Belonginn

Former uniform shop transformed into a trendy café with retro style

As retro romantic songs stream in the room, it feels like back to the 1970s when the place was still Sanlong Uniform Shop well-known to the locals. The shop used to have a storefront and a production line, where the current hosts Up and Me with design background transformed it into the café and lodging Belonginn. They preserve its three-section compound structure, with each section represents its half to one-century-old history. This is the second b&b they built, as the color palette is drawn from the dark green and orange-brown on the original walls of the house, not only conveying a sense of traveling back in time but also blending in chic modern elements. According to Up, the “Belong” in its name is inspired by the “long” row house, the Sanlong Uniform Shop’s “long,” and Shennong Street’s “nong.” Altogether, they share similar pronunciation, so as “Blonginn” and “Belonging.”

Sunrays fall through the corrugated glass doors and brighten the traveler’s visit in the afternoon. The ground floor of Belonginn serves as a café open from late afternoon till midnight. A neon sign with flowing strokes decorates above the service counter, while the old shop windows still sit at their original places. Lush greenery is accompanied by culture magazines and newspapers, packs of coffee beans, and tote bags designed by the hosts. Passing by the kitchen in the first courtyard, the café space extends into the second building’s ground floor. The interior walls of understated dark shade and patterned floor tiles in the courtyard render a sophisticated European vibe. Upon checking in, travelers receive a voucher for afternoon tea for two, which allows you to taste Belonginn’s homemade clay oven rolls and one dessert-of-the-day over drinks of your choice. The dessert can be a sesame chiffon cake with whipped cream and dried fruits that taste delightful and airy, Baileys Irish Cream pudding, or lemon tart, and each goes perfectly with pour-over coffee. At night, you may also enjoy a cold beer as a tipsy dream is brewing.

Savoring the century-old history with exclusive space

Reimaging the life in the old house, Belonginn’s four rooms deliver pleasant surprises. Each spacious room offers travelers a whole story or even two-story space exclusively, as well as a simple cooking area for you to experience shopping at the local market and making dishes yourself. The room called “Living” is the one closest to the street, as the brilliant sunshine filter through sheer curtains in its second-floor living room, it gently shed light on the warm orange sofas. Following the wonderful light to the bedroom on the third floor, the curtains of a burgundy shade match with the wooden sloped roof. In the late afternoon, you may gaze out over the neighboring red-tile roofs on Shennong Street and the sunset, then with a laid-back mood, relax in the bathtub and call it a night.

The color scheme of pale pink and dark green forms a wonderful contrast, rendering a sweet and gentle tune in the Piano Room. You and your sweetheart may stay in the bed, watching the window view composed of the balcony looking over courtyard and neighboring houses, or just enjoy a relaxing and romantic bath in the tub. At the Attic Room, climbing the wooden stairs would lead you to the secret attic under the gable roof. The white double bed offers a good night’s sleep while uniquely designed chairs provide perfect spots for you to rest. When you stepping on the floor, it’s like reliving the elegant life of a wealthy family in the past, contented and at ease.

Passing through the second courtyard covered with gravel with plenty of greenery, you enter the Garden Room as if walking into its one-century old history. With lights illuminating the room, the leather sofas in the living room and open riser stairs convey a modern look. Upstair bedroom comes with the wooden floor paired with rugs, while the mottled walls preserve the history with more memories added as people passing through the tunnel of time.

Enjoy a Tainan lifestyle local breakfast delicacies in the morning

At seven o’clock in the morning, you wake up to the lively sound of a city getting busy in the gentle sunshine. At nine o’clock, after freshening up unhurriedly, you stroll down Shennong Street and through the nearby market to explore local breakfast delicacies, realizing that this is how Tainan says good morning to you!

A wonderful memory lasts, while the beauty of time is like the eternal balmy sunshine. That day, you sit on the balcony at Belonginn, and under the clear blue sky, the roof tiles change colors as sunlight gradually shifts. You wouldn’t mind the street noises, as now is the most beautiful moment, and just collect a fragment of this wonderful time into your memory.