Gangwon-do(Gangneung-si)

Located at the Gyodong Housing Site, Gangneung City, Gangwon-do Province, Hotel Russo is a new concept of holiday accommodation that combines a boutique with a business hotel. It caters to all kinds of guests from tourists to businesspeople as well as persons with physical disabilities as it is equipped with a variety of rooms and facilities for the disabled. This eight-story building has 42 guestrooms, including Suite Rooms with a large terrace and VIP Rooms with a duplex structure, which are particularly popular. Each room features various convenient facilities, including a PC and a bidet, and is equipped with a beam projector rather than a TV, while the VIP and SUITE rooms are equipped with a home theater. In the lobby, the self-service bar serves a hearty breakfast including freshly-baked toast, tea, coffee, and drinks. The hotel is situated near to various tourist destinations including the main venue of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, Gyeongpodae Pavilion, Ojukheon House, and the Express Bus Terminal, and the nearest bus stop is just 5 minutes’ walk away. The hotel also has a large parking lot.


Gangwon-do(Inje-gun)

Bukseorak Hwangto Maeul, a village consisting of six ‘hanok’ houses, provides guests with the perfect opportunity to stay in a traditional house of Gangwon-do province. In the past, Neowajip, or houses built by weaving strips of wood together, gradually developed and became the province’s traditional type of house. The six houses of the village – named Sopoong, Hwangto Neowajip, Hwangtojip, Chogajip, Dolgiwajip, and Sandol Neowajip - were built with red clay and have a Korean floor heating system to help guests relieve their fatigue and stress and restore their health. In particular, Sandol Neowajip was constructed by covering the roof with shingles in the Gangwon-do style, while environmentally-friendly construction materials such as paper mulberry and soybeans were used for the wallpaper and the floors. As the Inje area is home to three largest passes of Seoraksan Mountain, namely Misiryeong, Hangyeryeong, and Jinburyeong, it attracts many tourists who come to enjoy its green deep woods in summer, its colorful foliage in autumn, and its snowy mountain scenery in winter.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Sancheong-gun)

Sancheong Yulsuwon was opened in October 2013 as traditional hanok accommodations to provide guests comfort and relaxation in nature. It was named after the expression from “Decade of Wen Wang” of the Classics of Poetry (the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry), meaning “Following the virtue of ancestors, one should cultivate one’s mind,” in the hope that guests can experience traditional Korean culture in hanok and learn common themes and cultivate virtues in life. Located at the hanok street in Sancheong County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Sancheong Yulsuwon is a hanok stay facility established by Korea’s major education company JEI Corporation. It was built by expanding and renovating the Old House of Suncheon Park’s Clan for over four years. It is not only a hanok cultural facility but also an educational facility that aims to provide visitors comfortable relaxation and to establish a sound, rich environment of educational culture, which is also the philosophy of JEI Corporation. It is located around the Dumulmeori area where Dangyecheon Stream and Sindeungcheon Stream -- the water branch of Hwangmaesan Mountain (1,108m above sea level) -- meet. The area is known for many houses of noble families situated in a propitious site combined with mountains and water and as a hanok village with the old stone wall, which was designated as a cultural heritage. Among them, Sancheong Yulsuwon is an outstanding hanok structure built on a total area of about 2,975m2 according to the theory of divination based on topography. Entering the main gate Yeongsumun, one sees the Anchae (inner house) situated in front, the outer Sarangchae (detached building) on the right, and the bathroom on the left. Then, there are the inner Sarangchae, the kitchen, and the pavilion around the vegetable garden and the pond. The arrangement of buildings has special meaning: the kitchen signifies a green dragon (east), the bathroom, a white tiger (west), the inner Sarangchae, an Ansan (a low and small mountain in front of the house), and the outer Sarangchae and the main gate, a Josan (a high mountain behind Ansan); these five buildings seem to embrace the Anchae. As for the special names of the buildings, the inner Sarangchae built with the splendid style of semi-hipped roof and double eaves was named “Nongam,” meaning “a thatched cottage of a skilled farmer”; the outer Sarangchae was named “Goheon,” meaning “an old sarangchae,” and the Anchae -- named “Hagyejae” meaning “modesty” -- is situated in the innermost area. In particular, its upper floor (numaru) offers an open view of the environment. The bathroom, which was named “Seoljodang” meaning “one should keep the mind and body clean,” is composed of two connected houses. It is also equipped with red clay sauna and jjimjilbang (Korean dry sauna). Sancheong Yulsuwon was built based on a traditional hanok style of the Yeongnam area, with a splendid Seoul style of modernity added to the design. The sunshine comes through the windows made of hanji (Korean paper) in the clean and cozy rooms. Guests can also enjoy the outside view from the windows, which show the typical scenery of hanok consisting of jars, trees, flowers, and low stone wall with tiled roof. Every room is equipped with a bathroom including a bathtub and a modern-style kitchen. Sancheong Yulsuwon is adjacent to various tourist attractions including the following: valley of Daewonsa Temple surrounded by Geumgang pine trees; Namsa Yedamchon village, a village with an old wall made of red clay and stones; and Jeongchiwam Hermitage, Traditional Buddhist Temple No. 83 built by Silla’s Buddhist monk Uisang (625-702) and where the Buddhist Painting of Mountain Spirit can be found.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Sancheong-gun)

