Giverny Hotel

Our room upgrade cost extra and really wasn't worth it. The rooms are clean, but cramped, even the deluxe one we paid more for. The WiFi connected but had no usable bandwidth, perhaps someone else was using it, but for us it was basically dysfunctional. Don't read anything special into the name Giverny. The breakfast setup was crowded and inefficient, more like a kitchenette in a small apartment. Food kept running out, either bread or sausages. The selection was very limited: ramen soup for Koreans, some fried sausages and tomatoes, bread, butter, and jelly. For westerners there were two frying pans and raw eggs, but nothing really suitable for making an omelette, and no knives for cutting tomatoes or sausages. There was coffee but no tea. Instead of a bigger kitchen, there were two huge TV projection systems playing K-pop all day and night. The Korean breakfast staff didn't speak English at all. The Philippino staff were the highlight, kind and helpful, and spoke the best English of all the staff. Bathroom towels were smaller than standard US hand towels, and there was no tea in the room either. We couldn't operate the AC the first night without Korean language skills, and got nearly stifled. My wife had to leave the room in the middle of the night to get some fresh air.

The rooms are roomy and have amenities that made the stay feel special. I also really liked spending time on the terrace, with its lovely view and good music.