When my kids ask me for something, I try very hard to deliver. It can sometimes become difficult when they ask for something that involves a lot of cash. I'm financially limited. But I have a very positive mind. I always believe that the world is for everyone, and we only have to be creative to achieve what we want. In this case, my kids want to experience a white christmas.
The immediate choice was Korea. We have only a handful of countries in Asia with a white christmas. I prefer Japan but I know everything there is costly, so I settled for Korea. The harder part to decide is on which ski resort I will go to. There are approximately 17 ski resorts in South Korea. But since I'm bringing toddlers, my criteria are quite different from the usual tourists.
Criteria:
1. Slopes should be very very near the hotel. I don't want to walk far just to enjoy the slopes.
2. The resort shouldn't have any dormitories so that the slopes wouldn't be filled with students and backpackers. Accidents are more likely to happen when there are too many people in the resort.
3. Hotel should be at least 4 star. I know I'm on budget, but I'm also on vacation... with kids!
4. The resort should have affordable eateries nearby.
5. My hotel room should have the view of the slopes. If I'm going on a winter vacation, I want to be reminded of that for 24 hours.
6. I was hoping for a hotel accommodation at the $200 range per day.
7. Wifi available.
After researching on the ski resorts in South Korea, I finally decided on Alpensia. This ski resort offers only three hotels: Intercontinental, Holiday Inn Resorts and Holiday Inn Suites. Intercontinental is out of the question because its standard room is pegged at $500 per night. Ouch! Holiday Inn Resorts costs $220 per night and Holiday Inn Suites offers $180 per night. My first choice was Holiday Inn Suites but I realized that it only offers smoking rooms. So, I finally settled with Holiday Inn Resorts.
This resort is accessible from Seoul and from the airport. You only need to go to Gate #9C in Incheon Airport. They shuttle guests straight to the resort twice daily: 9:30 and 16:30. Cost is 26,000 won for adults and kids get 50% off. Travel time is 3.5 hours.
The bus dropped us in the welcome center of Holiday Inn. I have to walk for 5 minutes to go to my hotel. But it was just fine. Upon entering the lobby, we were greeted by smiling, pretty receptionist. I quickly showed my booking confirmation. I merely booked a standard room since it's the only one I can afford. But my kids were sticking on me like glue. So the receptionist asked how many kids I brought along. I said TWO. She said, "Well you are not going to be comfortable in this standard room." I replied, "It's ok. I got a king-sized bed. That is just fine.". She remarked "WHy don't I just give you this nicer room. It has a kids' nook that provides bunker bed for kids, and a king size bed for you and your husband. " Of course, I knew about that type of room. I just didn't book it because it cost a lot lot more. When I didn't say anything, she was sensitive enough to understand my plight. She quickly said "The upgrade is free of charge. Don't worry about it. I'll arrange everything." . My! She isn't just pretty, she is ultra-nice too! I quipped, "How can I say NO to that kind of offer? Thanks very much! "
When we entered the room, it was really really nice! I super love the kids' nook. They decorated it for kids and it even has its own heater. They have their own writing desk and a bug light. Nice!
The room is cozy and it has a balcony overlooking the beautiful slopes of the resort. Five Thumbs Up!
Alpensia Ski Resort is like a town. It has a number of convenience stores, a lot of restaurants that provide different cuisine. There is Lotteria, their own version of McDonald's, and Angel in us coffee shop, just like our Starbucks. They have a cafeteria inside the Ski House which is located just beside our hotel. They have a number of fine dining too. There's Ocean 700 , their indoor water park which I think would be great for the summer. They have playground with swings and slides. They have the Eco-Learning Center to educate our kids to love nature. If your kids do not know how to ski, they offer tutorial. It's just a bit pricey if you are not in a group. 220,000 won for two kids. So in my case, I preferred my kids to stay ignorant on skiing ---- for now. I promised them they can learn to ski on our next visit. For the adults, they have golf course, skiing and snow boarding. They have alpine coaster that looks like fun, but I never got the chance to try it. What we did for two full days was to snow sled. The kids simply loved their snow sledding park. It has a downhill distance of 130 meters, with a width of 52 meters. It can take around 8 sledders all at the same time. And your kids do not need to walk up the hill , just to snow sled down again. They have a moving walker especially for snow sledders. 3 hours of non stop sledding would cost 15,000 won.
