A fun, themed Kaohsiung hotel perfect for families, a stay at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park promises a great time for all ages.
Located next to a big mall, lots of restaurants and several nearby attractions, it is a great base with ample parking – and the hotel is a very close to Caoya Station on the MRT Red Line, plus just one stop from Kaohsiung International Airport.
Handily located next door to SKM Park outlet mall (map) and Kaohsiung’s Suzuka Circuit Park (Taiwan’s driving themed amusement park), we spent several nights at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung 華園親子飯店 草衙館 in October 2026.
We enjoyed our hotel experience, from our marvellous MRT themed room and the racing themed communal areas to the big breakfast buffet – plus fun playrooms and family suites are available for children and their grown-ups.
From facilities to food, attractions to our awesome room, here is our review of Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung – we were hosted by the hotel company.
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Why stay at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung?
There are many large resorts and hotels in Kaohsiung but this is a relatively new hotel built in 2018 and renovated in 2024 with some cool themed interiors and rooms.
One of the key draws here is all the fun features and play areas which are ideal for families plus you are just steps away from SKM Park outlet mall and Suzuka Circuit Park – with the hotel driving theme and the race-track next door, this is perfect for your little ‘racers’.
For an easy relaxing break, you could just stay at the hotel, eat breakfast onsite and eat dinner in the nearby shopping complex (dozens of restaurants and foodcourts) or jump on the MRT to explore Kaohsiung itself (so also ideal for families travelling without a car). It can be as active or as laid back as you want to make it!
There are several different themed room types including MRT, flight, shipping and racing theme rooms plus the facilities are family friendly like long breakfast serving hours (7am until 11am), baby bottle sterilizers and free playrooms.
Check Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung rates and availability:
- Booking.com >
- Agoda.com > (use the code TAIWANDERERS for a discount)
- Expedia.com >
- Klook.com > (use the code CKTRAVELS for a discount)
- Trip.com >
Arriving at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung and the local neighborhood
Holiday Garden Hotel is located in the Qianzhen District in southern Kaohsiung, which is less than 10 minutes by car / taxi from Kaohsiung International Airport.
The hotel is also a short walk away from Caoya MRT Station (exit 2) which is on the red subway line. It is just one MRT stop away from the airport and a few stops from downtown Kaohsiung. You can reach Kaohsiung Main Station in 15 minutes and Zuoying HSR Station in 25 minutes.
Kaohsiung is actually worth spending several days in if your Taiwan itinerary can afford it – from beautiful islands and lakes to many family attractions, it has a lot to offer.
During our several night stay at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung, we visited SKM Park many times to shop and eat (more on this later) plus visited local attractions like Suzuka Circuit Park, Jing Yuan Leisure Farm and Hong Yu Museum of Cuttlefish balls (more fun than it sounds).
Why visit Kaohsiung with Kids?
Taiwan’s Kaohsiung is a safe, family-friendly city with lots of theme parks, waterside attractions and fun things to do.
From Pokémon to Pier 2, station cats to the Sanrio train, there is something to suit all tastes when visiting Kaohsiung with kids – plus there are loads of kid’s activities to do near this hotel.
And children’s activities don’t have to be expensive for families – many child friendly and kids attractions in Kaohsiung are free or inexpensive like Dream Mall or a colourful street art village.
Here is our guide to the best things to do with kids in Kaohsiung >
Checking in
We arrived into Kaohsiung early evening after a day spent exploring Otherworld in Chiayi Taiwan’s new Disney style castle – so we appreciated the fact the hotel is directly accessible by public transport on the red MRT line from Kaohsiung Main Station and the ride took less than 20 minutes, plus a just short walk to the hotel across SKM outlet mall.
We were first greeted by a huge Leo the Lion statue (the hotel’s mascot) before also being greeted warmly by the hotel staff – we also appreciated the free popcorn in reception!
As we were getting our key-cards, we could see several happy children at play in the airplane themed playmark next to reception plus as it was October when we stayed, there were lots of Halloween decorations to enjoy.
