Whether you are PCSing in/out or just visiting Seoul, The
Dragon Hill Lodge on USAG Yongsan is a great place to stay. It is located on
Yongsan’s South Post, convenient to Gate 1 for going off-post, and central to
pretty much everything on-post. Not to mention, it’s a gorgeous hotel. Many
times during our stay, folks were just sitting and reading in the lobby’s
seating area or working on their laptops at the tables downstairs by the
windows.
Cost: Nightly rates
vary based on rank, leave status, PCS/TDY, number of guests. For those on
leave, rates for a double occupancy room range from $72-$93. This is probably
the best rate you are going to find for a hotel in this area of Seoul. For
those who are PCSing in or out and are receiving TLA for reimbursement, rates
are higher. $230 for double occupancy and if you are a family of four, you will
be paying $290. The PCS rates are even
higher for those with a family of 5 or more because you will have two
rooms. More rate information can be
found here: Guestroom
Rates. If you are traveling for leisure, the Dragon Hill Lodge (or DHL to
many of the locals) often has tons of specials that can get you more bang for
your buck. You can find them on their website here: Special Offers
Reservations: Reservations
can be made online on the Dragon
Hill’s website by clicking Reservations
(first option at the top of the page). If you are making reservations for 5
or more people, they ask that you email them instead at reservations@dragonhilllodge.com.
If you are PCSing inbound, it’s recommended that you make your reservation in
advance (we made ours as soon as we had our flight date). It is also
recommended that you reserve your room for 60 days. You aren’t charged anything
until after you check-in, there is no penalty for an early check-out, and you
never know how long you will have to stay there waiting for housing. You don’t
want to have to change hotels with all your luggage in tow! If you need to
cancel, you must call and do so before 6pm local time on the day you are to
check in, or you will be charged for one night’s stay.
Room: Our
personal experience PCSing with a family of 4 was a room with two double beds. We
had a small kitchenette that included refrigerator, a microwave, a toaster, a
sink, and a very small coffee maker. Dishes and eating utensils were also
provided; free wi-fi and cable TV as well. All outlets were American 110v.
Housekeepers cleaned our room every day and brought us fresh towels and more
coffee pods. No laundry services but there are FREE washers/dryers on every
floor.
Naturally, with two little boys, these are the only photos I
took of the room. We were there for a month so they came up with new games to
play everyday.
Places to Eat:
One really nice thing about this place is that there are many choices for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner without even leaving the building! For quick
options, they have Subway and Pizza Hut. They also have an ice cream place
called Sundaes and a place called The
Deli which serves a variety of baked goods including donuts, croissants,
breakfast burritos, lunch sandwiches, cakes, pies, etc. We got breakfast from
here a lot. For a nicer restaurant, there are Greenstreet (American food),
Oasis (Mexican), and Sables (more upscale). We tried Greenstreet and Oasis
during our stay and both were good. Greenstreet has a different cuisine buffet
every night and children 4 & under eat at the buffet for free with the
purchase of an adult buffet or entrée. We didn’t try Sables only because we had
two small children in tow and it seemed to be more for adults only, but I’ve
heard it’s good as well. There’s also a Pub located inside the hotel, and
Burger King & Popeyes are only a short walk away.
Shoppette:
There is an AAFES shoppette inside the Dragon Hill Lodge, but be advised that
you will need a rations card to buy anything from here (this does not apply to
the sponsor). If you don’t have your rations card yet, have your sponsor go to
1st Replacement and get a stamp on his/her PCS orders. Dependents
can use these stamped orders for the first 30 days in country until they get
their rations card.
Pets: Pets
are unfortunately not allowed in guest rooms. If you are just arriving
in-bound, your pet may stay on the loading dock (in kennel) for one night. The
next day you must take them to the Yongsan Pet Care Center (or make other
arrangements) to stay there for the duration of your stay at the Dragon Hill. The Pet Care Center is located at Building
5256 on South Post and their contact number is DSN 736-6426.
Pool/Gym: The Point is the Dragon Hill Lodge’s Gym
and Pool and it is free for guests. Be sure to bring your room key with you to
the gym, as you will need it to get on the elevator back into the guest rooms
area of the building. We did not use the pool during our stay, but both my
husband and I thought the gym was very nice. They have many cardio machines
(treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes) and also plenty of
weight-lifting machines and equipment.
Other Amenities:
Inside the Dragon Hill, you also find many little shops including:
Destinations -
travel agency
Blossoms - flower
shop
Clippers - beauty
salon
Community Bank –
full-service bank & ATMs that distribute USD and KRW (Korean won)
Creases - 24hr
dry-cleaning
Bagman - bag and
purse shop
Dongbu Rent-A-Car
The Discover Seoul desk
- for tours, travel, and local event information and tickets
Dynasty - reproduction antique furniture
Needle & Thread - custom
dress maker
Sports Massage
Gallery Gift Shop
Tweeds - custom suits
And more than I’m sure I’m forgetting!
Dragon Hill Lodge
Address:
Unit 15355
APO AP 96205
Phone Number:
DSN 738-2222
from Korean Cell Phone 050-3338-2222
International 82-2-790-0016
Website:
