Gangwon-do(Pyeongchang-gun)

Located in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon-do Province, Jeonggangwon (total area of 33,057㎡) is a tourism complex consisting of hanok, modern accommodation facilities, a Korean restaurant, a food museum, gardens, and an animal farm among its many facilities. Joh Jeonggang, a specialist in Korean food, established this tourism complex with the aim of to developing and promoting traditional Korean cuisine through hands-on experience programs. The current owner took over the complex six years ago and continues to run the business. After passing through the large gate and walking along the path, the first things to catch the visitor’s eye are the many hundreds of crocks for soy sauce and other condiments, all of which are neatly arranged in front of the Korean restaurant. After that, a refined hanok building, a well-maintained garden, and a children’s animal farm which keeps birds, rabbits, chickens, pheasants, etc. will come into view. The clear water of Geumdang Valley flows down in front of the hanok, while the Geumdangsan Mountains embrace the vast expanse of the complex, creating a magnificent landscape. Jeonggangwon, named after the founder’s name ‘Jeong-gang’, can be translated as a ‘garden where a quiet river flows.’ The garden is planted with dozens of wildflowers and abundant fruit trees including Korean cherry, peach, and plum trees. The Jeonggangwon’s hanok was built ten years ago using pine wood and other eco-friendly hanok construction materials to emphasize the structure’s unique beauty. It comprises one main house and two annex buildings, and has eleven guest rooms in total. Situated on slightly elevated ground, the hanok commands open views of green mountains and fields. Each room bears the name of a particular flower in Korean, including Doraji, Mandrami, Baekryeon, and Jindalrae, which can accommodate to three persons; Mulmangcho, Railnak, Bongseonhwa, and Maehwa, which can accommodate two to four persons; Suseonhwa and Deulgukhwa, which can take two to five persons; and Chaesonghwa, the largest room, with a capacity of four to eight persons. Each room is decorated with antique furniture, folk paintings, and other items that were custom-made by artisans. All the hanok rooms feature ondol (Korean floor heating system) and toilets. The outdoor paddling pool, table tennis table and grass field are available to guests free of charge. In addition, breakfast and dinner is served free of charge – breakfast consists of a set menu of dried Pollack soup and rice, while dinner is a Jeonggangwon full course menu served together with 12 side dishes as well as grilled fish, doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew), memiljeon (buckwheat pancakes), and steamed eggs. Notably, Jeonggangwon’s Traditional Korean Food Culture Experience Center, winner of the Korea Tourism Award in the hands-on food experience category in 2014, offers visitors an exciting opportunity to sample and experience traditional Korean food. The yard contains around 500 ~ 600 crocks filled with various types of traditional Korean hand-made pastes and sauces produced by the center, including red pepper paste, soybean paste, soy sauce, pickled vegetables and so on. Customers can buy products directly or by phone. It also has a stone-built ice storage for salted seafood that maintains a constant temperature all year round, and a salt storage for good quality salt. In addition, the center offers diverse hands-on experience programs that allow guests to make their own traditional Korean food including bibimbap, gochujang (red pepper paste), kimchi, mackerel ssamjang (a mix of doenjang and gochujang), bean curd, injeolmi (Korean traditional rice cake made with glutinous rice and coated with bean flour), memiljeon, and songpyeon (half-moon rice cake). All of these programs are popular among foreign visitors, and are charged differently according to the food menu and cooking time. Visitors can also sample a variety of Korean dishes at the Korean restaurant, visit the Food Museum, which displays old agricultural machinery and implements for making rice cakes (tteok), or try on hanbok at the Korean Clothes Experience Museum (KRW 8,000 per person).


Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

The Lovely Motel consists of five floors above ground and 44 guestrooms, of which only four Pension-type Family Rooms are equipped with cooking facilities. The guestrooms are divided into rooms with a view of the sea and rooms with a view of the city. The interior of the motel has recently been refurbished to provide more pleasant and comfortable accommodation. The large restaurant located in the basement level, which is also used as a seminar room or workshop space, provides breakfast, but groups of guests are asked to reserve meals in advance. The entrance is equipped with a wheelchair lift for disabled guests. Guests can easily reach the seaside at Gyeongpo (15 minutes’ walk) and Gyeongpodae Pavilion by foot and can visit Gangneung’s main tourist destinations by public transport as a bus stop is situated close by.