'Located at the entrance to Jirisan Mountain in Namsa-ri, Sancheong County and blessed with a beautiful natural environment, Namsa Yedamchon Village, along with Andong Hahoe Village, is the representative village of traditional hanok (traditional Korean houses) in Gyeongsang-do Province and is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Korea. The village is well-known for its 3.2km-long low stone wall, and the name 'Namsa Yedamchon' implies 'a village with old walls' in the hope that we emulate classical scholars’ spirit and courtesy. The Old Walls of Namsa Village were designated as Registered Cultural Heritage No. 281. Along with the old walls, a total of nine cultural heritages were designated as national treasures or cultural properties including the House of the Choi Clan (Gyeongnam’s Cultural Property Material No. 117) and the House of the Yi Clan (Gyeongnam’s Cultural Property Material No. 118). Namsa Yedamchon Village was also selected as a Rural Traditional Theme Village, operating various programs related to traditional learning experiences including farming, traditional games, trip to old houses, and seodang (village school) experience. As a typical noble family’s house in the southern area, Wolgang gotaek (the House of the Choi Clan) is situated in the middle of Namsa Yedamchon Village. This outstanding hanok house offers many charms including a beautiful wall stretching from the public parking lot to the house, a tall gate with exceptional x_height, and 230-year-old Japanese apricot tree as well as its large size and splendid features. Its head family of the house is the Maesa House of Jeonju Choi’s Clan in Hangnim-ri, Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, and they have lived in the area since their great-great-grandfather. As for the house buildings, the Anchae (women’s quarters) was built in 1920; the Sarangchae (men’s quarters) was completed in 1921, the Byeolchae (detached house) named 'Iknangchae,' the Gwangchae (storage), and the barn were built during the same period. The buildings are arranged in 'ㅁ'-shaped structure – the Anchae at the center with the Sarangchae, the Iknangchae, and the Gwangchae. There are two inner gates on the right and left to the Sarangchae. The Anchae and the Iknangchae cannot be seen from the west inner gate, according to the Confucian idea about separate spaces for men and women. The Anchae with 6 kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) in front and 3 kan on the sides has toenmaru (the narrow wooden porch running along the outside of the building) in front and on the rear side, semi-hipped roof, and high ceiling. The Anchae is composed of kitchen, main room, small room, daecheong (main floored room), and another small room, which retains its refined design of the door. The Sarangchae with 5 kan in front and 3 kan on the sides is a house with several wings and a semi-hipped roof. It is composed of two rooms, daecheong, another two rooms, and a room with wooden floor. The Sarangchae is characterized by its round pillars. Facing the east, the iknangchae with 4 kan in front and 2 kan on the sides consists of daecheong, room with ondol (Korean heating system), and storage space for food materials. Wolgang gotaek was chosen as a Korea Noble House in 2014. The owner is planning to expand the accommodations by building two rooms in the Sarangchae and a separate room in the Iknangchae for the convenience of guests. It is set to modernize various facilities including toilets, TV, air conditioner, wireless Internet, and kitchen equipment as well as provide diverse hands-on programs such as tea ceremony and traditional games. The owner aims to offer guests an opportunity to enjoy staying in an old hanok house with a comfortable environment by preserving the beauty of old hanok and its tradition without damaging the house with various activities.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Cheongsong-gun)