We only spent four days in this resort and we headed back to Seoul. When I was planning this trip, many warned me that I was allotting too many days in one place. Glad I didn't heed their warning. It was with a heavy heart that I left this wonderful resort. My younger child even shed some tears as our bus was leaving the place. I was only able to appease her when I promise her we would come back to Alpensia. And we would. We surely would.
The immediate choice was Korea. We have only a handful of countries in Asia with a white christmas. I prefer Japan but I know everything there is costly, so I settled for Korea. The harder part to decide is on which ski resort I will go to. There are approximately 17 ski resorts in South Korea. But since I'm bringing toddlers, my criteria are quite different from the usual tourists.
Criteria:
1. Slopes should be very very near the hotel. I don't want to walk far just to enjoy the slopes.
2. The resort shouldn't have any dormitories so that the slopes wouldn't be filled with students and backpackers. Accidents are more likely to happen when there are too many people in the resort.
3. Hotel should be at least 4 star. I know I'm on budget, but I'm also on vacation... with kids!
4. The resort should have affordable eateries nearby.
5. My hotel room should have the view of the slopes. If I'm going on a winter vacation, I want to be reminded of that for 24 hours.
6. I was hoping for a hotel accommodation at the $200 range per day.
7. Wifi available.
 |
| View from our balcony |
This resort is accessible from Seoul and from the airport. You only need to go to Gate #9C in Incheon Airport. They shuttle guests straight to the resort twice daily: 9:30 and 16:30. Cost is 26,000 won for adults and kids get 50% off. Travel time is 3.5 hours.
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| Our room at Holiday Inn Resorts |
When we entered the room, it was really really nice! I super love the kids' nook. They decorated it for kids and it even has its own heater. They have their own writing desk and a bug light. Nice!
The room is cozy and it has a balcony overlooking the beautiful slopes of the resort. Five Thumbs Up!
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| Playground in Alpensia Pyeongchang |
Alpensia Ski Resort is like a town. It has a number of convenience stores, a lot of restaurants that provide different cuisine. There is Lotteria, their own version of McDonald's, and Angel in us coffee shop, just like our Starbucks. They have a cafeteria inside the Ski House which is located just beside our hotel. They have a number of fine dining too. There's Ocean 700 , their indoor water park which I think would be great for the summer. They have playground with swings and slides. They have the Eco-Learning Center to educate our kids to love nature. If your kids do not know how to ski, they offer tutorial. It's just a bit pricey if you are not in a group. 220,000 won for two kids. So in my case, I preferred my kids to stay ignorant on skiing ---- for now. I promised them they can learn to ski on our next visit. For the adults, they have golf course, skiing and snow boarding. They have alpine coaster that looks like fun, but I never got the chance to try it. What we did for two full days was to snow sled. The kids simply loved their snow sledding park. It has a downhill distance of 130 meters, with a width of 52 meters. It can take around 8 sledders all at the same time. And your kids do not need to walk up the hill , just to snow sled down again. They have a moving walker especially for snow sledders. 3 hours of non stop sledding would cost 15,000 won. We only spent four days in this resort and we headed back to Seoul. When I was planning this trip, many warned me that I was allotting too many days in one place. Glad I didn't heed their warning. It was with a heavy heart that I left this wonderful resort. My younger child even shed some tears as our bus was leaving the place. I was only able to appease her when I promise her we would come back to Alpensia. And we would. We surely would.
As usual, i've always loved your travel blogs and this one is no different. It's a nice change of scenery though ;)
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