A Touch of Zen offers travelers a rare opportunity to spend a night in a home built during the Japanese colonial era as a home for a Navy Admiral, and restored to reflect design and decor of that period. The decor includes images drawn from the Taiwan film scene from the Japanese era through the 1980s. The neighborhood features many similarly old buildings, and includes several art galleries and two history museums. Nearby is an older commercial area that allows you to glimpse what Taiwanese urban life was like in the 1960s. The Lotus Pond, Old Fengshan City Wall, numerous temples, and Turtle Hill, an area with recently renovated hiking trails, are all a short bike ride away. Facilities include a traditional tatami room, a room furnished as it might have been in the 1960s, a communal kitchen, 2 full baths, a guest lounge, and a washer and dryer. There is also a larger lounge where cocktails and light snacks are sometimes served, and films can be projected on a large screening wall. Bicycles can be rented at very reasonable rates.

Carl is a Taiwan-born American, who enjoys mixing craft cocktails with an emphasis on locally sourced ingredients. He makes his living as a videographer flying all over Asia shooting for corporate and broadcasting clients. Even after nearly 20 years of traveling frequently for work he still loves to travel, and enjoys sharing travel stories with all who visit. Wendy grew up in a nearby military village and has many memories of what life was like in these unique historic communities. She manages the details at A Touch of Zen, which the couple personally restored as a labor of love.

Some of Kaohsiung's most colorful local food options are within walking distance. Four art galleries occupying other historic homes in the same community add special charm. Within walking distance is the Military Village Museum and the Naval History Museum. Iconic local dining options are within walking distance, including some of Taiwan's best beef noodles and dumplings. A short bike ride away is the Lotus Pond which is ringed by photogenic temples and a wakeboarding facility, the Confucius Temple, one of Taiwan's largest, the Old Fengshan City Wall, Taiwan's largest and best preserved Qing Dynasty city wall, and Turtle Hill, where there are some hiking trails leading to ruins of Japanese military installations. The commercial area between us and the Lotus Pond includes numerous old-fashioned Taiwanese shops and eateries that have not changed much since the 1960s - a real slice of an older way of life. The crown jewel of this area is the Hallo Wet Market, a bustling place with hundreds of stalls selling everything from picked-that-morning fruit and vegetables to bonsai trees to freshly steamed dumplings.