Cheongsong-gun in Gyeongsangbuk-do is a small village blessed with a spring flowing with natural mineral water, a beautiful valley with a majestic waterfall, and a mountain densely covered with pine trees. Thanks to this superb natural environment, Cheongsong-gun was designated as a 'Slow City' in 2011. Songjeong gotaek (The Old House of Songjeong) is located in the village of Deokcheon in Cheongsong-gun, which is one of the three richest and most prestigious families in the region. These three wealthy families are said to have produced millionaires for nine generations - from Sim Cheon-dae during the reign of King Yeongjo of Joseon (r. 17224-1776) to the 1960s. In particular, it was a seventh-generation grandson, Sim Ho-taek (pen-name: Songso), famous as one of the richest men in Joseon, who built Songso gotaek (Old House of Songso) along with three houses for his three sons, including Songjeong gotaek for his second son Sim Sang-gwang (pen-name: Songjeong) around 1880. As the Cheongsong Sim Clan has lived in the area for many generations, Cheongsong is known as the village of the Cheongsong Sim family. Covering a total area of about 10,000m2, Songjeong gotaek has a tall and grand front gate that symbolizes the wealth of the family. Upon entering by the gate, the large outer courtyard comes into view, followed by a gate connecting to the Old House of Songso on the right, and a walking path connecting to a well and a pine grove on the left. The square-shaped structure consists of a sarangchae (detached building), chaekbang (library), and daecheongmaru (main floored room). Passing through the entrance, there are the main building and the inner courtyard. Notably, the chaekbang has retained its original appearance from the time when it was used by Sim Sang-gwang. Although the house is very large, its interior is simply and modestly designed according to the virtues favored by classical scholars. The rooms are floor-heated in the traditional way (by ondol) using wood, decorated with traditional hanji (Korean paper), and equipped with traditional bedding. Songjeong gotaek offers visitors a variety of experience programs designed to promote the form of Korean classical music known as Gukak. It holds three major musical events each year including a pansori folksong program and a fusion gukak concert, attracting an audience of anywhere from 200 to 800 people to the courtyard of the house. Sometimes, families hold parties to celebrate their parents’ 60th, 70th, and 80th birthdays. The low hill situated behind the house has a quiet walking path.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Cheongsong-gun)

Changsil gotaek (The Old House of Changsil) was originally built by Sim Ho-taek, the owner of Songso Old House, for his brother’s couple. Built in March 1917, the house is a square shaped structure measuring 27-kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) and consisting of the anchae (women’s quarters), sarangchae (men’s quarters), and busokchae (outbuilding). The name of the house ‘Changsil’ originated from the brother’s wife, who came from Changnyeong and was called ‘Changsil daek’ in Korean. The anchae and the sarangchae are arranged in parallel, with the chaekbang (study) and the gobang (storeroom) situated in between them, together forming the ㅁ-shaped structure of the house. The first building, or ‘sarangchae,’ consists of a sarangbang and a chaekbang between the daecheong (wooden floor). The sarangbang with 2-kan is relatively large. The haengrangchae (servants’ quarters) is a gable roofed building that used to be inhabited by domestic servants. This thatched hanok house also has a red clay room (hwangtobang) for guests.


