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DRAGON HILL LODGE - Updated 2024 Specialty Hotel Reviews (Seoul, South Korea)
Dragon Hill Lodge is a resort part of the USA's Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) Resorts brand, which provides an array of affordable, wholesome vacation opportunities to US Service Members, families, and other authorized patrons. The Dragon Hill Lodge is the perfect gateway for exploring Seoul, the Korean peninsula, and the rest of the Northeast Asian region. It is located in the heart of Seoul, which is well connected by public transportation and has fantastic international airport accessibility. The hotel is well-equipped with comfortable guestrooms, personalized Discover Seoul guided trips and tours, 24hr fitness areas, pools and hot tubs, American-style restaurants and deli, and plenty of meeting and banquet space for special events. Its location in Seoul is great for those looking to explore all that the city has to offer, and is a short walk away from Itaewon, one of the city's most popular tourist destinations.
Yongsan 3-ga, Yongsan-gu Yongsan U.S. Army Base, Building #4050, Seoul South Korea
Name/address in local language
Dragon Hill Lodge
239 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Really loved our stay at Dragon Hill we had an amazing view of the Seoul Tower for the first week and then our last 3 days we had a view of the garden. Rooms are very spacious, comfortable and clean. Kept hearing banging noises from the air vents at all times of the day. If you need dishes you have to ask for it and you will have to purchase your own dish soap and sponge.Also water pressure is very low in the shower and toilet.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:If you try to use the AAFES taxi make sure you call them to get a taxi. Don’t text you won’t get...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in the Deluxe Suite and it was wonderful. The bed is comfortable and the shower has a strong spray and the room was big and roomy. The staff were very nice and the director of the hotel helped us immensely with ensuring the passes for our guests were at the gate and also helped in ensuring our lost luggage made it to our hotel. The restaurants were good and very convenient to have in the hotel. I don’t understand any of the previous negative reviews in that we had a lovely stay.
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:The hotel offers just a few excursions but we booked others through Viator that had pickup at the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I’ve been staying at the Dragon Hill off and on since 2008. Although the glory days of Yongsan Garrison are long gone and Itaewon has lost its foreigner identity, the DHL is still an excellent value. Every other comparable hotel is about 450 USD a night. The location and grounds make this my pick.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pet Friendly = “we’ll take your extra $60, not allow your dog to poop anywhere, and not do any extra cleaning even though we say that’s what the extra fee is for”. Pets cost an extra $50 (non refundable) and then an extra $10 per pet, per night. We have two old dogs we bring with us that end up costing more than the room rate. I asked multiple housekeepers what extra cleaning they do to the pet rooms and not one of them said there was anything different, yet the hotel charges exorbitant pet fees for nothing. They say they’re pet friendly yet I counted 3 “No Dogs Allowed” signs in the grass by the waterfall and several others around the perimeter of the property. I asked the front desk staff where our dogs were supposed to go to the bathroom and they said we should just ignore the signs. The only thing that’s pet friendly about this place is that their pockets get full while charging extra fees for no reason! Shameful! Better is expected from a military resort that’s supposed to cater to military families. News flash!! Military families include pets!
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
As a retired military member I wanted to take advantage of the price benefits that military Lodges offer. Little did I know that the majority of taxi drivers had no knowledge where the gate to enter was. Not on Google or GPS. Finally found "gate 1". Then we had to lug our luggage up to the gate guard to check in. Once inside the gate then you go up a slight hill to where the lodge is located. No taxi service (other than Armed forces approved taxi service is available but you have to schedule it in advance. ($80 at time of this review). From airport.
Check in was easy. The room clean. Toilet was a surprise, it looked like a RV Mini tub with a hole in it. The flush was a side button which you had to bend down towards the toilet to push. The shower was a spray and unable to adjust. The restaurant food is good. Expect to pay what you would back in the states. Average breakfast for 2 was $34 . There is a mini Px inside. Emergency type tolitetries are available. Microwave foods. No ice cream. Soda ($2.00) each. They do have case of water.
