Strolling Amidst the Autumn Foliage in Gangwon-do, South Korea

As the leaves turns from lush green to red and yellow in South Korea, autumn has arrived. The top pick for viewing autumn foliage in Gangwon-do on most travelers mind would have to be Seoraksan National Park, with its expansive area and no lack of trekking trails. Other than the usual Seoraksan (which has been extensively covered), I picked three other spots in Gangwon-do where one will also be able to enjoy the colours of the autumn in Gangwon-do. Gangwon-do is blessed with numerous mountainous sights. Baekdudaegan, the spine of the Korean Peninsular, is a mountain range that runs through the Peninsular. Most of Gangwon-do's spectucular natural sights lies along Baekdudaegan, including Taebeak mountain range where Mt Seoraksan and Mt Odaesan is located. 

Places in Gangwon-do to visit in autumn apart from the popular Seoraksan National Park

Nami Island, Chuncheon

Any Korean drama fan would have watched Winter Sonata, the K-drama that launched Korea Wave throughout the world. Nami Island is no stranger to these fans and those of us whom have watched the drama series. Nami Island, being the backdrop of Winter Sonata, has seen a surge in tourism after the airing of the drama. Located in Chuncheon county in Northwest Gangwon-do, the small half moon shaped island covering some 430,000㎡, is especially charming in Autumn.

There are no lack of spots to enjoy the autumn foliage on Nami Island. Visitors to Nami Island in autumn will be treated with clean and smoothing scent of bushy pine trees and tall redwoods that line the island. Other than the 20 gardens located in various corners of the island, there are numerous walking paths with trees lining up on either side of the paths for visitors to stroll on. The central artery across the island is dripped with the Korean Pine Trees, which visitors will encounter once arriving on Nami Island. From here visitors can choose to stroll amongst the Metasequoia trees,  Ginko trees, Cherry trees, White Birch, Cornel trees, just to name a few. Amongst the lanes, the most photographed and scenic would be the Ginko tree walk path, which is especially charming during autumn with tree leaves turning bright yellow. Other than strolling on Nami Island, visitors can rent a bike or the electric car around the island. There is even a UNICEF Tram that brings visitors around.

Visitors to the island can opt for the traditional ferry that departs every 30 mins and every 10 to 20 mins during peak hours of the day across the Han River. The more adventurous visitors can opt to cross the Han River to Nami Island via the zip line, where one will be treated with magnificent views around the Island.

Map of Nami Island
(image credit: http://res.klook.com/image/upload/v1486643761/Korea/Nami_Island_Map.png)

Nami Island during autumn
(image credit: https://namisum.com/en/) 

Nami Island during autumn
(image credit: https://namisum.com/en/) 

One of the walk paths on Nami Island
(image credit: https://namisum.com/en/) 

Nami Island is dotted with red, yellow and orange leaves during autumn
(image credit: https://namisum.com/en/) 

Ginko tree lane in Nami Island
(image credit: https://namisum.com/en/) 

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest, Inje

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest is more popular as a winter destination thanks to the tall slander Birch trees that creates an exotic Siberian feel with white trees thrusting into the sky from the snow covered ground. Visitors flock to Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest as it is believed that Birch Trees possess mystical power of healing. Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest is as charming in autumn as it is magical in winter. Instead of a land of white, Mother Nature painted the whole landscape with yellow and red in autumn. Coupled with the presence of leaves, which creates a smoothing rustling sound as wind blows through the forest, making it seem like the trees are whispering to visitors to this land. Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest is about 20km outside the small mountain town of Inje. The hill that Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest sits on may seem ordinary at first, one has to immerse in the midst of the Birch tree forest to feel the tranquility the forest brings.

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest is located on the side of Wondae Peak in Wondae-li. Visitors to Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest can choose to stroll along one or all of the 4 courses namely Birch Forest Course (0.9km: 40-50mins), Healing Course 1 (1.5km: 1½ hours), Exploration Course (1.1km: 40mins) and Healing Course 2 (2.4km: 2hours). The walks on these trails are relatively easy as the slops are not steep, providing visitors a relaxing time to enjoy the forest.

