Name: Sorak Park
Address: 852-15 Seoraksan-ro Sokcho 24903,Seoraksan-ro, Sokcho, Sokcho, Sokcho, 24903, South Korea
Rating: 6

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King Mswati III International Airport

Yangyang Airport

Sorak Park

Sokcho

We went in what must have been the low season (early summer?!) and the hotel was barely occupied. It was the only hotel
I could find online that would do the booking process in English, so that was the only choice. It was conveniently located to the park, and we didn’t have a car, so it fit the bill.

The hotel was old and dark. In the evenings the wind from the mountains picked up and howled through the building, which whistled and groaned. A particularly strong wind set the ceiling tiles in the bathroom rattling. The wind woke my husband up in the middle of the night, and when he reached over to turn on the light by the bed it lit up with a red bulb, casting an eerie light over the on. All together creepy with the wind moaning at you. Combine with the empty corridors and the Bates vibe is strong. 

Seemingly haunted 

We were travelling on a budget, so booked this hotel instead of the Kensington one up the road because it was half the price. The hostel within the actual park was closed, so this was the cheapest option closest to the park, and we came to hike.

Well, where to begin. What a dive. This place reminds me of a deserted 'Faulty Towers' - it's so bad it's funny! We arrived to an old guy sitting in the reception who couldn't speak English, but luckily a younger man arrived not long after to help us! He gave us the key, told us the restaurant and bar were both closed so had to look for dinner elsewhere. Breakfast was an extra charge, but it was open too late (8-9am if I remember correctly) for hikers who want to start early, and they had no laundry services. Great start. I think there were only about 5 other people staying in the hotel, and the shops right next to the hotel were deserted - total ghost town. 

The beds were comfortable, even after huge days of hiking, so we were grateful for that. But the bathroom was filth, no pressure in the shower, and the toilet looked like it had been leaking, so had been attacked with a caulking gun to within an inch of its miserable life! The bedding and furniture are old and crusty - much in need of a refurbishment. It reminds me of staying at my grandmothers, except even she has newer sheets & bedspreads!

We ate either at the stalls within the park, or at the Kensington hotel where they serve both traditional Korean (pretty good) or crap western food.

I'll put it like this: if you're travelling on a budget, this will do just fine - but if you're looking for cleanliness, food and convenience, look elsewhere!!

Perfect for budget travellers who just don't care!

This old fashioned hotel with an 80's look and feel is in urgent need of a renovation even though it's kept clean and is located in a beautiful setting, 15 min walking from the Seorak National Park entrance.
Our room was spacious and offered a wonderful view over the mountains. All the necessary amenities were provided (kettle, fridge, etc.) but the signs of ageing are visible everywhere. Our check-in / check-out was swift but be ware that staff speaks limited English.
Our booking included breakfast, which is served on the ground floor, in the Pine Tree restaurant. Although the offer is varied (two kinds of soup, kimchi, namul, fried rice, noodles, salad, beef, bread, juice and jam) it's just average quality. Nevertheless we appreciated the salads and could make do with them. Coffee and tea shouldn't be served in paper cups.

Run-down hotel, convenient location

Went here for 1 night and OMG it is cold ! It's 1 degree outside and the heater was not properly working. It's a common sense in cold area when people going to a room they want to have a warm room. 

I can deal with the old building, carpet or anythings thats old in this hotel but the heater is not working properly that was too much for me.

The mountain view in front of the hotel was nice though.

Heater is not working properly.

This article is not meant for Korean hikers or general backpackers as they will be used to the below par standards I will be complaining about.

Let's begin.
We (2 families each with a toddler) booked 2 double bedrooms and had to move rooms twice due to the smoke odor in, supposedly, non-smoking rooms. 
The rooms are spacious with clean bedding and a beautiful view of the mountains. Unfortunately, the carpets are far and beyond their expiry date. They should be cremated and replaced (actually for the whole hotel). The room's bar fridge was empty, except for 2 bottles of water. The bathroom has a hand shower in the bath where the latter is big enough for a Westerner to take a decent bath. Unfortunately, due to the color and lightning, it was hard to tell if it was regularly well cleaned.

We requested cots for the babies. Non could be provided, we were informed by the receptionist. In this big hotel, she was the only staff member on duty/call for the night.
You remember that eerie feelings you experienced as a kid while reading ghost story books late at night? Well, this hotel provides you with the perfect opportunity to re-live them! Just make sure you book yourself a room for a night during the low-season. 

The hotel only provides breakfast and since we arrived around 6pm, we had to drive back into town to get supper. 

Right, the next morning we had breakfast which was excluded from our bookings. According to Agoda, breakfast (excluded from bookings) are 10 000 won per person. Next to the restaurant entrance was the menu which stated 17 000 won for American breakfast. I queried this with the receptionist, she made a few phone calls. We got our discount. (one of those things which makes you go, mmm?...)

For what you expect at a hotel, the breakfast was flippen poor, to say the least. It consisted of weak coffee served with creamer and sugar sachets, toast made with bread (probably bought at a convenient store down the road), soaky scrambled eggs with bacon strips (the sausage went missing), potato wedges and some plant stuff with what looked like some kind of yogurt topping. That was it. Also no orange juice.

It was hard not to laugh at what was presented. Just up the road the Kensington Hotel's breakfast runs for 17 500 won. In retrospect, we might have been better off going there...
It's not like the restaurant doesn't have buffet facilities, it's just not being used. There was no food to be seen anywhere when we walked in. 
You order and then get served. Yes, I understand it is low-season, but we weren't the only guests!

I find it very strange the way management runs the Sorak Park Hotel (rather Motel?), or maybe it's just about making profits during the high-season. 
Who cares about guests in the  low-season? Or using the money to do some general maintenance before the place, physically, falls apart...

This Hotel's review score currently pegs at 6.6. on Agoda.
I give it a 1 (not that management will care the least though). 
Just bring us your m-o-n-e-y!

Who cares?

This hotel needs a complete overhaul. While the exterior and the lobby give a decent impression, once you go up to the room floors, it's another matter entirely. The odor on floor 3 hits you as soon as the elevator door opens. Musty or moldy?? Floor 5 has odor also. The hallway as well as the room carpets are filthy. The furniture is filthy. We are a group staying here and in one of the rooms a roach is found. None of the safes work. They are all locked and the front desk won't open them. Some of the toilets and sinks are cracked. The breakfast buffet is marginal and if you are not one of the first people down there is no coffee. Aside from it's location near the park, this hotel,has no redeeming value.

Sorak Park

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