Hotel November

My wife and I just checked out from a 4-night stay in 2nd week of October. We heard about Hotel November from my cousin, and couldn't find any availability on any of the typical hotel booking websites, but then found availability on yanolja.com (Korean language website). We booked an "A/R style room" with the triangular ceiling. When we arrived, we were given a very nice welcome -- small brownie bites and a couple cups of Korean plum tea. The "AR" room is accurately shown on all the hotel booking websites. We found the room to be a very good size for two people. Ample bottled waters added each day, and housekeeping even refreshed our in-room slippers during our stay. The bed was a bit hard for our tastes, but sheets were very clean. (Western) Breakfast was OK, quite overhyped on some hotel website reviews. Very simple fried egg, bacon, piece of toast, small muffin roll, yogurt, and a couple pieces of fruit. Coffee was good but juice was just a juice drink. We didn't get the Korean Breakfast during our stay. Overall, my wife and I thought it was a nice stay. Certainly, whatever pretty pictures that you see online are all accurate. If you are staying on the hotel premises and/or in your room for your stay, it can be very relaxing. That said, there are five small but significant caveats of this hotel. (1) There's no elevator. If you have heavy luggage, the hotel staff will help you but it's still a hassle. Room "AR" was on the fourth floor and a bit of a hassle to climb 3 flights of stairs after a day of tourism. (2) Some websites will say there's an 'Ocean View'... well, not really. You might see a tiny bit of the Ocean from your room but I wouldn't call it an Ocean View. (3) The bathroom was a real downer. As you can see from my picture, the bathtub for our "A/R" room is placed right next to a slanting wall, and so you will need to bend your body significantly to take a hands-free shower. The showerhead can be removed from the wall but you'll still be bending a lot. I tried to take the hands-free shower and besides bending a lot, a ton of water missed the bathtub and got on the bathroom floor. I'm only 5'8" (1.70m) and it was not a good experience. If you are looking for a good shower, I would skip the "AR" room and try a more expensive room. (4) Another caveat is that, in general, there aren't many good food options within walking distance. Now in 2019, there's a chicken restaurant, a couple Korean restaurants, a bakery, and some coffee cafes. Jumunjin Seafood Market is just a short drive away, or you could walk it in maybe 20 minutes. If you want more food options, you will need to drive up to 25 minutes away, perhaps to downtown Gangneung. (5) The music that they play on the premises is fairly melancholy and/or depressing. The theme of the hotel seems to be "melancholy Europe." If you're tired of the fast pace of Seoul, the music may be a nice change of pace; it fits with the decor. But if you are looking for something that lifts your spirits, the music will bother you.

We were given such a warm welcome. Beautiful iced plum drink and chocolate brownie. The beds are so comfortable with crisp white sheets.. the bathroom is amazing with a large bath. We are cyclist and they a place inside for bikes. Would highly recommend this unique and professionally run hotel.

여행사인데 아래와 같이 손님께 후기 받았습니다. 강릉에는 모두 다 아는 그 이름있는 호텔외에 동계올림픽때 부랴부랴 개장한 호텔들이 있는데 규모보다는 이전 손님들 후기 참고하여 노벰버로 선택하여 전국 투어 만들어 드렸습니다. 손님이 가장 만족하신 호텔이라고 합니다. November hotel was fantastic- we received a beautiful suite and the attitude was so welcoming! Thank you for choosing for us all excellent hotels!