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest in Autumn
(image credit http://gangwon.com.my/color-your-autumn-in-gangwon/)

Mother Nature painting Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest with yellow and red in autumn
(image credit: http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2016/02/25/0200000000AKR20160225180400062.HTML)

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest is as charming in autumn as it is magical in winter
(image credit:http://blog.jeep.co.kr/?p=497&ckattempt=1)

View of Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest in autumn
(image credit: http://blog.jeep.co.kr/?p=497&ckattempt=1)

Wondae-ri Birch Tree Forest in autumn
(image credit: http://blog.jeep.co.kr/?p=497&ckattempt=1)

Odaesan National Park

Odaesan National Park is one of three national parks in Gangwon-do, covering an area of 304㎢. Odaesan National Park compresis of 2 districts, Woljeongsa district despite being in a high territory, has some beautiful trails for hiking; and Sogeumgang district whose rocky formations are a sight not to be missed. Compared to the neighbouring Seoraksan National Park, Odaesan National Park isn't as crowded and makes this the perfect place to enjoy the tranquility of the forested autumn foliage in Gangwon-do. 

Map of Odaesan National Park
(image credit:http://english.knps.or.kr)

Odaesan National Park in autumn
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264215)

Odaesan National Park in autumn
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264215)

There are no lack of walking trails for everyone wanting to experience the beautiful autumn foliage. Trekking trails can be found in Woljeongsa district of the national park. For the mild trekkers, Woljeongsa Temple is a great place to start. The short 1kim Fir Tree Forest crosses over some streams, is also a filming site for the Korean drama Goblin. The Woljeongsa Fir Tree Forest trail is rather flat, which makes it suitable for most visitors to enjoy the bursts of red, orange and yellow forest in autumn. For the more adventurous trekkers, Sangwonsa at Odaesan National Park would be the starting point. There are numerous trails for varying degree of difficulty for trekkers to choose from, ranging for the shortest 4.4km (takes around 2½ hours to complete) Dongdaesan Mountain Course to the longest 18.7 km (takes around 10 hours to complete) Durobong Peak Course. 

Woljeongsa Fir Tree Forest in autumn
(image credit: http://k-popped.com/2017/09/3-best-k-drama-filming-locations-to-visit-during-autumn-in-korea/)

Woljeongsa Fir Tree Forest in autumn
(image credit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xjVi_BuTGXE/hqdefault.jpg)

There are also no lack of opportunities to enjoy the autumn foliage in Sogeumgang district. For a start, visitors can take a short 2.2km (1 hour) hike from Guemgangsa to Guryong Falls and enjoy the autumn foliage along the way in the lust vegetation amidst a land of streams and rock formations. Visitors will also be treated to sights of groups of locals gathering for picnic on the flat rocks along the route towards Guryong Falls. The more adventurous hikers can continue the trail for more autumn foliage opportunities which is part of the 13.7km (takes around 10 hours to complete) Sogeumgang Course. The Sogeumgang Courses passes through forests, beautiful gorges and rivers towards Noinbong Peak.

Guryong Falls in autumn
(image credit: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=789858)

Noinbong Peak in Odaesan National Park
(image credit: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/6232468#)

[Hotel Review] - Holiday Inn Resorts (1 Bedroom Suite), Batam, Indonesia (26 - 27 Aug 17)

I recently received an offer email from Holiday Inn Resorts Batam. The offer is a value for money, which includes ferry tickets for 2 pax, 1 night stay in a 1 bedroom suite with breakfast for 2, a 60-min message in the Tea Tree Spa in the resort grounds and return land transfer from ferry terminal to the resort for the price of SGD240 nett. 

Hotel signage at the entrance

Location

Holiday Inn Resorts Batam is located on the western part of the island, in a rather isolated part of Batam. The resort is about 30 mins drive from the shopping district of Nagoya Hill. Other than Waterfront City Ferry Terminal and a sleepy town of Waterfront City, which is just opposite the resort, there are not much happening in the vicinity of Holiday Inn Batam. Patrons can forget about shopping options around the resort. However the Holiday Inn Resort Batam provides complementary shuttle transfers to and from the resort to Nagoya Hill City from 6am till 10 pm daily. The hotel also provides regular shuttle service to the 2 nearby ferry terminals of Waterfront City and Sekupang. These shuttle services are tied to the departure timings of ferries.

