Hotel Yolo

A supermarket is nearby, and its owner is friendly. Parking is convenient if you have a single room, and the rooms are generally spacious and clean, making it a nice place to relax with family. There are mosquitoes, so it's a good idea to switch on the electronic repellent provided in the room before bed.

YOLO is close to Bulguksa Temple, and I'll definitely stay there again next time I'm in Gyeongju. It says hotel, but it feels more like a high-end motel. The drive-in setup gives you one room and one parking space, with the car parked right by the room, so you get privacy. I can't remember the last time I stayed at a motel, but I was surprised by how much I liked this one, haha. It looked just like the photos, and YOLO seems carefully maintained, with thought put into the details. There's everything from a bidet to a Dryvit hair straightener. If I had to pick a small thing, the toothbrushes could be a bit better. A spray would be nice too, though that's probably just me being picky, haha.

As of June 2019, I made a reservation and came to stay. I was here during a trip to Gyeongju about a year ago, and the facilities were clean and spacious, with a neat, nice interior. You can park in the garage and go straight up, so you don't have to deal with people.

The owner was incredibly welcoming. I've stayed in hotels in many countries, and I don't think I've met anyone as sincere and helpful. One staff member speaks Chinese and is from Yanbian, China. The layout is unusual: the indoor garage is on the first floor, with the rooms on the second, completely separate from the garage. That makes the rooms very quiet. The windows block out light completely when closed. If you're driving, the garage is convenient. The rooms and bathrooms are both very large, and there's a jacuzzi, though I didn't use it. The toilet has a heated seat and flushes with water, so no toilet paper is needed. There was a refrigerator, kettle, TV, computer, coffee, tea, hairdryer, men's and women's skincare products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and slippers for both the room and shower. There were enough slippers for two or three people. Wi-Fi had no password, and drinks and bottled water in the room were free. The 10,000 won "sell" sign in the refrigerator was confusing, but it didn't mean the drinks were charged. That item has since been removed, so it may have been misleading. In short, the fridge drinks were free. The hotel is very close to Bulguksa Temple, about an eight-minute walk. All buses going to the temple stop at the hotel. For the city center, take bus 10 or 11; those stops are about a five-minute walk away. Google Maps is useful for directions. Some nearby sights: Bulguksa Temple is open from 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM. When I visited during the National Day holiday, it was already crowded at 9:00 AM. If you want fewer people and room for photos, go when it opens. Seokguram Grotto has relatively few historical sites, but the surrounding mountain setting is lovely, like a forest park. I also found Google Translate useful. It can translate Chinese into Korean and read the Korean aloud. Its photo feature can translate Korean signs into Chinese when you can't type the words.