Gangwon-do(Hongcheon-gun)

Located in Hongcheon, Gwangwon-do Province, which is well-known for its clean air and water, Gohyangui Bom is a hanok (traditional Korean house) style of pension surrounded by a beautiful natural environment including Palbongsan Mountain to its rear and the Hongcheongang River flowing in front. The pension was built as a hanok structure with special materials such as pine wood from Unduryeong Hill at the foot of Gyebangsan Mountain and pure red clay. Many guests visit the pension again because of the clear spirit of nature and the good energy emanating from the hanok, which is said to help guests recover from fatigue and revitalize themselves. In addition, it offers guests an opportunity to swim and play in the shallow depths of the Hongcheongang River and walk along the beautiful Palbongsan Mountain hiking course. Moreover, it is adjacent to such renowned tourist attractions as Gugok Falls (near Bonghwasan Mountain; 30 minutes’ drive), which twist and turn nine times before plunging sharply downwards,; and Vivaldi Park Ocean World, which is a popular resort packed with thrilling and exciting attractions. The pension has five guestrooms – Sarang-bang 1 and 2 on the first floor, and Hwangto-bang 1, 2, and 3 on the ground floor. Sarang-bang 1 is equipped with a large living room, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and fireplace (only for winter), while Sarang-bang 2 is composed of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an outdoor table, and a karaoke (norae-bang) facility. Hwangtobang 1, 2, and 3 are built with red clay. Hwangto-bang 1 is equipped with a living room and a bedroom; Hwangto-bang 2 with a living room and two bedrooms; and Hwangto-bang 3 consists of one room. All of the rooms are equipped with a bathroom, kitchen, air conditioner, fridge, and toiletries. The pension is also a great place for large family meetings and company workshops as well as for friends or couples. The pension is also famous for its buffet style of breakfast, which includes rice and soup cooked by the host with local organic ingredients. Guests can also request a dinner cooked according to their preferences. Its most popular dishes include BBQ, chicken soup with rice, spicy stir-fried chicken and others dishes prepared according to guests’ preferences. The breakfast costs KRW 7,000 per person, while the dinner menu and cost can be discussed when making a reservation. The pension recommends that guests spend a whole day in the hanok’s peaceful natural environment. Guests can set up a tent on the pension’s outdoor lawn, watch a movie, enjoy a BBQ party, and make a campfire at night to create romantic memories. The deck placed across the river is another popular place for taking a nap or relaxing in the cool breeze.


Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

Seongyojang House was built by Yi Nae-beon (pen-name: Mugyeong), an 11th-generation descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryeong (the elder brother of King Sejong the Great), and has been repaired and extended numerous times over the last ten generations. The house is composed of a variety of rooms and buildings of different sizes, and there are twelve gates between its many buildings, which include 3 ‘Byeoldang’ rooms (Dong, Seo, and Oe), Sarangchae, Jungsarang, Haengangchae, and Sadang. Seongyojang House is well known as one of the largest and greatest houses in Korea in terms of the number and size of its buildings and its total land area among houses built at that time. Interestingly, Seongyojang was built to such a great size due to the influence of the classical poem Gwandongbyeolgok (about the Beautiful Scenery of Gwandong, present-day Gangwon-do, in 1580) written by Jeong Cheol (1536-1593, pen-name: Songgang). Because of the popularity of this poem, a cultural trend emerged in which noblemen of the late Joseon Dynasty felt compelled to visit the Gwandong (present-day Gangwon-do) area at least once in their lifetime, and Seongyojang was a must-see attraction. The house experienced a crisis when only three people were staying in this vast building. However, the director of the house, Lee Kang-baek, strived to save his ancestors’ invaluable heritage and finally received the necessary administrative support. Thanks to that, all the toilets and shower facilities were modernized, and Seongyojang House now offers both the beauty of a traditional hanok building and convenient modern facilities for all its guests. Seongyojang has many wonderful structures including Hwallaejeong Pavilion, one of its most charming structures; Yeolhwadang, which was given as a gift to the Russian Consulate; Yeonjidang, which was built in an elegant style; and Seobyeoldang. In particular, the signboard of Hwallaejeong was changed and rewritten regularly by members of the Joseon literati who stayed in the house. The most famous version of the signboard was written by Gim Jeong-hui (1786-1856, pen-name: Chusa).


