Behind the event ・ Year-end parties ・ Updated 2026

A private-island year-end party in Yilan: booking the whole "Duli Senlin" for an outdoor starlit dinner

Yilan has the cleanest water in Taiwan; even the Kavalan whisky distillery is here. The reason is simple: Yilan faces straight into the northeast monsoon. In plain words: it rains a lot in winter. And this year-end party, iTour was going to hold outdoors in Yilan.

This post records the whole-island year-end party we held for a hair salon chain at Duli Senlin (獨立森林) of Xiaoguo Shenghuo (小國生活) in Wujie, Yilan: from choosing the venue and designing fair-weather and rain versions, to the run-of-show for the 3.5 hours before guests arrived on the day.

What is the "Duli Senlin" lake island?

"Xiaoguo Shenghuo" is the umbrella name for a group of guesthouses in Yilan, including properties whose names mean "Tree of Light", "18 Big Trees" and "Independent Forest" (Duli Senlin). Duli Senlin, the one we used, is the most loved of the group. It sits in the middle of an old man-made pond, like an island, and the way in and out is an electric boardwalk that can be retracted. At night the boardwalk is drawn in, giving the reassuring feel of a castle drawbridge raised with a moat all around.

It's well maintained, with staff looking after the rooms and grounds, better than many guesthouses and ordinary hotels. But with water on all sides, humidity is high, and rooms get a little musty without the air conditioning on. Fishing and kayaking can also be arranged on the island.

Each building can be rented whole, with a kitchen, lounge, cookware and tableware, and some have pools. One thing to note: breakfast here means they give you the ingredients and you cook it yourself with the kitchen equipment, so the equipment is really used, not decoration. Most rooms have double beds, with extra beds available; quite a few rooms have the bathtub right in the middle of the room, with no curtain or screen, which really tests whoever you're sharing with.

Why book "the whole island"?

This client had about 60–70 people, which fills all 6 buildings. Booking the whole island has two advantages: no unfamiliar guests complaining about the party, and even the shared areas can be designed into the party venue. After the site visit we immediately drew up site plans to discuss with the client, using sketches to quickly outline the design concept, evening decoration and table design, so the whole picture was clear at a glance.

Fair-weather version vs rain version: how to design them?

Fair-weather version: strings of warm-yellow lights hung outdoors frame the skyline, with spotlights for extra light, so the dining area is bright enough without looking harsh; LED strips at the entrance reduce trip risk on the walkway; on the tree wall next to the buffet, a logo light with floral wooden crates brings out a fashionable brand feel; on the long dining tables, floral runners, candlesticks and candles make guests feel like they're being hosted at a manor or castle.

Rain version: Yilan is rainy (it rained on every site visit) and cold in winter, so even with rain canopies, keeping food and people warm is key. So we prepared a rain plan in parallel: the 6 buildings' shared recreation area, with a stretch of woodland in the front yard. The setting is beautiful, there's enough light, and some walls block the wind and keep it warm. The downsides are a smaller footprint and having to move the existing decor and reset. We ran LED strip lights along the edge of the woodland for more light and safer walkways, moved drapes to hide visually messy spots, switched to round tables to save indoor space, and used wood-slice floral pieces and candles to give the tables more depth.

On the day: what happens in the 3.5 hours before guests arrive?

From a week before the event, anyone coming into the iTour office had to not only sign in and spray alcohol at the door, but also join a little good-luck ritual, making a wish for clear skies. Three days before, the chance of rain dropped from 80% to 60%, heavy rain turned to light rain, and finally to "sunny with clouds". But any rain at all meant the outdoor version was out, so we prepared both and brought all the equipment and props. On the day, Taipei was sunny and Yilan was cloudy with no rain, yet after half a day of analysis on arrival it was still 50/50. In the end, between ideal and practical, we chose the rain version, while making up for its weaknesses (adding a sloped canopy to extend the indoor space, and hanging light strings to link the indoor and outdoor lighting).

• 13:30 (3.5 hours before guests): the big equipment move, from the boardwalk area to the recreation area. First boss: the pool table. On the site visit we thought two people could push it; actually moving it, we found it was unbelievably heavy. In the end we rallied the whole guesthouse staff (admin, housekeepers, gardeners), nearly 20 people, and moving it just a few steps at a turtle's pace took 10 minutes.
• 14:30: tables, chairs and the sloped canopy go in, linking indoors and outdoors seamlessly, adding space with no getting rained on and no snagging on trees.
• 15:30: indoor lighting set up: hanging lights give a garden-lighting feel, waterproof outdoor spotlights reinforce the sloped canopy, and a logo display light goes at the entrance. Table settings start with gold charger plates, topped with rolled napkins and personalized menu cards. Florals use wooden wheels as a base with eucalyptus leaves, plus glass candle holders of different heights (which also avoids the fire risk of candles in the outdoor wind).
• 16:00: the Nordic catering team arrives.
• 16:30: setup of the starters and cold drinks area, carrying on the table florals, preparing fruit garnishes for the cocktails, and putting up the welcome board and guest banner.
• 17:00: guests arrive. It's still light, so they can see the whole setting; by the time they've gone to their rooms and changed, it's 18:00, and the change of light naturally shifts the mood into the dinner.

Catering: a semi-buffet instead of a "canteen"

This time we worked with an experienced local Nordic private chef and went with a semi-buffet: self-serve starters, with mains and soup served at the table. Traffic flow stays clean, with no crowding around the food; personal menu cards add a touch of quality. In the past, outside catering could usually only be self-serve and semi-reheated, with dishes laid out in silver chafing dishes over gel fuel, which makes finesse hard. Side by side, it's a completely different level of atmosphere; the price is that it really does take a lot of staff.

Private-island / whole-building year-end parties in Yilan: FAQ

Yilan rains in winter. Can you still hold an outdoor year-end party?

Yes, but you must have a rain version. Our approach is to plan fair-weather and rain designs in parallel and bring all the equipment and props, decide which to use on the day before the equipment goes in, and fix the rain version's weaknesses in advance (adding canopies, extra lighting, changing table shapes).

How is "booking the island / whole building" different from a normal guesthouse stay?

You can design the shared spaces into the event too, and there are no unfamiliar guests. It's best value when your headcount fills all the buildings.

Does outside catering have to be buffet dishes in chafing dishes?

No. You can do a semi-buffet (self-serve starters, plated mains) or even fully plated service, with a private chef cooking fresh. The quality is far better; the trade-off is higher staffing costs.

See themed event design See corporate & employee travel

Further reading: Starry-sky BBQ party in Cingjing ・ Old Shanghai nightclub year-end party at Yilu Hall

This article combines two iTour Pixnet posts (a private-island villa dinner in Wujie, Yilan, and a Yilan year-end party trip, 2021–2022), translated from Chinese.