Gangneung Hotel Review: St. John’s Hotel, South Korea
Gold Deluxe Ocean View Stay in the Ocean Tower
How to Book for Less—and Make the Most of Your Hotel Getaway
Hi there! Welcome to my Gangneung hotel review.
I’m a travel blogger, Traveling Gomyammi, and I’m so glad you’re here.
This time,
my trip to Gangneung, South Korea,was all about a relaxing hotel getaway—
and here’s how this wonderfully restful stay went!
I stayed at St. John’s Hotel, billed as Gangneung’s best-known five-star hotel,for
a proper hotel getaway. I left feeling genuinely rested and so happy with my stay.
I booked an ocean-view room, and when I opened my eyes,
this sunrise was waiting for me.
Of all the hotels in Gangneung,
St. John’s has the expansive Gangmun Beach right out front,
and now I understand why people rave about its ocean views.
This booking site currently had the biggest discount of the ones I compared,
so I wanted to share it.
Other sites were showing prices around $30–$298,
but I found a rate in the $74 range here.
Worth checking before you book!
At night, you can stroll along the shore like this,
taking in a completely different side of the sea.
With St. John’s right in front of Gangmun Beach,
the location really couldn’t have been better.
St. John’s
is a huge property, with Ocean, Lake, and Pine towers.
It also has designated dog-friendly rooms and a separate pool for guests with dogs,
so I spotted plenty of pups—including some big dogs—around the property.
A lovely little bonus for a dog lover like me.
The hotel is right by the sea, and its infinity pool and other swimming facilitiesare well set up, too,
so there were lots of families visiting with kids.
Check-in starts around 4 p.m.,
though I think I was able to check in and head upstairs around 2:30 p.m.
Parking is available on basement levels B1 through B3,
with free parking for one car per room.
Additional cars cost $7 per car, per night.
On checkout day, you can leave your car parked until 1 p.m.
Valet parking costs $19.
Parking Tip Try to park near the entrance to the tower you’re staying in!
There’s also a spacious outdoor parking lot,
which is a good option if basement levels B2 and B3 are full.
Gangneung Hotel Review: Room Condition & Ocean Views
My room was 1446 in the Ocean Tower.
It was a Gorgeous Double room.Here’s a look inside.
The first thing I noticed was that wide-open ocean view.
Even with the Pine Tower in front, its lower height means
you get a view like this from the higher floors of the Ocean Tower.
Instant happiness.
The room came with Lingtea Night Tea and Morning Tea,
which apparently are provided only in certain room categories.
I made a point of enjoying them every morning and evening.
The king bed was enormous,
with plenty of space to stretch out and roll around.
I slept so well.
And whenever I glanced out the window from bed, this was the view.
Honestly, incredible.
This is my idea of rest and happiness.
Here’s the morning view.
So bright and refreshing.
Right out front is a place called Muscle Beach,
where they’ve essentially moved a gym onto the beachfront.
If you love working out, you’ll probably love this.
The room was in great condition,
and it had robes and slippers, which I brought along
when I went to the infinity pool later.
Disposable toiletries aren’t provided, so bring your own.
It also looked like you could borrow a phone charger by asking at the lobby.
You can request extra bath towels, bottled water, and face towels,
or arrange board game and VR rentals,
conveniently through the kiosk provided in each room.
Gangmun Beach is great for spending time by the water,
and Gyeongpo Beach, Anmok Beach, and Gangneung Port are all nearby.
Gangneung Coffee Street and plenty of lovely cafés are close by, too,
making this an ideal base for exploring Gangneung.
A coastal drive with views of the Gangneung shoreline like this
sounds pretty wonderful, doesn’t it?
St. John’s Hotel Infinity Pools, Sauna & Fitness Center
That evening, I headed to the infinity pool!
The infinity pool at St. John’s is famous for its gorgeous setting,
and I couldn’t decide between a daytime or nighttime visit.
In the end, I timed mine for the 7 p.m. bubble party.
There are two sessions, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.,
when they send a huge cascade of foam over the pool.
At night, there are lasers,
along with lights around and inside the pool,
giving it a completely different atmosphere.
Quite the light show, right?
The water was warm, too—perfect for a swim.
Beyond the pool, Gangneung’s nighttime sea stretched out quietly,
with stars sparkling overhead.
Bring a swimsuit, though I noticed plenty of men
wearing swim-appropriate shorts and short-sleeved shirts, too.
I wore a swimsuit with a rash guard.
The lockers and changing rooms outside the pool area were clean and well maintained,
and there’s also a sauna two floors below,
if you’d like to use it.