Gangwon-do(Hongcheon-gun)

(Korea Quality Premier Class) Located at the foot of Jongjasan Mountain in Hongcheon County, Healience Seonmaeul offers a healing program run by experts in a serene natural environment without mobile phones or television. The name ‘Healience’ is a compound word combining ‘healing’ and ‘science’. The two accommodation buildings with two stories each – Garden Building and Forest Building - were also built with the concept of harmony with nature. The garden building was designed by world-class Korean architect Seung Hyo-Sang, under the theme of “aesthetics of the poor”, which implies an environmentally friendly concept. The first floor of the garden building features courtyards which allow for a sufficient amount of light, and a walk up to the second floor reveals a skylight with a view of the stars at night, allowing the guests to fall asleep in nature. Then, at the end of 2016, the forest building was designed by Korean architect Kim Joon-seong with the concept of “construction of correspond” (two or more objects correspond to each other), thus Healience Seonmaeul consists of a total of 88 guestrooms. The subtle lighting and simple furniture were decorated for the interior of the accommodations so that guests can take a good rest without any distraction and attend a healing program. Its most popular programs are yoga and meditation in a grove of pine nut trees.


Gangwon-do(Jeongseon-gun)

Located in Gohan, Jeongseon County, High Valley Hotel is situated at a comfortable 700 meters above sea level for humans at the foot of Hambaeksan Mountain in the middle of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range. High Valley Hotel is a splendid building with a European exterior as well as wildflower-themed guestrooms. The rooms were designed to make guests’ stay as comfortable as possible: Condominium Rooms for family or small group of tourists (up to 6 persons) and Standard Rooms equipped with traditional ondol or beds. High1 Resort for golf and ski activities is adjacent to the hotel whose area is well-known for its clean air and beautiful mountains and natural landscape. Moreover, its nearby tourist attractions include Shrine for Sakyamuni Buddha’s Sarira of Jeongamsa Temple, designated as Gangwon-do Cultural Property, Sumanotap Pagoda of Jeongamsa Temple, designated as Korea’s Treasure No. 410, and Habitat of Manchurian Trouts near Jeongamsa Temple, Korea’s Natural Monument No. 73.


Gangwon-do(Sokcho-si)

(Korea Quality Premier Class) WITH U is both a guesthouse and a mini-hotel located in front of the Sokcho Express Bus Terminal in Sokcho, Gangwon-do. It’s also very close to Sokcho Beach, so guests can enjoy a superb view of the beach from the fourth floor. Each guestroom is equipped with a bed placed on a flat bench which can be used as either a table or floor. This unique piece of furniture is designed for the comfort of those who prefer to sleep on the floor as well as those who prefer to sleep on a bed. The guesthouse has rooms of various types and sizes including double rooms, twin rooms, triple rooms, and family rooms to cater for every type of guest. The 4th floor consists largely of a lounge that is open to all the guests, while the basement floor comprises a cinema room, seminar room, and games room for recreational purposes. There is a garden and a designated smoking area next to the outdoor parking lot.


Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

Korea celebrates the first full moon of each lunar calendar. On this day, numerous events are organized to ensure a good harvest, a good catch, and a long, healthy life. The Gangneung Full Moon Holiday is a true reenactment of the ancient full moon ritual. Based on the local folk culture, the event represents the true essence of full moon festivals.


Gangwon-do(Wonju-si)

Ganhyeon Resort is located where Seomgang River and Samsancheon River meet. The resort offers an amazing view, with the riverfront surrounded by white sand, oddly shaped rocks and lush forests with a 40 to 50-m high wall of rock formations along both sides of the river. The natural beauty of the area was also praised in the lyrical prose "Gwandong Byeolgok" by Songang Jeongcheol.


Gangwon-do(Taebaek-si)

The O2 Ski Resort has a particularly good location in Taebaek City, Gangwon Province, which not only receives the first snowfall in Korea, but also has the longest snow season. The ‘town-style’ O2 Resort is located only ten minutes from downtown Taebaek and has a wide variety of sightseeing opportunities and entertainment options. The nearby locations of the Hangang and Nakdonggang Rivers provide particularly soft and natural snow, which is great for skiing. Even beginners can enjoy the 3.2km long course, which stretches all the way from the peak (1,420m high) to the base of the mountain. This mountain is so high that skiers literally ski down through the clouds! The 02 Resort has been specially designed for families. All ski courses start and end at the same place, enabling skiers of all levels to ski together. There is also sledding slopes and a children's park.