Hanwha Resort Geoje Belvedere

My family and hundreds of other guests waited more than an hour to check in. There were no self check-in kiosks and just a couple of people at the front desk, so it seemed either badly understaffed or stuck with an outdated system. The staff themselves were friendly and helpful, but the resort’s operations were a mess, with queues for everything, including the pool and breakfast. Breakfast was another slow, manual process. They used handwritten reservation lists and let people in one at a time, with one staff member checking names. My slot was 11:30 AM. I joined the line 10 minutes early and wasn’t seated until 11:42. For a resort run by one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, this level of inefficiency was shocking. The whole stay felt frustrating and unnecessarily outdated. I’m not coming back.

The rooms were mediocre, and for what we paid, that added to an already horrible experience. My family stayed at Le Ciel in the Hanwa Resort for three nights at $700 a night, $2,100 total. At that price I expected something amazing. I rated it two stars for the cost; at another hotel, it might have earned three at best. Food was ordinary Korean fare, like what you could get on the street. It tasted fine, but there was nothing special about it, maybe 6.5/10. Service was worse. We ran out of clean towels and asked for more, but they took a whole day to arrive. None of us could shower that day. We called several times, were repeatedly told they’d bring towels, and nothing happened until the next day, with no explanation. Customer service gets 3/10. The pool and gym rules were especially upsetting. The infinity pool is restricted to people 18 and over, and the gym to those 16 and over. I came with my family, and the kids couldn’t use the pool. Lots of families come here with children, and I can’t think of a valid reason for the age limit. It just seems stupid.

The place sits on a private beach, with breathtaking views, and the staff were very attentive. There’s a wide range of food at the restaurants and food courts, plus yacht tours, spa, yoga, and other wellness programs. GS 25 was the resort’s liveliest spot in the evening, with lots of food and drinks to choose from. My one complaint is the room furniture, which was worn and needs replacing.

The ocean view from upstairs was amazing, and both the sunrise and sunset were lovely. The room was clean, quiet, and nice, with two bedrooms and bathrooms plus a loft. There were TVs in every room, and an extra projector outside the loft upstairs. A small kitchen area had coffee, tea, and a little refrigerator, though cooking isn’t allowed. There are several pool areas, but my family didn’t use them.