Elegant and convenient Hanok hotels

Posted on : 2014-09-05 11:50 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
 the Master’s Building of ‘Gurume’ in Andong.
the Master’s Building of ‘Gurume’ in Andong.

By Lee Byung-hak, tourism correspondent

Hanok, Korean traditional houses, hold the wisdom and spirit of the nation’s ancestors. The cozy old houses are attractive all year round, but original hanok may not be convenient accommodations for foreign tourists. Although staying in a hanok, enjoying traditional lifestyle and cultures, may be charming, people who are accustomed to modern houses must feel uncomfortable. People usually share rooms in hanok and the rooms for sleeping, eating and working are separate. Hanok have disadvantages including small spaces, solemn atmosphere and bad soundproofing that cannot protect one’s privacy.
In consideration of these circumstances, luxurious hanok accommodations that combine the convenience of hotels and the taste of traditional houses have been introduced. ‘Ragung’ opened the first hanok hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province in 2007. There are currently five to six accommodations with the title ‘hanok hotel’ . These high-class hotels provide decent and cozy service by minimizing inconvenience but maintaining the atmosphere of hanok. ‘Gurume’ (Korean for “On a cloud”) in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province and ‘Odongjae’ (Korean for “The House on Odong Island”) in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province are popular hanok hotels.
Panorama of ‘Gurume’ where antique-looking houses are together.
Panorama of ‘Gurume’ where antique-looking houses are together.

 

‘Gurume’of Andong, rooms with the latest improvements in old house.  

‘Gurume’ opened last July in the folk village of Seonggok Neighborhood located under the Andong Dam in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. It is an ‘old house resort’ that provides quality service and convenient facilities. Hotel facilities were inserted into the old houses and the folk village was formed out of old houses that were put together several years ago, which had been moved from place to place because of the construction of the Andong Dam. Seven traditional old houses that were not designated as cultural treasures and left alone had been reborn as a hotel with a more traditional building.

Its exterior appearance is like a normal hanok, and the interior is very well renovated with modern, luxurious rooms. The first step to enjoying this peculiar place is to go to a thatch-roofed house where the reception desk is located. A manager (or his wife) who looks like a humble scholar, or a kind servant, is in charge of guidance and management. After receiving a smart key with‘welcoming materials’ that explains hotel service, it is possible to get into the rooms of the 200-400 year-old house.

Bedroom of Chilgokgotaek sarangchae
Bedroom of Chilgokgotaek sarangchae

Rooms for guests are placed across the courtyard. To get into the rooms, guests open the main gate to the courtyard, then take off their shoes on terrace stone and step onto an open wooden floor, called daechungmaru. The antique-looking old house turns into a totally different place when the paper-covered window or door. Anbang (boudoir), Sarangbang (Master’s Chamber) and Haengrangchae (vestibule) are all bright with white toned settings. Of course they are small. However, calm indirect lighting beyond the walls eases the impression of confinement. It does not look like an old house constructed hundreds of years ago. In this small room is a blanket chest, wardrobe, air-conditioner, refrigerator (some are in the living room) and cabinets.

There is another world beyond the inner door. A washstand with a big mirror and toiletries, and shower booth separated from toilet by glass partition are there. Some rooms have big bathtubs with whirlpools, too. Beautiful rafters, floors covered with traditional oilpaper and plaids of lattice door reveal the charm of old hanok. Can’t cramming all these facilities into a small space damage the hanok room?

“A room is inside another room, a door is inside another door and the wall is beyond another wall. New walls and doors were constructed inside a room, leaving the entire frame of the old house as it is. If you take out the new room entirely, the house can be recovered into its original appearance,” said Lee Heon-goo, executive secretary of the Happy Heritage Village who manages Gurume.

If there are no other guests, it is also possible to look around the neighboring house. Gyenamgotaek (meaning ‘Gye-nam’s old house’), which was constructed 200 years ago by Yi Gui-yong, a descendant of a prominent Korean Confucian scholar Yi Hwang, is the only house designated as cultural heritage assets among other 10 traditional buildings in Gurume. Pavilion Seounjung and Chilgokgotaek (meaning ‘old house from Chilgok’) built by other descendants of Yi Hwang and pavilions for Yi family such as Palhoedangjaesa, Gamdongjaesa, baksanjeong, cheongongjeong, show off their traditional beauty.