There is a subway sandwich shop and pizza. The deli that should be called a donut shop because the person who makes food was only there 1 or 2 days a week. you are not close to any facilities on post or off. Yes you can rent car but be ready for extremely havy traffic. The commissary is not close or the main PX. There is no inpost bus service that stops at the lodge. Outside it's a bit of a walk to the bus lines and the subway. Finally, make sure you get a Korean sim card at the airport for your phone. You can even get a "loner" phone that you return when you leave Korea.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Alexander Paik, Marketing at Dragon Hill Lodge
Responded Nov 17, 2022
Hello Rick, thank you for your feedback. We understand getting on post is not always easy, and there has been a bit more traffic nearby in recent days as well. In case you or someone you know is considering a stay with us in the future, we do offer information about getting to the hotel and Gate 1 on our website, including information in Korean for taxi drivers. This info is also available on the back of everyone's keycard, for easy reference after they check-in. As the tourism industry in Korea continues to normalize and improve following the loosening of travel restrictions, we will be taking valuable feedback like yours in furthering our services and facilities to better the experience for guests.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
From the parking to the sports massage and the Korean bell bought in the gift shops... I wouldn't change a thing! Exactly what you want for a hotel for your family. Good and very very reasonably priced food and drinks, excellent pool and hot tub (which was very hot!), good facilities, nothing were missed or needed either as there was a small shop INSIDE the hotel just a quick few steps and elevator buttons away! Excellent, excellent and excellent. Book it asap. You won't regret it if you appreciate travelling and the need for comfort, convenience, and a subtle taste of luxury.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My husband and I took a weekend trip here from Osan with our 3 year old. We LOVED it! The service was outstanding. The food at the on-site restaurants was great. The grounds behind the hotel are beautiful. We had the best view of the Seoul Tower. I would love to visit again.
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I had wanted to stay here for YEARS. We stayed here 2 times during our 2 week vacation to S. Korea...5 nights coming in and 1 1/2 on the way out.
If you arrive at Incheon Airport, go all the way down to Station 1. They have shuttles, free of charge, several times a day. Or, they will call you a direct cab that will pick you up directly and take you to the front door of "The Dragon". 75,000Won or $65.00US. About a 45 minutes drive. There is also an express train that will take you to Seoul Station for about half the price...not so good after a long flight in. Same time frame.
Check in was cold and took a bit as there was only one lone clerk there. We first stayed in the Soldier's Tower...the older, I assume. Hallway was dark and so was the room. 2 queen beds, with a kitchen area and walk in shower. The whole room was outdated but clean. Nothing to use in the kitchen area. We had to use the 2 coffee cups for bathroom use. Small fridge, microwave, coffee maker. Tile floor in the bath, carpeting else ware.
On each floor, there are FREE washers & dryers to use. HOW GREAT IS THAT. Just bring your own detergent. Best bet is to bring your pods from home. We also used their laundry service and shirts were only $2.50 to do and they were returned by 5PM.
Fabulous Discover Korea desk. We had Great service from Claire, a real professional. She helped us out with so much info, etc. Take the USO tour to the DMZ/PMJ. FABULOUS. Hopefully, Hailey will be doing your tour. She was so good. A tour guide can make or break a tour...she made ours 100% great. A credit to the company.
Cabs are right at the door and anywhere on base, is just $3.00 or so. They take credit cards too. They have cards in Korean to hand the driver for directions...be sure to get one. It makes it so much less stressful.
There is a nice size PX, with a lot of treats and booze. 24 hours open. ATM nearby along with a few other shops, including a furniture store. An Extra treat, not known to us, was a small CASINO! So much fun. Nothing like Las Vegas, but you can easily spend hours playing. You can buy beer inside or you can purchase other drinks at the bar and bring them in. Food is open during certain hours. WE REALLY ENJOYED THE CASINO.
On the lesser side, the food at the restaurants was not that good. Just passable. Not such fabulous service either. Certainly, not a highlight. But, after a long day of sightseeing, it's nice to come back and relax and just be able to take the elevator up to your room. Bar is open till midnight.
The bakery downstairs is a deal with very good coffee. There is also a Subway & Pizza Hut. Tables outside by a lovely garden. The grounds are so nice and very nicely maintained.
We checked back in after visiting the rest of the country, and stayed in the Dragon Tower. It appears to be newer. Not as drear. But, we had tub with shower, not a walk in. We prefer the latter. A/C was rather loud in both rooms, in each wing. But, it kept the rooms cool. Room service was also good.
If using a cab that cannot come onto base, it is of No real matter. It is a short 5 minute walk up a small hill threw security. HAVE YOUR ID. You'll be dropped by Gate 1/2.
The War Memorial Museum is down the street...about a 15-20 minutes walk. No real shops/restaurants are right outside the gate, so take a cab. They are Very Reasonable, so feel free to take them everywhere. Seoul Station(train) is a short 10 minutes cab away too.
