Prado

I stayed at the Prado Hotel back in 2014 in January. Generally speaking, the hotel was good, but I do feel there could have been some things done to make it better. The service at the front desk was good, I had a nice single room, all of the basics in the room were well catered for. The room had good Wifi and all. The hotel also had a good business room set up. Admittedly the hotel was a little far from downtown, but was close to some good restaurants ( if you wanted to go outside ) and the Gwangju world cup stadium was near by. Some of the things inside the hotel, however, needed improving. The Gym was basically a small room and you could not completely trust the equipment to work. The public baths could have been cleaner also. It looked like part of the hotel were also being renovated while there. All in all, it was good, but it could have been better.

We just stayed overnight but it was great. Room space is big and with complete amenities and best are comfortable and that matters most. Lobby is medium size but appearance is great Breakfast with limited selection but since we are not a breakfast person so it was not a problem.

A friend and I traveled from Seoul to Kwang Ju for an overnight excursion to meet other long time friends and visit Kwang Ju Air Base where we all met a long time ago. My friend, Sam, took care of all the reservations... I was along for the ride (so to speak). The Prado Hotel is located pretty much in downtown Kwang Ju, about a 10 minute taxi ride (traffic pending) from the main Kwang Ju Train Station. It is not too far from the Kwang Ju Christian Hospital. It is in a good location but if you don't pay attention to the sign that leads up to the main entrance, you will end up going around the block and coming in from the other side (if you can cross the street). The staff and service was excellent. Everyone seemed eager to please, which is always an enjoyable experience. All the hotel areas I visited were very clean and well kept. I marked down the sleep quality because the bed was a little hard for my liking. The sleep quality also affected my "Value" rating. The room was a little small but sufficient and the bathroom had the regular amenities and a toothbrush just in case you forgot yours. We had dinner in the hotel's Chinese restaurant. The hot and sour soup was not like what I was used to in the US but it was very delicious. Sam also ordered us Ja Jang Myon (black bean paste with vegetables, meat, and noodles) and Tang Soo Yook (sweet and sour pork)... two of my favorites. Both were very delicious. The next morning the restaurant in the hotel lobby had a breakfast buffet. It was somewhat different than what is expected in the states but the food was very tasty. Along with some of the recognized American favorites there were several Korean dishes available. Overall a good stay with good food available. I should note... Sam is Korean and took care of all the discussions. I can't vouch for the staff's English-speaking ability but English is a mandatory language after elementary school in Korea. I am sure there will be someone available to assist if you do not speak Korean.