Travel – Kenting Winter Fun (Part 2)

In my previous blog, I gushed about the clear blue waters and underwater sea life of this southern most destination in Taiwan. Well, we headed back there on a whim during winter break and ended up extending our stay. While it was cooler than our previous trip, we still managed to enjoy the beach each day, either exploring its rocky shorelines or swimming in the waters. We had an opportunity to check out more beaches this trip and experience other facets of Kenting.

Winter is an amazing time to be at Kenting. The beaches are tranquil and stunning without the fair weather tourists–though 70F/21C is still pretty comfortable by our standards. It can get very windy and there are bursts of intermittent rain showers but then the sun comes out and it’s beautiful again. The peacefulness of the place is magical and I would not want to taint this idealized memory by going in the summer time when it is brimming with people everywhere!

Beaches

We explored a few more beaches during this stay—Sail Rock, Dawan, Xiaowan and Frog Rock. Unfortunately, Xiaowan was the only one where swimming is permitted at this time of the year. Though that did not really deter us.

Sail Rock (船帆石) and Beach

Sail Rock is a rock formation in the water, supposedly shaped like a sailboat, with razor-sharp lava rocks complicating the approach to the rock. Sail Rock is also known informally as Nixon’s Head as the rock seems to capture his characteristic profile emerging from the water. Seems more Nixon’s head than a sailboat to me. It is also reportedly a great snorkeling area though we did not get a chance to check out the sea life this trip.

The formation’s adjacent sandy beach is another breathtaking area and at this time of the year, we were the only souls on the beach. The lava rocks around it offer some nice tide pools for exploring, though one should wear appropriate shoes as the lava rocks are jagged.

Dawan Kenting Beach (大灣）

This gorgeous, long stretch of beach is actually part of the Kenting National Forest. Thus, motorized vehicles on the waters are not permitted and there are no commercial activities on the beach (except for the grandfathered in Chateau Resort). There are no amenities available and as we found out the hard way—no swimming—having been asked to get out of the water by a beach patrol for swimming. There is, however, an apparent loophole as the beach patrol grudgingly admitted. If one had a floatation device, that would not be considered swimming. Luckily for us, we brought a couple of boogie boards and were permitted to go back into the water. It is not the first time Taiwanese rules are baffling.

Travel Tip: The street “Dawan Road” fronts this beach but is set off the main drag of Kenting. There are numerous B&B options on this street, many of them with direct views of the beach for a pretty reasonable sea view rate. Best of all, it is a remarkably quiet street.

View of Dawan from B&B second floor balcony

Xiaowan (小灣）

Xiaowan means “small bay” and it appears popular with the resort guests as the beach is conveniently located across from some of the major resorts. This beach is darling as it is relatively small and tucked inside a protected bay. There is a beach bar and umbrella and lounge chair rentals are available. Families must enjoy this one as motorized water sports are not allowed. For us, the designated areas for swimming feel hemmed in and the bay itself is not that large. Maybe we have been spoiled by the grander beaches like Nanwan and Baisha beach.

Frog Rock (青蛙石海洋遊憩公園)

Frog Rock is steps from Xiaowan, but it does not appear in any tourist guides I have seen and hopefully it stays that way. It is a peninsula sandwiched between Xiaowan and Dawan. We accessed it at the Kenting Youth Center (救國團墾丁青年活動中心) which requires a 30$NT admission fee, but well worth it. The 20 minute walk around the peninsula finds a small coral-laden beach, beautiful views and large, otherworldly lava rock outcroppings. All this reminiscent of Hawaii.

Resort Life

There are several large resort options available in Kenting—most are pricey and dated. They do, however, offer great amenities, such as large pools, jacuzzis, water slides and other onsite activities for kids. For part of our time there, we stayed at Fullon Resort (墾丁福容大飯店) which is a few minutes away from the main drag of Kenting. We experienced both a standard room and an upgraded room with balcony and view. The latter is definitely worth the extra money. Being winter, we found ourselves the only people utilizing the pool and the massive indoor jacuzzi pool which was great when the weather was windy or rainy outside. Plus, the resort came with its own resident monkeys. There is also some fun water slides and kids’ water area, but they were closed for January to February.