They offer retiree packages but we do not see any benefit. Simply book your room and do your sightseeing to your own pace and schedule.
We paid $95.00 a night with no tax. A very fair price for what we received. We understand if your are PCS/TDY the room rate is much higher. Well, it may be, but it certainly makes up for you with the nice convenience of being right on the post.
We really enjoyed out stay in Seoul, and all of S. Korea, for that matter. And, The Dragon certainly played a large portion of it.
It's a great location for sightseeing all of Seoul. 5 Star.
If my review has helped you or yours, please give me a heads up vote. Aloha.
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Date of stay: October 2015
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dragon Hill Lodge is a specialty hotel located inside a military base. Thus, only authorized person can stay there. Here is their web-site if you need rates and other essentials information. Note, they also provide free shuttle from ICN airport. The web-site also has the latest bus schedule.
http://www.dragonhilllodge.com/main.html
After collecting our baggage, we walked out the arrival hall of ICN. Turn right and walked all the way to the end of the building. Look for EXIT 14 as the free shuttle sign up desk (United States Forces Korea (USFK) Airport Reception Desk) is right next to it.
After signing up for the shuttle, we sat on chairs in front of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Airport Reception Desk. There is also toilet right there and a snack shop. The bus driver will come in to the waiting area to guide people to the bus. Family with young children are advised to have kids use toilet before getting on shuttle. It is about 45 min ride on a smooth traffic.
It is important that you have your access to the base into their system before arriving to the hotel. We thought we booked the room and paid up front because of the 6D5N promotion, our records weren't in the system.
The bus went thru the main gate (not Gate 1) and we were let off at the gate. The bus took off without us. We ended up walking 5 min (with 3 young children and all luggage) before a base taxis stopped for us. The walk from this main gate to the hotel is about 20 min, uphill. There are a lots of base taxis that will bring you within the base. It costs USD3 from the main gate to the hotel lobby.
Check-in time for the hotel is 3 pm and check out is 12pm. We were there before noon and the reception is kind enough to let us have the room. I found the staffs are very accommodating and helpful. Keep the room key card with you at all time. At the back of the key card is the direction back to the hotel in Korean. Yes, most of the taxis drivers outside the base don't speak English. This key card instruction came in handy. Our taxis drivers were able to bring us back to Gate 1 easily.
First, description of the hotel. Very grand from outside. Has a few restaurants in the lobby area. Oasis is one that provide buffets as well as regular order meal. Kids under 10 eats FREE for their buffets. Same go with Green Street restaurants. Also has subways, pizza huts in the Lower Lobby area. All transaction in the hotel and restaurants are in USD. Koeran Won are also accepted with the exchange rate display on board.
Around the corner from the check-in desk is the Tour Desk. If you have the 6D5N promotion, you can inquire about your tour package there. Note, all tour from this package is only half day tour. We paid for 2 adults (children are free to stay with parents) for this package and received 8 tours in total. We went on 2 tour (2 adults and 2 children) with children under 2 free. This package allows you to mix and match. We didn't take other tours as we will need to folk out additional USD25 per person per tour.
Note: Trip Adviser does not allow me to write details of the tours under Dragon Hill Lodge. My previous one (which include the detail experience of the tours) was deleted by them. If you need more information about the package, please message me thru Trip Adviser and I will try my best to answer them.
On the same lobby level, there is an area where shops can be found around the corner from the check-in desk. Shops such as ice-cream store, gift shop, travel agent mainly for air tickets, banks etc. A mini PX is there too but only people who has rational control card can purchase stuffs. Also, out the door on this area is a playground for children. Playground is divided into 2 areas - children under 5 at one side and children above 5 on the other side.
Anyway, the room are quite big, about 20ft by 14ft in the room area, excluding bathroom and hallway area. It is quiet except when people talking loud outside the door. Our room was next to the laundry room, we didn't hear any sound from there. However, the room does look outdated.
There is a queen size bed with a pull out sofa bed. There are 2 sinks - 1 for hand wash and the other for dish washing. There are micro-wave, 4 sets of plates, folks, knifes, spoons, plastic cup, tea cups, ice bucket, bowls etc. However, they only provide us with 1 package of coffee, sugar, sweetener and creamer. We had to ask for more, which were given free later. No tea given.
