A Pension in the Woods


For my stay in Damyang I went straight for a pension. Sure I could have saved a wad of cash by staying at a hotel or min-bak, but I wanted to treat myself to a kitchen, windows and space. After doing some research and with the help of a friend, I managed to find this nice pension not too far from the Bamboo Forest and bus stops.

I found the 대숲향기펜션 and the owner gave me a discout to stay there three nights, so the whole thing cost 300,000 for three nights. It was a good deal and I was excited to have my own little space in the countryside.


The pension was broken up into a side kitchen area, living room area and then a separate sleeping room with TV. There was no bed and instead I used a matt and blankets. I didn't mind this as most Korean beds are hard anyways.




I especially enjoyed the large window in the bedroom and reflected on the fact that the space was overall bigger than my current house. I suppose you could say I played "house" for a little bit there.

Most pensions you have to deal with the partying that goes on by other people staying there. But this one seemed to have quiet guests who had their BBQ and then went inside. I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and a lovely sunrise in the clouds.

The outside area had a lawn, pond and a cage with bunnies inside.


They also had a cute dog tied up all day nearby, which I felt a bit bad for. So now and then gave it some fresh water.


The surrounding area, which I frequented as I went from the pension to the bus stop down the hill, featured rice farms and other countryside-sights. For instance, one person kept large dogs inside a cage all day, who enjoyed barking at anyone or anything passing by.





If you are thinking of heading to Damyang or want to get out of the city life and have a country-side experience. I would highly recommend this pension. Even for one person it didn't feel strange and the location is convenient. The owner doesn't speak English, but her husband does. However If you can't speak Korean enough have a friend help you out.

For directions:

Take the KTX down to Gwangju train terminal. From there get to the Gwangju Bus Terminal and take the 311 bus to Damyang.

Ride it till it gets to the last stop, which is the local university. Get off and head up the hill till you get to a large intersection with stop lights. Cross this and the pension entrance area is the first left. Head up this street and it's at the end.