Our Minsu in Cingjing - Victoria Reak Garden Suburb

Our driver helped us to book this minsu - Victoria Reak Garden Suburb (維多利亞山莊) prior to our trip - a family unit which came with breakfast and dinner for 4 persons for only RM300++.  We were worried, especially when we Googled, we could not find much reviews about this minsu and the reviews available were not very positive.  The driver however assured us that it was OK and a definite value for money.  We lowered our expectation and kept praying that it won't be too bad, God answered our prayer that it surpassed our expectation A WHOLE LOT especially on the food and the cosy environment.  :)

The breathtaking view from the minsu.  

Upon arrival, the driver parked her car at the basement car park and we took the elevator to the lobby level. Note: not all minsu in Cingjing come with lift facility and some even have stretches of staircases due to its unavoidable geographical factor, so do pack light whenever possible.  The driver helped us with check in, which was fast.  She then brought us to our room.  The room was humbly decorated and reasonably clean.  The furnitures and bathroom fittings weren't new and impressive, but acceptable for sure.     

Kids loved the cozy upper deck of our family unit very much.  

Our unit came with beautiful views.  There were plenty of lounge table and chairs along the walkway cum observatory deck, right outside of our unit, which enabled us to sit back, sip a cup of hot drink while enjoying the breathtaking view of Cingjing.  Good thing about Cingjing is that every part of it is beautiful, almost every minsu will come with its own uniquely breathtaking views.  We were lucky to witness sunset, which was amazing.  What more amazing was that Papa Bear and I actually witnessed sunrise in the morning in Sun Moon Lake before we departed for Cingjing and we then witnessed sunset in the same evening in Cingjing.  It was a memorable experience for both of us.  

View from the walkway cum observatory deck outside our unit. 

The dinner surpassed our expectation.  We always thought that free meals won't be too nice, let alone sumptuous.  Boy, we were so wrong!  We were offered a few choices, which we could upgrade to a more expensive set for a very small fee like RM6-RM10.  The food was served smoky hot and the vegetables (organic homegrown by nearby farms) were so fresh!  We enjoyed our meals so much.  

The small dining place was linked to the guest lounge, that Papa Bear and I took our time eating, while our kids hopped over to the lounge watching TV and digging through the toy box.  We felt comfortable letting them 'loose' as they were within our sight, since the place was small.  

Papa Bear and I joined the kids at the lounge after our meal.  Papa Bear enjoyed a cup of hot Chinese tea while reading newspapers.  I sat back resting and kids continued playing.   We then hung around the small garden outside, kids played with the mini see-saw and zoomed around the place using scooter and bicycle provided by the minsu.  It was a peaceful night.

The cosy garden cum breakfast lounge.  Temperature at night was very cold, especially when it was windy, hence no one would choose to be seated here for dinner.  :) 

I will recommend this minsu to friends who are looking for value for money accommodation in Cingjing.  However, if you are a light sleeper, this may not be a good option for you.   The rooms are not sound proof, we could hear other guests chatting and laughing away outside of our unit.  They were probably enjoying the night view and fresh air at the walkway.  The noise did not bother us though, as we were very tired after a day in the farm, we fell asleep almost immediately as we hit the bed.  LOL