Bathroom in Seounjung of ‘Gurume’.
Bathroom in Seounjung of ‘Gurume’.

Guests who stay in the old house resort without TV and computer can hear the sound of daegeum or danso, Korean traditional flutes, after sunset. The song continues even in the rain and in the wind. Park Jun-hae, a former music teacher plays the daegeum or danso every evening (except Tuesday and Wednesday) at a pavilion near the pond. The notes of the flutes linger at the bedside, too. Deep and pleasant sleep starts when rustic but soft cotton quilts cover the body. Chirping of birds or the patter of raindrops provide sounds to wake up to.

The old house resort ‘Gurume’ was opened by Andong city government, North Gyeongsang provincial government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Happiness Nanum Foundation of SK Group, which established a social enterprise Happy Heritage Foundation. Kim Chan-joong, one of the most famous architects in South Korea, directed the project.

‘Odongjae’ commands a view of the waters off Odong Island
‘Odongjae’ commands a view of the waters off Odong Island

 

‘Odongjae’ of Yeosu, hanok hotel with view of Odongdo Island Sea

Whereas Gurume of Andong has a good combination of old and new, the recently built ‘Odongjae’ in Yeosu maximizes the merit of hanok, having spacious numaru (wooden balcony) and daechungmaru (big living room with a wooden floor). Rooms in separate houses or townhouse-styles are both available. Odongjae was opened in 2012 when Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea was held. Odongjae and ‘Youngsanjae’ in Youngam County are high-class hanok accommodation managed by Jeonnam Development Corporation.

The main building and 6 hanok that have 19 rooms with 5 different styles are on the hillside that overlooks the sea off of Odongdo Island and the venue for Yeosu Expo 2012. After checking-in at the main building, guests move to in front of their room by car. Although the rooms are not as elegant as old hanok, spacing and structure are very practical. Especially, wide living room and roomy elevated wooden floor that spread the view of Odongdo Island Sea are impressive.

Daechungmaru of separated building in ‘Odongjae’. Numaru is the elevated wooden floor on the right.
Daechungmaru of separated building in ‘Odongjae’. Numaru is the elevated wooden floor on the right.

“Odongjae made up for the weak points of other hanok hotels that opened earlier. It emphasizes the convenience and guarantee of privacy, while keeping the beauty of traditional hanok,” said Yoo Gwang-hyun, general manager of Odongjae. Since the hotel is located near the sea, the buildings have glass doors outside to be protected from the rain and wind. However, inner side of the buildings has windows and doors with paper. Washstand, toilet and shower room are all separated and high ceiling makes the room look wide. Also, it is good to enjoy the view of the night sea or the sunrise at numaru.

The main entrance of Odongjae.
The main entrance of Odongjae.

Something seems missing in Odongjae, in that rooms are all designed in the same way without diversity. In addition, daechungmaru and other floors are covered with oilpaper, numaru that is made of real wood.

A question emerges while staying in the two new luxury hanok hotels, Gurume and Odongjae. Is this progress or regression of hanok? It seemed like regression because traditional hanok, which has been characterized with its peculiar inconvenience, has changed according to modern tastes. “It is hanok’s experiment for the future,” said executive secretary Lee. This means hanok are undergoing change in order to become sustainable.

One of the original and representative hanok hotels of South Korea is Ragung of Shilla Millenium Park in Gyeongju. The hotel is like a royal palace and its traditional beauty and convenience are fully appreciable. Ragung is regarded as the best hanok hotel based on price or service, for example, every room has its own outdoor bathtub. Youngsanjae in Youngam, South Jeolla Province is another popular hanok hotel.

Living room of numaru-type house in Odongjae.
Living room of numaru-type house in Odongjae.

 

Translated by Ahn Song-yi, Hankyoreh English intern

 

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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