Bar soap, shampoo and conditioner, towels and hair dryer were provided. Bring your own shower gel, shower cap, body lotion, shaver, shaver cream, tooth brush, tooth paste, in room slipper, comb etc.
Laundry room in every floor. 2 washer and 2 dryer can be used for FREE. Washer run about 35 min per regular load setting. Dryer takes about 45 min. Bring your own laundry soap or you can purchase there. There is a table and chair for people who want to wait there. In our floor, there is a child seat where you can have your baby sitting while you do the laundry. There is a sink to pre-wash cloth. Ice vending machine also in this room. A snack vending machine is there too. Also, bring your luggage or a clean bag to collect your cloth afterward.
To use the washer, put your cloth and soap. Close the lip. Push the coin slot in and out. No coin needed.
To use the dryer, clean the lien net, put your cloth, close the lip. Push the coin slot in and out and press the START button. No coin needed.
During Mon-Fri, normal working day, access card can be activated, not the weekend. Go outside the hotel lobby and turn RIGHT. The building across the parking lots, has a Welcome To Korea sign on it is the place to get your access card done. Again if you need more information on how to get there, message me. Don't think Trip Adviser will let me write this part.
After getting our card activated in their system, we were then allow to use Gate 1 to go in and out of the hotel. It is only 5 min walk from the hotel, which is way better than main gate. The Korean War Museum (great place for kids) is just another 3-5 min walk from Gate 1. Tour bus meet up place is also over here.
As mentioned earlier, there are a lots of base taxis that will take you to places in or outside the base. However, not all taxis are allowed to come into this base. Thus, Gate 1 is the closest dropped off point for outside taxis. Remember to bring your room key card.
Also note that you might want to pre-book, one day ahead with the base taxis, if you are leaving very early in the morning. We tried to book online with taxis company a day before our departure, to our shock, the taxis company inform us that they don't sent taxis into the base. We managed to get a taxis driver, who was about to change shift, to take us to the airport at 6 am. Was told by the check out staff that taxis started to arrive at Dragon Hill Lodge from 5 am.
One last note, if you are on the 6D5N package, you must check in either Sunday or Monday. However, you can pay regular rate to extend your stay.
Hope you enjoy the stay at Dragon Hill Lodge as we do. The garden is small but beautiful. There is also a Huge playground just 5-7min walk from the hotel.
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Date of stay: April 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hotel was nice, a little outdated but the price was unbeatable using the DOD military rate. The restaurant was average for breakfast and dinner. I couldn't use my DOD military card at the little snack shop, don't know why but that was a little inconvenient as I needed bottled water. Overall, it was an average stay. My older kids did not have a military card and had to check in and check out which was totally inconvenient as they couldn't ride in the taxi up to the hotel. They had to check in and out at the gate. The Korean guards are very rude. We had a rude awakening when we arrived at 11pm. We used their hotel shuttle to the hotel, we had to put our own luggage in the bus. When we arrived at the gate, they literally yelled at me and my family including my two young grandsons to get off the bus, show our passports. We had to check in at this building, then we had to call a taxi to the hotel which was about 5 minutes away in a car. They told us we could walk it but with luggage in tow, hand carries and it was late at night, no way! Not very helpful at all. So even though the price was good, the checking in and out was very inconvenient for my family that did not have military id's. Then they had to walk to the hotel. There are several gates leading into Dragon Hill Lodge and we found one that was the closest to the hotel. Not a good experience the first time we traveled to Korea. I won't be staying at Dragon Hill Lodge again.
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Date of stay: June 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:My view was of the hotel gardens which was really nice and some of the buildings outside of the...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It’s about 200 yards from the main gate to DHL. I’m not sure how you are arriving in Seoul but if you arrive at the Seoul train station there is a taxi stand right out front. Get in line, and simply tell the driver to take you to the main gate of Yongsan Army Garrison. All off post drivers know it - at least the ones we have used. If you are interested in using the on-post taxi their number is 1544-9080. They will tell you to meet them at the pay phone booths in front of the station. There are 2 pay phone booths at the EXIT of the taxi stand to the Main Street out front of the station. The dispatcher will give you the license plate number of the car coming to pick you up. Have your phone number ready (assuming you have an international phone) so the driver can call you and confirm the pick up.
There are more places to choose from in the Seoul area.
LOCATION
South KoreaSeoulYongsan-dong / Yongsan / Samgakji / Ichon / Yongsan-gu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
343
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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