By the time I was done playing in the water, even my hair was soaked.
Bubble party time!
The kids absolutely loved it, too.
I used the infinity pool on the sixth floor of the Pine Tower,
which stays open until 9 p.m.
There’s another infinity pool on the 16th floor of the Ocean Tower,
though that one seemed to operate during the summer season.
The hotel also has a gym and fitness center.
You’ll need to bring your own workout shoes and exercise clothes
to enter, so keep that in mind when packing.
Guests age 18 and under aren’t allowed in,
and the opening hours are 6 a.m.–10 p.m.
The equipment at Muscle Beach on the sand looked pretty good, too,
so I’d recommend checking it out!
Gangmun Jumak: Late-Night Dining & Room Service
Friday–Saturday: Open until 2 a.m.; other days: 6 p.m.–1 a.m.
All that swimming left me hungry.
St. John’s Hotel has a good selection of amenities, including restaurants and convenience stores,
so finding something to eat was easy.
I headed to Gangmun Jumak, a Korean-style tavern on the first floor of the Pine Tower.
It stays open until 1 a.m.,
or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays!
In Gangneung, where many places close early,
a restaurant open this late is a real find.
Better still, Gangmun Jumak offers room service.
Pizza, grilled chicken neck meat, beer, and more can all be delivered right to your room.
That’s a pretty unbeatable perk.
But the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere,
with that relaxed, outdoor Korean tavern feel,
so I decided to eat there and enjoy it.
A couple of its signature dishes caught my eye:
Cheongyang chili whole roast chicken and rosé-sauce whole roast chicken,
both served with pasta alongside the whole roasted bird.
I wanted to try one, but these dishes aren’t available through room service.
Unfortunately, they’d run out of roasted chickens when we arrived,
and the next batch would take about 40 minutes, so we ordered dakgangjeong—crispy chicken coated in a sweet, sticky sauce—instead.
It was delicious, too!
And since we’d come all the way to Gangneung, we couldn’t skip some fresh raw fish.
We ordered a small assorted sashimi platter,
along with a steaming bowl of eomuk-tang, Korean fish cake soup.
What a combination.
This is exactly the kind of vacation evening I love.
The food tasted great, and the portions were generous.
Here’s how the eomuk-tang arrived.
Just look at all those fish cake skewers!
The hot broth came in a kettle and was delicious.
If you’ve just come back from swimming, definitely consider ordering it.
It warms you right through.
A Nighttime Walk Along Gangmun Beach
After dinner, it was time for a walk by the sea!
Gangmun Beach is literally right in front of the hotel,
so you can head out to the water whenever you feel like it.
Another thing I love about Gangneung
is seeing pine trees and the sea together.
Even the path from St. John’s to the beach
has beautifully lit pine trees, making the walk feel extra special.
You can hear the waves,
and Gangwon’s clear skies make the stars easy to see.
So pretty.
I even saw people buying fireworks and setting them off.
St. John’s has a 7-Eleven and other handy amenities,
where you can buy fireworks, too.
They even stocked duck-shaped snow molds for snowy-day fun.
I went in for a browse and couldn’t resist buying
Chodang sweet corn jjondigi, a chewy Korean snack.
So good.
Seriously, pick up a pack if you spot it.
This is the view you wake up to.
Life feels pretty good here.
Gangneung really is the best.
Maybe it was that comfortable bed, but I slept incredibly well.
Here’s the sunrise view from St. John’s.
The perfectly round sun rising over the water was beautiful.
St. John’s Hotel Breakfast Review: Three Meals
Breakfast runs from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.,
and I headed to Three Meals on the third floor of the Ocean Tower.
I arrived around 8:50 a.m. and didn’t have much of a wait,
so it felt like a good time to go.
There were fresh salad greens,
plus Korean dishes such as bibimbap, a mixed rice bowl; neobiani, thin slices of marinated grilled beef; and bulgogi, sweet-savory marinated beef.
The spread also included miyeok-guk, Korean seaweed soup, sausages, and plenty more.
High chairs and children’s tableware
were readily available, along with dog strollers.
I had a delicious breakfast and left feeling satisfyingly full.
Buying breakfast in advance worked out to roughly half the price.
Alternatively, I’d recommend booking a room rate that includes breakfast.
My hotel getaway at St. John’s was thoroughly relaxing.
To wrap up this Gangneung hotel review: I was genuinely glad I’d chosen it as my base for the trip.
I hope you get to enjoy a happy, restful escape here, too!
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