The legendary Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang

#Dragon Boat Festival good places 📍Address: Yanggakdo Island, Taedong River, Pyongyang, North Korea ⭐️Hotel background: Yanggakdo International Hotel is one of the two most luxurious first-class hotels in North Korea and is famous throughout the world as a landmark building in Pyongyang. The hotel was built in 1995 as a joint venture between the North Korean government and France. It is located on the top of Yanggakdo Island on the Taedong River (it is said that local residents are restricted from entering the island❗️). It is surrounded by water and has a quiet environment. It is connected to the outside world only by a bridge. The hotel covers an area of ​​100,000 square meters, has 47 floors and a height of about 170 meters. It has a total of 1,001 guest rooms, all of which offer direct views of the Taedong River. The hotel not only undertakes the task of receiving foreign tourists, but is also regarded as an important window for North Korea to display its image to the outside world. ⭐️Hotel design: The design of Yanggakdo International Hotel combines the design concepts of Western hotels with local Korean characteristics. Standing on the island, the building has a modern and majestic appearance, with a simple and smooth overall shape. There is a circular revolving restaurant on the top, overlooking the panoramic view of Pyongyang. The hotel lobby is spacious and bright, with luxurious decoration. Compared with domestic new-style luxury hotels, the interior design style tends to be that of the 1980s, with both a retro feel and a modern feel. The hotel's sightseeing elevator, designed with transparent glass, transports travelers from all over the world up and down, and passengers can enjoy the view of the Taedong River during the ride. It is worth mentioning that the hotel’s elevator never stops on the fifth floor. It is said that the fifth floor is the equipment floor, which is also a point of curiosity for tourists. ⭐️Hotel Facilities: ➡️There are 1,000 guest rooms in total, including special rooms, first-class rooms and ordinary rooms. The number of rooms is sufficient, but the decoration level is roughly equivalent to the standards of domestic three- to four-star hotels. The interior is clean and simple, and is no different from the old three "beds, mirrors, and tables" in the guesthouses when my country was first opened to the outside world more than 40 years ago. ➡️The hotel has complete facilities, including a swimming pool, bowling alley, table tennis hall, gym, beauty salon, souvenir shop, etc., which can meet the entertainment needs of international tourists who usually stay at home at night without wifi and signal. However, there will always be opportunities to sneak out of the hotel and get to know the people❗️ ➡️The banquet hall and four restaurants in the hotel offer Korean, Chinese and Western food, both meat and vegetarian. You can also taste the local specialty beer. The revolving restaurant on the top floor is a popular check-in spot for tourists, offering a 360-degree view of Pyongyang city scenery (returning to the China World Trade Center in Shenzhen in an instant❗️) ➡️It is worth mentioning that the hotel's communication facilities are relatively backward. The TV could not even show the World Cup that was popular at the time. There was only a news program with a North Korean anchor lady on loop. International long-distance calls could not be made in the room, and one had to go to the telephone hall on the first floor and pay for them. ⭐️Hotel services: As an important foreign-related hotel, the hotel is known for its thoughtful and meticulous service. The hotel staff are generally well-trained and their service attitude is friendly but not overly attentive. I remember playing bowling with my friends. The Korean lady who received us was always smiling and patiently taught us how to use the old bowling machine. I can still vividly remember the four-day and three-night trip to Pyongyang, North Korea seven years ago. I experienced a completely self-sufficient hotel trip at the Yanggakdo Hotel, learned how to kill time in an environment without WiFi signals, made my first international call to report my safety home, experienced old-fashioned bowling, got up at three in the morning for the first time, secretly avoided the front desk and slipped out across the Yanggak Bridge to conduct in-depth folk investigations, etc. These all constitute the most precious travel moments in life. #luxuryhotel #Pyongyang, North Korea #Yanggakdo #North Koreatravel #Pyongyang #hotelrecommendation