Gurye Grand Hotel

We ended up choosing this Grand Hotel only a few days before our March 23-24, 2025 trip, after missing out on a room at Jirisan Family Hotel. The 80,000 won nightly rate during the busy season helped make the decision, and the few reviews we found were mixed. Since the other available places looked much the same, location seemed like the main thing to consider. What made the area appealing was the timing of the 2025 Gurye Sansuyu Festival. It ran March 15 to March 23, and our visit began on its last day. I thought a late-afternoon visit might still catch some of the festival atmosphere. The Sansuyu flowers were reportedly blooming late this year and still near their peak after the festival, so I expected Monday the 24th to be quieter and more enjoyable. Staying near Sansuyu Village also seemed convenient for parking on day one and for getting around over the next few days. We hadn't booked ahead because we assumed a Sunday-to-Monday festival trip wouldn't be too busy and rooms would still be available a week out. When we checked again a few days later, Jirisan Family Hotel was full. It had seemed like the best lodging choice around Sandong-myeon, which is known for the festival and for hot springs at the foot of Mt. Jiri. The larger Jirisan Hot Springs resort had closed during the COVID-19 pandemic because of financial difficulties, leaving the next-door Jirisan Family Hotel as the most decent option by size, facilities, and management. It also has its own hot spring. The Grand Hotel is older, but I didn't run into any particular inconvenience. Its location was a real plus, with festival-related facilities nearby and everything walkable. I was told the accommodation's water was hot spring water, though there wasn't a way to enjoy it here, so I went to the baths at Jirisan Family Hotel instead. There is a parking lot beside the accommodation, but during the festival it was being used as an event space. I could park along the roadside in front of the entrance, so it wasn't a big problem.