Complementary shuttle service from the ferry terminal as well as to Nagoya Hill shopping district

Reception building in Holiday Inn Resorts Batam

The Suite

Dinning Area

As I entered the 60㎡suite, I immediately entered into the dinning area. The dinning area of the suite is simply furnished with a round table with 4 chairs. A small kitchenette, built by the walls of the suite is found behind the table, next to the main entrance of the suite. Rather than calling it a kitchenette, this area serves more like a pantry where one can find an electric kettle and a container where complementary drinks such as coffee, tea and a couple of drinking water welcomed guests. The mini fridge is well hidden inside one of the cabinets here. There are a number of cabinets in the pantry area, however these cabinets are empty, which makes this area seem poorly furnished.

Dinning table in the suite

Sparsely furnished kitchenette 

These are the only items found in the kitchenette on top of the mini fridge

Main entrance to the suite and the dinning area

Living Room

Connected to the dinning area further into the suite, is where one will land into the living area. The living area is furnished with a 2 seater couch. A coffee table is placed in front of the couch. Tucked in one corner is where one can find a 32" LCD TV placed on the TV console. There are no ceiling lightings in the living room, rather it is lighted with a couple of floor lamps, which gave me a warm and cosy feeling in the night with the lights turned on. Similar to the dinning area, the living area is  furnished with very minimal number of furniture, making entertaining guests a tad difficult due to the lack of sitting area. The plus side of having only the essential furniture makes the living room look large.

A cosy 2-seater couch and a coffee table in the living room

The TV is placed in one corner of the living room, next to the entrance to the bedroom

Balcony

Beyond the living room is a small balcony that overlooks the main swimming pool in Holiday Inn Resort Batam. The balcony is furnished with 2 wooden chairs and a wooden table. The balcony is great place to hang out and relax.

Wooden chairs are found in the balcony

Bedroom

Opposite the 2-seater couch in the living room is the entrance to the bedroom. The bedroom is separated from the living room with a 2-panel sliding wooden door. Inside, the bedroom is furnished with a queen size bed, placed by the wall. A couple of bedside tables provides space for guests to place some small items onto. A dressing table is placed in one corner of the bedroom, next to the windows. There is a small table placed next to the bed for guests to put their luggage onto.

The bedroom is fairly large with the Queen bed and side tables

Desk in the bedroom, there are no TV in the bedroom of the suite

Table for guests to put their luggage on is found in the bedroom

Bathroom

Inside the bedroom, one can find a small corridor that leads to the wardrobe. The wooden wardrobe looks worn, but still serves its intended function of allowing guests to hand their clothing onto. The suite that I stayed does not come with bathrobe. Other than places to hand clothing, an in-room safe is also found inside the wardrobe.

The corridor that leads to the wardrobe and the bathroom inside the bedroom of the suite

A rather small wardrobe with in-room safe

The entrance to the bathroom is located next to the wardrobe. The bathroom is rather small for a suite. The toilet bowl seem to cramp beside the bathtub, which is also where guests would take their shower in. There are no separate walk-in shower stalls. Opposite the toilet bowl is where one would find the sink. The sink area provides sufficient space for guests to stow their toiletries. There are no power sockets in the bathroom for guests to charge their shaver. The hotel seem to undergo some form of cost cutting measures. Holiday Inn uses a standard house brand toiletries throughout the world. However during my stay only a single bottle of shampoo is their house brand, the other bath amenities are not that of the Holiday Inn brand amenities. 

Bathroom with bathtub. There are no separate walk-in showers

Shower in the bathtub

Sink area in the bathroom

Swimming Pool

The centre piece of Holiday Inn resort is the large free form swimming pool, located in the centre of the resort. The swimming pool is a great place to get a tan or relax by. There are a number of suntan chairs by the pool for guests to tan on. There is also a jacuzzi area by the side of the pool. Beside the swimming pool is another pool area for children. There is a slide and a small river structure to ensure young guests have a great time in.

View of the free form pool from the balcony 

Part of the children pool

Swimming pool in the evening

There is another lap pool in the hotel premises. The in-door lap pool is located beside the only Chinese Restaurant, Dragon Inn in the hotel. The pool was still in good condition and is functional during my last stay. However this time round, the pool seem abandoned. Even the towel counter beside the pool is covered with a layer of dust. 

The disused and poorly maintained lap pool in the resort premises

Gym

The resort has a functional gym, located behind the blocks where the rooms are. The gym occupies the entire single-level building, and is rather spacious. There are equipment such as treadmills and a weight machine that allows guests to get a decent, but limited workout. The equipment, however looks poorly maintained as there are rusts on the weight machine.

