5-star luxury
This is what is touted on the website of Daemyung Resort, the umbrella company for a chain of resorts around South Korea that Sol Beach belongs to. I couldn’t agree more. Sol Beach resort provides a touch of Spain in the mountainous north-eastern region of South Korea. It’s a large 5 star hotel and resort that reflects the terracotta charm inspired by traditional Spanish design. Situated right on the beach and with views of the Seoraksan mountain ranges, I felt way out of my league but the warm hospitality and charm of the Korean hotel workers made my friend Maria and I feel like VIPs. Considering our mirror reflections were the only western foreigners we saw all weekend, we attributed this to our special treatment or maybe this is just what one should expect from a 5 star hotel. I don’t know – I’ve never had to luxury of staying in such a resort! So here a little recount of the weekend that was.
La la la la la… it was as though I were floating on cloud 9… except that I wasn’t in heaven but in South Korea, and I wasn’t floating on a cloud but I was floating on water, and I wasn’t listening to the angels strumming their harps but instead, a recording of birds tweeting a melodic tune. OK, so it might not have been cloud 9 per se, but it darn close.
This was our little slice of heaven for the weekend. Maria and I treated ourselves to a 2hr ‘Mar therapy’ session. Basically, it entails the following. Firstly, you are taken to a sauna were you get lathered in a seaweed lotion and sit to bake for about 20 minutes before being hosed down by seawater. Next you hop into a hydro-massaging spa for about 15 minutes and then go floating around in water with the help of ‘buoyancy devices’ whilst listening to underwater music therapy and being massaged by the circling ‘pool girls’. You then go jump in an open coffin-like bed full of herby soil. Only covered by a potato-like sack, you then get buried in the 55 degree stuff with just your head exposed (if you have a fear of being buried alive, then this ain’t for you!) – more adequately described as ‘enzyme therapy’. This was followed by ‘sound therapy’, where you lie on a bed with earphones playing relaxing nature music and the music vibrations massaging your back, with a heat-pack on your belly and terminator-like strap contraptions that massage your legs. Finally, a few sips of herbal tea to top it all off and wha-la!!! – you are completely rejuvenated and feel like you could take down the invincible Chuck Norris. It was slightly on the bizarre side for one unaccustomed to such things but nevertheless, simply incredible! Need I say more?
Following this little experience, my host family then took us to the famous seaside harbor of Sokcho for dinner where we were served up sea squirt, cuttlefish, sashimi and tempura prawns. Post-feasting, my host father purchased some firecrackers from the street stalls and I was granted the pleasure of letting one off on the beach. I felt like Harry Potter waving a magic wand as I wielded the crackers in a continuous firing frenzy into the night sky. Frightfully cold from the wind, we retreated to our hotel room for some well deserved sleep.
Sightseeing on Sunday involved a drive to the beach then up Seorak Mountain to check out the mammoth bronze Buddha statue, some temples, a short walk along the rocky riverbeds that curve around the feet of the mountains and a drive up to the windy peak (or at least, the highest part of the mountain where cars can drive to). It was so beautiful, even if most of the trees were scant of leaves and the wind was so strong that anyone weighing less than 40 kg runs the risk of becoming airborne!
And so that was pretty much it. A lengthy 5 or so hour drive home, some Ddeok Mandu Guk for dinner (a personal favourite now), a quick trip to E-mart and finally, I was able to retreat into my own bed at ‘home’, having taken on a whole new level of satisfaction.
