Gapyeong Iris Pension

The pension was spotless, the air felt fresh, and I was really happy with the sauna. The owner and his daughter were both incredibly kind, so I'd love to return. There's also a very cute rabbit from another house that often comes by to visit.

We had a great time using the sauna privately, but the rest of our one night was disappointing because of several problems. I don't usually review places I dislike, though I hope these issues can be improved. The room heating was weak, and the mountain night was cold. There was no way to turn it up, and nobody answered when I called the number in the instructions. I woke up several times in the early morning from the cold and barely slept. The sauna was nice, but the room heat was a letdown. We were in a large room, and water leaked over the bathroom threshold almost like a flood. I understand that a fixed shower head points toward the threshold, but the amount of water was so bad that I thought it needed fixing right away. The gas range also wouldn't work: the gas smell kept pulsing, while the flame was barely visible, so I wasn't sure it was safe. We ended up unable to cook. The barbecue, on the other hand, was enjoyable. We liked the meat portions, side dishes, and the owner's pancakes and doenjang jjigae (soybean paste stew). For five adults, three women and two men, we got four pork neck portions, two tomahawk steaks, four dakgalbi (spicy chicken ribs), and six strips of raw pork belly. They added five more after hearing it was for five people, with three shrimp and two more mentioned. There were about nine side dishes, including kimchi, lettuce wraps, and ssamjang (Korean ssamjang). If there's something specific you want, you can bring it, like ssammu (Korean radish), garlic, or green onion salad. We didn't have enough rice, so I should have bought some fresh rice. I'm including the barbecue details since I hadn't seen them described in other reviews. We tried the sauna again in the morning because we wanted more time in it. It took a while to heat up, so we sat on the cold wooden floor and enjoyed the fire instead. The air does warm quickly, but it won't feel as warm as it did the day before. The private sauna was a real plus, but the other inconveniences made the trip disappointing. I see other reviews praise the owner's kindness, but maybe I just haven't stayed at many pensions, because I don't really know what they mean :-( Hope you enjoy your trip!

The restroom could use some improvement, but there are so many good things here that I left very satisfied. The owner is kind, the sauna is excellent, and the private BBQ area is set up really well. I plan to come every year.

Watching the snow while steaming and having a barbecue made this feel like such a special experience. Sitting by the fire helped me unwind from all the hard work, and the steam bath was wonderful. The owner was so kind, too. Thank you for these lovely memories♡ I'd definitely come back.