Alpensia Ski Resort :Holiday Inn Review

Holiday Inn Alpensia

We want to see snow.


That was our main plan for planning a holiday in December. Scanning the world map and local temperature, we figured that South Korea will be a good bet to achieve our aim. After deciding on the country, we chose Holiday Inn and Suites @ Alpensia Ski Resort as our snow destination.

Getting there

After a 6.5 hours long flight and an additional 3 hours bus ride, we finally reached Alpensia. The bus to Alpensia should be pre-book before the trip to ensure that you get a ride up the mountains.

It was about 0 degrees when we reached the resort. Unlike our expectations, it was not a snow-covered resort that greeted us. Rather it was patches of hard ice formed due to previous snowfall. It was a tad disappointing but some snow is better than none, right?

You can book your transfer here

The Room

Alpensia Holiday Inn  Suite

Our room for the stay was the three-bedroom suite. Each room comes with an open concept living and dining room. It comes with a mini kitchenette with a microwave if you intend to whip up a meal. The spacious unit was great as we were travelling in a group of 6.

Holiday Inn Alpensia Suite

The room comes with 2 Rooms with standard bedding of one king-size bed and a twin bed. The remaining bedroom does not come with a bed. It was just an empty room where the heated floor will be your bed. We ended up not using it as we were not used to sleeping on floors... it is a bit hard lah and being creatures of comfort, we would rather squeeze in the soft 'not so big for 4' bed.

You can book your room here

Holiday Inn Alpensia Suite

Snow  - Snow - Snow

We had an early night and was greeted with the above sight at the break of dawn. Our prayers were answered and it began to snow!

Snow @ Alpensia

Within a few hours, the whole resort was clad in snow. From snow paved roads to the snowy roof, we were in a winter wonderland.

It was hard not to be enamoured by the sight of snow. Coming from Sunny Singapore where we only have endless summer, this was an experience that we will savour.

It was our first official snowfall too.

Unlike the snow(aka foam) we experienced in Singapore, this soft fluffy snow was the real deal.

It sure looked like Winter Sonata from here.

As the day progressed, the snow escalated into a mini blizzard.

In truth, it was not something we mind.

Let's be honest.

How often can you sleep on the floor without your parents screaming at you?

The resort staff was hard at work ploughing the snow to ensure we have a path to walk. Franky, we thought that walking on snow was a lot more fun...

Breakfast options were rather limited at Alpensia. We headed to Angelinus Coffee to have our waffles and sandwich before the first activity on the Agenda.

Angelinus@ Alpensia

Snow Sled @ Alpensia Ski Resort

After a hearty breakfast, it was time to head to the snow ski slopes.

If you intend to ski, Alpensia will be a good starting point, especially for beginners. You can choose to have lessons there before the start of your ski experiences.

Since we were with our cousins, we decided that snow sledge might be more appropriate for the lot as it would be meant we could enjoy the activities together.

You can opt for snow sledge by the hour or take the half or full day package. We decided that a half-day deal would be good enough for us.

Snow Sled at Alpensia

Off we go!

Snow Sled may look relatively easy, but it was quite a ride to race down the slope.

Snow Sledge

We took about 10 trips up and down the snow sledge.  If you are travelling with kids, this will be a must-do activity at Alpensia.

The Playground

Playground at Alepnsia

Our next stop was the snow-clad playground.

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Time for a snow fight!

In between snow fights, we managed to build snowman too.

We loved how chilled we were during the trip. There was no rush from one point to another.

Just a walk in the snow is already an adventure.

We reckoned that if you are looking for an action-filled holiday, a snow resort may not be your cup of tea. If you intend to just wind down, relax, spend time with family. An ideal cosy affair in Winter Wonderland.

Restaurants

There are plenty of food options you can choose at the resort. From local Korea food, Korea BBQ, Japanese food, Pizza, burgers, you probably can find your preferred meal during the stay. Breakfast is limited so we recommend you to head to the hotel restaurant for buffet.

If you are staying for more than 2 nights (We stayed for 3 nights) , you might like to consider a trip to YongPyong Resort located less than 10 minutes away by taxi. Transportation might be an issue, so we suggest that you make the necessary return with the hotel before you leave for the resort.

The 2 main activities you can do there is to take a cable car up to Dragon Peak and to try another variant of snow sledge -snow tube rides.

Snow Tires @ YongPyong REsort

Between snow sledge and snow tube, our choice would be the snow tube ride. The gradient was steeper and it was a blast bouncing up and down on the slopes.

Check out our video to see what we meant.

After 4 days and 3 nights at Alpensia , it is time to say goodbye.

Our next destination is Seoul. Have a glimpse of our adventure here.

If you are heading to Alpensia Ski Resort in 2017 or 2018, do remember to bring home an Olympic Souvenir as this city is the location for the 2018 Winter Olympics

2018 Winter Olympics PyeongChang

If you are travelling from Singapore, Alpensia would probably be the fastest and most economical way to see snow. While we were there, we came across many families from Singapore. Alpensia is probably not a hidden gem to many. It was not on our radar before this trip... however, after the holiday, we would love to come back for the snowy experience.

So till the next time.

ANNYEONG.