Jeollanam-do(Mokpo-si)

Oedaldo Hanok Pension is located on Oedaldo Island, a small island that can be reached after a 50-minute boat ride from Mokpo Passenger Terminal. Located in the middle of the ocean and covered with mountains, there are no noise and smoke pollution on the island, which is inhabited by only 20 households who moved from Dalido Island. Oedaldo Island is listed as one of the 30 Cleanest Areas in Korea. In addition to the beautiful nature, one of the most popular features of this island is the seawater swimming pool at the entrance to the village. There are two swimming pools: one for children and the other for adults. Many people actually come to this island for this swimming pool every summer. Most of the houses on this island serve as a guesthouse. Among them, Oedaldo Hanok Pension is the only traditional Korean house built by the City of Mokpo in 2006 and sold to the current husband-and-wife owners in 2013. There is a romantic story behind how the young couple came to the island and bought the house. The husband quit his job and traveled the world for four years after a painful breakup. After coming back to Seoul, Korea, he accidentally bumped into the woman he loved. They got together again, got married, and bought this traditional Korean house to live on this island, and they continue to travel the world. Oedaldo Hanok Pension is situated very close to the sea. The pension consists of three stand-alone houses that all face the ocean, so the guests can see and listen to the ocean just by opening the door. The pension is very popular among the visitors to this island, especially because it’s only a 30-second walk to the beach. All you will see is literally the ocean when you open the door, which means you will constantly be reminded that you're on an isolated island whenever you open the door. Built on a large plot of land, the pension has a 2314m² grass lawn from which you can savor the view of the ocean. There is a pavilion in front of each stand-alone guesthouse including barbecue facilities for the guests to use. This is one of the few guesthouses in the country where you can have the luxury of watching the ocean while enjoying barbecue or riding a swing. The 'Bipajeong' house has two single rooms with capacity of up to four people, the 'Samhakjeong' house has three single rooms with capacity of up to eight people, and the stand-alone 'Mongnyeonjeong' house is for group guests of up to 16 people, making them a great place to stay for couples, families, and groups on a workshop. All the guestrooms are furnished with television, refrigerator, air conditioner, Internet connection, bathroom, and cooking utensils for the convenience of the guests. There is a terrace café in front of the guesthouse built by the husband-and-wife owners when they moved in here. The café serves dried pollack hangover soup, pork cutlets, seafood and green onion pancake, and smoked chicken as well as various types of other dishes, toast, and coffee. Because it's open from 8:00am to 10:00pm, guests can have three meals a day here. The pension also offers a number of experience programs, such as traditional tea making/drinking class where you can learn the traditional Korean tea drinking etiquette while trying the tea. You must make a reservation for this tea class at least one day in advance, and there must be at least two people who will participate in the program, which costs KRW 5,000 per person. Other experience programs include fishing, conch picking, and mud flat. You can also try some traditional Korean games such as 'tuho (pitch-pot)' in the front yard.


Chungcheongnam-do(Asan-si)

'Asan Paradise is a six-story spa hotel in Asan-si, Chungcheongnam-do. Guests can bathe in the hot springs because the hotel is supplied with hot springs from Asan Spavis in the vicinity. The VIP Rooms are the most popular choice among the guests because of their spaciousness as well as the whirlpool bathtub and steam sauna. All the guestrooms have Mediterranean-style interior and structure. The owner of the hotel, a certified adolescent psychology counselor, makes sure that all the rooms are clean and pleasant for children to stay. The tissue box is covered, and there are gypsum air fresheners in every corner of each guestroom. The hotel hires a modern artist to change the paintings and artworks on the wall regularly for the guests’ appreciation and enjoyment.


Gyeongsangbuk-do(Bonghwa-gun)

Tohyang Gotaek (The Old House of Tohyang) is one of the many historic houses in Bonghwa-eup that are full of the charming features of a hanok house, including a cozy pond, the subtle scent of ink and clay, and a quiet environment. It is run by a calligrapher-potter and his wife, an ex-Korean teacher. Baraemi Village in Bonghwa, where noblemen of the Yeongnam region lived for many generations, contains many old hanok houses. Notably, Tohyang Gotaek is the only house to provide guests with an opportunity to experience traditional Korean culture and creative arts activities. The house was originally inhabited by the owner’s great-grandfather. The owner returned from Seoul to his hometown in 1977 and entered the hanok stay business in the summer of 2012. The most popular hands-on program is the pottery making program which allows visitors to try their hand at making pottery with the potter’s wheel. The pottery space is set apart from the accommodation and consists of the wheel room, glazing room, and kiln room. The pottery program allows participants to make and glaze pottery, after which it is baked by the owner and then packed separately and sent to the participants. The House also provides other experience programs including Reading Experience, Debate, Poetry Composition, Sijo (traditional three-verse Korean poem) and Calligraphy programs. Situated next to the Pottery Workshop is a pine grove that surrounds the rear side of the hanok building like a folding screen. One of the most impressive features of the house is its tall gate (soseuldaemun), which rises higher than the roofs of the anchae (women’s quarters) and sarangchae (men’s quarters) thus, allowing a nobleman’s sedan chair or horse to enter the house easily. Passing through the tall gate, the keun sarangchae and jageun sarangchae are situated at the front, and there is a small passageway linking (them?) to the daemunchae along the wall. Entering the passageway, there is a square-shaped anchae along with a small lotus pond with a fantastic atmosphere. Tohyang Gotaek is packed with the owner’s artworks including ceramic and calligraphic works. Moreover, the owners’ smiling faces and warm-hearted services attract many guests all year round.


