Hot spring Hotels in Chungju

Totally not what I expected or wanted. I was cycling along the Four Rivers Bike Path and booked the hotel through Trip Adviser late on the evening of arrival. Trip Advisor linked me to Agoda, which is where I made the reservation. Was in a hurry and didn't have time to do research. I saw Suanbo Saipan Hot Spring Resort come up as #1 for around 50 AUD. I also saw Suanbo Park Hotel for 156 AUD on special. The website was saying it was 4-stars. So given the late evening arrival, and me being tired from riding all day, I decided to opt for the extra money and the 4-star treatment. Totally not worth it. Based on my room, this hotel is more like 2.5-star, and a total rip off at 156 AUD. All I needed was a clean and comfortable bed. What I got was a traditional Korean room with no bed, but 'mattresses' on the floor, and no bed linen. So I used one of the mattresses (more of a futon) as a cover, like a duvet. The room was very tired, with cracked tiles in the bathroom. At least the liner covering the mattress was clean. I also got weird emails from the hotel (after my reservation was confirmed with Agoda) saying that my reservation could not be completed, but they would sort something out when I arrived. This was concerning, as the English in the email was poor and it was unclear if I would have a room when I arrived. Oh, and if you are riding a bike, the last 300m up the drive is a killer climb if you have been riding all day :/ I would not stay again. Should have just gone to the Suanbo Saipan Hot Spring Resort which was listed as #1 and a third of the price.

Traveling in late summer on the 4 rivers trail, we planned a stop in Suanbo. The lure of a resort town and sauna seemed good after a few days cycling up river. We found that walk up rates were 10 to 20$ less than internet rates, plus you get to see the hotel or motel. Have maps and a little Korean language is helpful in this endeavor, Google translate works too. The hotel that the internet led us to was being renovated, so we just asked 3 different people ”I am looking for a good Hotel ” ” cho an hotel chako ee nun de oh” Our inquiries led us here. I really like it. It cost 60 ish dollars in September with a good conversion rate (this is a ski town winter would be more). The bed was a bit firm for my taste, but that seems to be how Koreans like it. The charm and hospitality were uplifting. This is a lovely little resort town, and this hotel has an ironic alpine German flare with a sort of lost in translation aura : ). Awesome sauna 1 block away....long name starts with an n....yummy chicken tchib 3 blocks straight down the road across from the Seven 11. DO visit Coffee M, charming, delicious, comfortable, wifi, and they let us use their high quality bike pump....a relief from a small travel pump : )

I couldn't see the staff in the guide and made a reservation, but I was embarrassed because I couldn't confirm it. After confirming later, I entered the room, but I wanted to take a bath, so I had to turn on the water and wait, so even if I waited for more than an hour, hot water didn't come out, so I just solved it with lukewarm water. I was looking forward to it as a hot spring water (the next day) and I was so disappointed.