The gym

There are limited equipment in the gym

Some of the equipment in the gym

Tea Tree Spa

Tea Tree Spa is Holiday Inn Resort Batam's in-house spa facilities. There are numerous spa villas that will be assigned to patrons who come here for a massage. The villas have a Balinese feel to it and one will definitely feel relaxed when entering the spa premises. Walk pass the reception, one would come to a Balinese gateway to enter into the spa premises. A large straw hut Jacuzzi welcomes patrons and hotel guests to soak their tired bodies away. Entering into the spa villa, one is immediately being transported to Bali, a sense of zen and tranquility plus the use of aromatherapy oil during massage, guarantees to wisp whatever fatigue one might have away. After the massage, one would be given options of ginger tea or lemongrass tea to complete the massage session. I always enjoy the top notch spa massages in Tea Tree Spa, the masseuse whom was assigned to me, though petite in size, she applied great strength when giving me the massage, while constantly asking if the strength is okay. Do come here and book your session early, as they are always fully booked.  

Tea Tree Spa

Massage menu

Massage Menu

Entrance to Tea Tree Spa

Jacuzzi inside Tea Tree Spa grounds

The massage villas have a Balinese feel to it

Sauna in Tea Tree Spa

Bathtub in the massage villa 

Inside the massage villa

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at the Terrace Cafe, located on the first floor in the building where the reception is. The breakfast served is rather standard, similar to those that one can find in any other hotels. Other than the usual pastries and the continental choices, there are also some local delights. The food tasted decent and nothing impressive, although it does the job of giving me the energy to get the day going.

Indoor seating in Terrace Cafe

Outdoor seating in Terrace Cafe where breakfast is served

Service

The service in Holiday Inn Resorts Batam is exceptional. Upon our arrival, the hotel staff checked us in promptly. They took note of my IHG membership and welcomed me as a IHG member. I was given a letter that comes with the perks exclusively for IHG members staying in the hotel. However when asked if I could have a higher floor suite as stated in my preference when I booked the package, I was met with a cold answer that the hotel was fully booked, with the staff did not even appear to be checking the system to see if a suite has opened up. Other than this little incident, staffs around in the hotel are generally quite welcoming.

The good service at the reception continued the next day when I was enquiring about the shuttle service to the ferry terminal. I was well advised on the timing of the shuttle that I should be catching in order for us to make it in time for our ferry back to Singapore. I called the reception from the suite when I realised that I have mistaken the timing, the staff at the other end of the line replied very politely about my need to change the timing of the shuttle and gave advise on the time I should be at the lobby to process the check-out procedures and make it in time for the shuttle. Upon check-out I was handed a small moment from the hotel with products from Tea Tree Spa in recognition of me being an IHG member. This thoughtful gesture is welcomed and goes to show that the hotel paid particular attention to IHG members.

The staffs at Tea Tree Spa is forever welcoming.  I was there on 2 occasions, once when booking a time slot for the complementary message and the other time for the massage. Both times the staff ensured that  I was made to feel welcome and attended to me promptly. I was offered tea where the staff took prepared without letting me wait for longer than it is necessary. The masseuse at the spa was excellent, not only with their skill of massage but also with their service. They introduced themselves and welcomed us to Tea Tree Spa. Before any procedures, they would take the time to give a brief introduction of the materials being used for the massage. Every now and then, they would always check if the strength used was okay.

The service at Terrace Cafe is good as well. Staffs were seen clearing the plates promptly and would promptly attend to our requests while having breakfast.

Reception in Holiday Inn Resorts Batam

Welcome gift for IHG members

Overall

Holiday Inn Resort Batam is a great place to unwind and relax, especially so with the package that they offer through email (it is not available on their website). The lack of amenities outside the hotel and the distance from shopping belt in Batam did not bother me as I was expecting to stay in the resort premises throughout my stay. The suite, however feels dated and maintenance could be better, nonetheless, I had a relaxing time lazing around the suite. There are signs around Holiday Inn Resorts Batam that goes to show the lack of maintenance, however the main pool is well maintained. Service is good with staffs that are always welcoming and smiling at guests, even when one walks pass the reception. I would recommend Holiday Inn Batam for those of us who just want to stay in the resort, make use of the facilities and have a massage session with the Tea Tree Spa.