any of it. It's even worse than Mixue (a well-known budget tea chain). The only good thing there is Yitiaogen (a local specialty).