Jeollanam-do(Haenam-gun)

'Haemaru Healing Forest is a guesthouse situated at the foot of Duryunsan Mountain, Haenam in front of Wondo Beach and surrounded by a cypress grove. The mountain, cypress grove, and beach are all visible from the main floored hall room. For this reason, many of the guests who stayed here say that the picturesque view seems to change day by day. The town where the guesthouse is located is specially designed as a 'hanok village,' consisting mostly of traditional Korean houses of Jeollanam-do. It is also widely known as 'Haenam Kimchi Village' because of their famous cabbages, which are grown in the natural environment and are used to make kimchi. Specifically, there are three villages in this area: 'Green Experience Village,' 'Farm Stay Village,' and 'Resort Village.' There is a public swimming pool in the area managed by the villagers and is very popular among visitors, with ticket sales reaching KRW 100,000,000 a year. One of the advantages of staying at this guesthouse is that it’s within a one-hour ride to a number of popular nature destinations such as Wando Cheongsando Island, Gangjin Dasan Chodang, Jangheung Cheongwansan Mountain, Woodland, and Yeongam Wolchunsan Mountain. Haenam is known as one of the best regions of Korea for enjoying the famous Jeolla-do cuisine, so visitors to Haenam are advised to try the local food. The villagers built these traditional Korean guesthouses so that their visitors can have a day of relaxation in nature, away from their hectic city life. With this mind, they used natural pinewood and red clay from Gangwon-do to build authentic traditional Korean houses and utilized traditional Korean tiles from Goryeong. The name 'Haemaru Healing Forest' was given by the owner of the guesthouse, with the subtitle 'A place where you can tell your story.' The guesthouse buildings are in 'ㄱ' shape. The main building, called 'anchae' in Korean, has floor area of 72m², which is big enough for up to 25 people. There are two rooms, a large living room, and a kitchen in this building. The rooms are furnished with sofa, television, air conditioner, refrigerator, and table just like an ordinary home so that guests can feel at home during their stay. The 'bakkatchae,' or 'detached house,' is a single room with capacity of 6 and is furnished with air conditioner and bathroom. The guesthouse is owned by a couple who still work in Seoul and need to travel back and forth between Seoul and Haenam frequently. They're both nature lovers, so their most favorite place in the house is the kitchen garden where they cultivate their own organic lettuce, perilla leaves, and chili peppers. The kitchen garden is open to guests who want to try the homegrown organic vegetables. Various experience programs are offered here as well, such as yunnori, dadeumi, jwibulnori, and kimchi making. Jwibulnori is a traditional Korean game played on the eve of Daeboreum or First Full Moon Day, where people burn dry grass on the ridges of rice paddies and fields and others spin cans of flames attached to the end of a stick or a sling. For safety reasons, this game is played with the consent and participation of the villagers, so be sure to ask the owner of the guesthouse when the game is played. It’s free for groups of more than 10 people. As for the kimchi-making class, it is offered by the guesthouse owner's younger brother and sister-in-law who live and run a kimchi factory in the village. They will teach you how to make kimchi, step-by-step, start to end. The kimchi-making class is a paid program, so be sure to ask the guesthouse owner how much and when the class is held.