We'd been back in Korea for about a month when we decided to visit Bugok hot springs. Last time we lived in Korea (4 years ago) we lived very close to Spa Castle in Chungcheongnam-do and I can't begin to tell you how great it was! Before we moved back this time and once we'd found out where we'd be living, I'd poured over the guide books checking out the places that I knew we'd want to visit once we arrived. Bugok, and particularly Bugok Hawaii was high on my list, in my mind it seemed a lot like Spa Castle. Anyway, I'll come back to that later.
We got to Bugok by taking a bus from Masan, we'd had to set off early in the evening as it was a Friday and Greg had been to work, but I was so enthusiastic about the resort that we'd planned to spend two nights there, to pack in as much fun as possible. Due to this we arrived in Bugok at about 9pm and stepped off the bus into a misty rain.
As we'd driven into Bugok all we'd been able to see in the darkness was neon sign after neon sign advertising motels and yeogwans so we'd been optimistic about finding a good place to stay but once we'd left the bus the options seemed less attractive. After wandering the deathly quiet streets of Bugok for 5 minutes we noticed a motel in the distance with rows of rainbow coloured neon lights flashing. In my opinion, while a book should apparently not be judged by it's cover, if a Love Motel looks old and uncared for on the outside, don't bother going in. This Love Motel however, looked extremly well cared for and above all new.
As you can see, the bath was HUGE and also had the obligatory jacuzzi function and the room itself was also big, with a partition in the middle creating sleeping and living areas. In the middle of the partition was a section that swiveled round with a large mirror on one side and a wide-screen TV on the other. That, as far as I'm concerned is class.
It wasn't just the room which was nicely put together, the whole motel was full of cute details and was clearly the best place in town. I'm impressed that such a small town could have such a nice motel and they have my admiration for making such a nice place.
This time, I managed to take a proper photo of the freebies which they give you when you check in:
The flash spoiled the picture somewhat, but you should get the gist. You have two toothbrushes, a razor, some face-whitening soap, some bubble bath and a condom.
We had a good night in the DW Motel but sadly Bugok Hawaii was a real let down, it's faded, falling apart and half of it was closed. The outdoor pools had no water in and some of the buildings had just been left to crumble. I guess it was really something 2o years ago but now it's a faded relic, more seedy than a lot of Love Motels and above all a rip-off.
Greg and I ended up only spending one night in the DW Motel as we'd exhausted Bugok in half a day, but had what we'd gone to visit been better we would have gladly spent another night there.
I'm afraid that the DW Motel has no website of it's own and is not listed online anywhere, nor do I have contact details. However, should you want to visit DW Motel the town is small enough for you to find it armed with my photos of the exterior and and the name alone.
What was the price?
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