We also picked up our Suzuka Circuit Park tickets whilst checking in – the hotel offers discounted tickets to some attractions as part of certain packages and room rates. You can also see an example of a go-kart from the nearby circuit in the reception area.
Our Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung room
The first thing we noticed whilst walking to our room was all the cool cartoon murals on the wall depicting the hotel mascot Leo the Treasure Line plus other cute characters.
There are many room types available but we were fortunate enough to stay in a MRT themed family suite, complete with a MRT carriage recreated inside plus lots of maps and painted on windows recreating famous local scenes – so you could almost explore Kaohsiung without leaving your room!
Even the color scheme is the same as the MRT – and it has a sliding door just like being on a carriage.
Our room was a MRT Family Suite / quadruple room complete with two double beds and two separate bathrooms and shower spaces. This is usually great for families but as Caroline and I were travelling as a couple, it meant we got a bathroom each!
Honestly, after a one month trip to Taiwan, we really REALLY appreciated how big our hotel room was compared to other accommodation we’ve stayed in – note this particular room was windowless but lighting was ample and there are many other room types with windows available.
There was lots of space to unpack in and a superb separate lounge area with a big TV, desk, coffee table, fridge, kettle and more – Wi-Fi was very strong and we loved all the plug points.
The bedroom also had a second TV meaning it is possible for kids and parents to watch separate TVs – so no arguing over the TV remote control. Plus you could watch free movies from the VOD channel or stream Netflix, Disney+, YouTube and more.
In the room, coffee, tea and a mini fridge were provided plus each floor has a distilled water machine and baby bottle sterilizers.
Other room types / themes
Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung has several themed room types, inspired by Kaohsiung as a transport hub and a harbor city – children who love cars, planes and trains will love all the transport theming.
As well as standard rooms, there are four themed room types – MRT, racing, sailing and planes.
The racing themed rooms have some neat details like a tyre themed table, racing stripes and even a winner’s trophy!
Family suites also feature two bathrooms which is so handy when travelling as a family in Taiwan and have plenty of space for play and sleep.
You can also stay in rooms with less theming (but still with fun touches like colorful walls) which are a little cheaper.
Train enthusiasts may like to know the bedrooms over the rear side of the hotel overlook Kaohsiung Metro South Depot 高雄捷運 南機廠 plus there is a tram shed just across the car-park – and for trainspotters young and old, you can see planes in the sky landing or taking off at nearby Kaohsiung airport.
You might like – Our Taiwan itineraries >
Facilities at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung
We will come to Leo’s Breakfast buffet restaurant soon but this Kaohsiung hotel has all the usual fun facilities and more that you’d expect from a family hotel.
As you walk into reception, one of the first things you notice are the two play and activity areas for kids, both of which are free to use.
The Flight Deck Play Room is like a miniature airport in the hotel, with an airplane slide and ball pit centered around a flight control tower, plus seating nearby for parents to relax and keep an eye on their little ones – there are also family toilets next to the play room.
The Pit In Lounge is open 24 hours and themed like a motor-racing mechanic pit – inside there are toys, games and children’s books. Outside, there is also a small car themed playground.
Hotels with a laundry room are always a bonus and there is a small laundry room on level 2 with a washer and dryer that cost NT$40 each. We were at the end of our Taiwan trip and wanted all clean clothes for our next destination so this was very handy.
Leo’s Station – Breakfast Buffet
We loved our buffet breakfast every morning at Leo’s Station, designed with families in mind – from a small seating area where kids could watch morning TV programmes to themed toasties and pancakes, a lot of thought has gone into making this a fun way for families to start their day.
Another nice touch was the long opening hours of Leo’s Station, open from 7am to 11am daily (last orders at 10.30am) – we think this might be the longest breakfast buffet hours of any hotel in Taiwan.
There was LOTs of food to choose from and something to suit all appetites and ages – there were several hot food stations plus all your usual breakfast offerings like cereals, hot drinks, fruit and juices. If your kids are fussy eaters, there are also familiar foods like chips and chicken nuggets.
