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Yanggakdo Island, Pyongyang, North Korea
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Vamanosxx
- Reviews: 9
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Runner's Paradise
My first night in the hotel, we met our guides Mr. Lee and Che in the hotel lounge. I asked them if it would be possible to go for a jog in Pyongyang. "Of course!", they said. You can jog around the hotel!" Great! I thought--I had noticed that there was a nice running trail completely around Yanggak Island that the hotel is located on.
But the next morning before breakfast I searched for a way to get to the path and couldn't find one. I asked Mr. Lee and Che how to get to the trail, but they didn't know. I asked a couple people at the front desk and they didn't know. So, that night I did some reconnoitering from the 38th floor and discovered the secret stairway that leads to the path.
The next morning was perfect for a run so I jogged down the stairs and found a way down to the river path. It's a beautiful place to run! Unfortunately, there are fences across the path so you can't jog completely around the island and you're confined to what I'd guess is a 1.5 km loop back and forth between the fences. OK so it's not a Runner's Paradise, but if you don't mind seeing the same scenery, it's definitely a nice place to run. Just before you get to the little house blocking one end of the trail, there is a set of stairs that will lead you through a little garden area and to the golf course. You can add that circuit to your run.
To find the secret stairs: Walk out the front door of the Yanggakdo Hotel, about 50m straight across the parking lot to the flag pole to the left of the main roadway. Go down the stairs next to the flag pole. The stairs end at a concrete bunker building. About 10m to the right is a footpath that will drop you down to another set of stairs to the river.
I think you can access the trail through one of the hotel restaurants, too, but I never saw any open doors, so I don't know.
Unique Quality: I especially liked the telephones in the bathrooms. Nice touch!
- Opinion of Price: N/A
- Related to: Hiking and Walking
- Written May 15, 2011
Yanggakdo Hotel Photo: The running path is just below here.
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Willettsworld
- Reviews: 8151
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Amenities
As you can't go outside and wander around the streets of Pyongyang at night, the Yanggakdo Hotel has some good amenities to keep you occupied at night. For starters there's a three lane computerised bowling alley, heated swimming pool, billiard tables and ping-pong tables in the basement, 2 or 3 shops selling food and drink and non-food items such as clothing and even old walkmans, a souvenir shop selling traditional Korean dresses and jewellery, a bookshop selling propaganda, a bar on the ground floor near reception, a casino, a Korean style karaoke bar, four restaurants including a revolving one with a bar on the 47th floor and a 9 hole mini-golf course. It's possible to exchange money for North Korea currency at official rates and to mail postcards and letters from a desk to the right of reception. Bring with you either US dollars, Euro's (including lots of change) and Chinese RMB as these are all accepted.
- Opinion of Price: N/A
Yanggakdo Hotel
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Willettsworld
- Reviews: 8151
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On its own island so there's no escape!
This is said to be one of the best tourist hotels in Pyongyang and it didn't disappoint. My tour party of 12 had rooms on the 39th floor which offered great views over the city. The hotel itself is one of the highest buildings in the city and is built on an island which means you can't get off if you feel like taking a walk. My room was very well decorated and clean and tiny, everything you expect from a western style 4-5 star hotel. I had a TV which actually had BBC World news as one of the channels, a fridge, safe, 2 single beds etc. The bathroom even came with hotel named little bottles of shampoo and soap etc. See my next tip on the hotels amenities.
Unique Quality: Ha! Well, where to start. Fairly normally inside but then you can't escape from it. Apart from that it has a bowling alley, swimming pool, billiard tables and ping-pong tables in the basement, 2 or 3 shops selling food and drink and non-food items such as clothing and even old walkmans, a souvenir shop selling traditional Korean dresses and jewellery, a bookshop selling propaganda, a bar on the ground floor near reception, a casino, a Korean style karaoke bar, four restaurants including a revolving one with a bar on the 47th floor and a 9 hole mini-golf course.
- Opinion of Price: N/A
Yanggakdo Hotel
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CliffClaven
- Reviews: 609
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Island seclusion
Most western tour groups are accommodated in the Yanggakdo Hotel, located on Yanggak island in the Taedong river. Tourists are allowed to walk outside the hotel, but since it is on an island they are not going to get far. The rooms look rather dated but they are functional, with constant electricity and hot water, foreign satellite channels on TV and a working but empty refrigerator. The hotel employees are reserved but occasionally even friendly.
- Opinion of Price: most expensive
Yanggakdo Hotel
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jEnbiannce
- Reviews: 9
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Hotel at P'yongyang
The hotel, complete with meeting rooms, restaurants, a nightclub, and a revolving bar at the top, is located on a small island in the center of the Taedong River. Relatively isolated, with the only connections to the rest of the city being two bridges, the hotel seemed a perfect spot to house foreigners. Though free to walk the grounds any attempt to leave the island was regulated by our guides and the guards on the premises. We could leave - as long as we had permission and went with one of our guides.
The rooms were big with incredible views stretching from the heart of Pyongyang to the distant countryside. They had beds, hot water, fridges (though no little rip-off mini-bars in the People's Republic) and, for all we know, bugs. Any time we talked in the rooms we tried to keep things general, especially avoiding direct criticism of the Kim clan. Were they bugged? I don't know. Could we have gotten into trouble for saying something negative about the Kims? Again, I don't know. But there's something about the pervasive presence of big brother in the North that discourages regime commentary until the voyage home.
- Opinion of Price: less expensive than average
- Related to: Budget Travel
Yanggakdo Hotel Photo: Yanggakdo International Hotel
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rsudic
- Reviews: 201
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Second best hotel in Pyongyang
One of the biggest hotel in the country. We couldn't choose anything because agency arrange everything. Astonishing view guaranteed (not so many tourist for such a big hotel).
Bowling, beauty saloon, casino, karaoke hall, barber's, billiard saloon, shop, bookshop, post office.
Several restaurants. TV with not only N.Korean program (BBC international).
Also, we spent most of our money in hotel shops (souvenirs and chips and liquids).
- Opinion of Price: most expensive
- Related to: Architecture
Yanggakdo Hotel Photo: my friend in front of hotel
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Carino
- Reviews: 833
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Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang
Nothing to complain. Power was running all the time, water was hot (not necessairities in North Korea!) and our room was cleaned well.
Details about the hotel: 48 Stories, 1001 rooms, various restaurants, shops, casino, etc.
Unique Quality: You don't have a choice....
- Opinion of Price: N/A
Yanggakdo Hotel Photo: Yanggakdo International Hotel, Pyongyang
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Yanggakdo Hotel
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
- Yanggakdo Hotel Pyongyang
Address: Yanggakdo Island, Pyongyang, North Korea