As we are big kids at heart, we just had to make ourselves some breakfast pancakes featuring the hotel mascot Leo and friends – and yes, we also made ourselves a themed toastie but we weren’t very good at it! The kids seemed to do it better!
Other things to do near the Hotel
You can make your stay at Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung as busy or as relaxing as you want – you could easily just stay at the hotel for several days and either just visit SKM mall and Suzuka Circuit Park.
Or there are several nearby family friendly attractions you can reach by taxi, if you don’t want to take the red MRT line into downtown Kaohsiung (which is also an option).
Suzuka Circuit Park
Right next door to the hotel, this is the only replica track licensed by Japan’s famous Suzuka Circuit 鈴鹿賽道樂園.
Discounted tickets are available via the hotel and certain room rate types and your ticket includes access to many attractions for all ages including go-karts, kid’s Kochira’s Driving School and a ferris wheel carousel with tyre themed carriages.
Suitable for all ages, we had a go on the Drift Master Racing, go-karts, carousel and Tick-Tock Train – the main track itself is more suited to teenagers and adults and it can get quite competitive.
Book your discounted Suzuka Circuit Park Kaohsiung 鈴鹿賽道樂園 tickets on Klook >
SKM Park
Opened in 2016, this mall and outdoor park is located within a few steps of the hotel so it is very handy.
We ate most of our evening meals here at chain restaurants like Kura Sushi, Coco Ichibanya, Ippudo, TGI Fridays and many many more – plus we ate in the food court several times.
Very busy at the weekends and quieter in the week, we also bought lots of cute souvenirs here plus you will find lots of familiar brands like POYA, Daiso, Nike, Adidas and FamilyMart.
Jing Yuan Leisure Farm
A short taxi ride from the hotel, Jing Yuan Leisure Farm 淨園農場 is an open air wildlife park / mini zoo home to lots of animals like capybaras, hippos, flamingos, llamas, meerkats and more.
A popular glamping site, Jing Yuan Leisure Farm also had several restaurants plus a cafe and observation deck looking out directly over Kaohsiung International Airport Runaway.
Entrance is NT$300 each including a NT$100 voucher to use onsite in cafes and shops.
Booked your discounted tickets on Klook >
Hong Yu Museum of Cuttlefish Ball
Fishy fun and such a unique Kaohsiung attraction, someone from the hotel recommended the Hong Yu Museum of Cuttlefish Ball 宏裕行花枝丸館 and it was so good!
Opened in 2019 and Taiwan’s first museum dedicated to cuttlefish and squid balls, the museum has lots of photo opportunities, interactive features and DIY handmade cuttlefish ball workshops.
Downstairs, there is a huge frozen seafood shop and a restaurant where you can try fried seafood dishes for not much money.
We ate a variety of fried squid balls plus a tasty shrimp burger and it didn’t cost much – and they have lots of cute souvenirs including their own Hong Yu Museum Taiwan LV bags.
Book your discounted Hong Yuxing Huazhi Wan Museum and DIY cuttlefish ball tickets on Klook >
Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Kaohsiung review and summary
A themed hotel in Kaohsiung ideal for families, Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park is a fun stay, especially if you book one of the themed family suites like our MRT Subway room – plus it has so many other cool activities and shopping spots, all on the hotel doorstep at SKM Park or nearby on the MRT.
Our bed and room were large and so comfy and we loved the lounge area and separate bathrooms. Kids can enjoy the airport themed play room and colorful bedrooms or take a spin at the Suzuka Circuit Park next door – and the breakfast buffet is a fun way to start the day.
So close to the MRT and Kaohsiung International Airport, this is also ideal for families who don’t have access to a car or who would like a lot of space outside of the city but near to attractions for all ages.
Check Holiday Garden Hotel SKM Park Caoya Kaohsiung rates and availability:
- Booking.com >
- Agoda.com > (use the code TAIWANDERERS for a discount)
- Expedia.com >
- Klook.com > (use the code CKTRAVELS for a discount)
- Trip.com >
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