Sun Cruise Hotel is one of a kind "cruise ship hotel" in South Korea. The "aground ship" hotel is part of the "Sun Cruise Resort and Yacht" complex in Jeongdongjin, on South Korea's eastern coast. The resort is popular for its "run aground cruise ship" shaped hotel offering an amazing view from atop of a cliff. Hotel's ship dimensions are: length 541 ft (165 m), height / keel to funnel 148 ft (45 m), weight 30,000 tons.
Korea's "Sun Cruise" ship hotel
Sun Cruise resort in Jeongdongjin is located on Korean shores of Sea of Japan (South Korea promotes the name "East Sea"). Resort's location is perfect as the Sea of Japan, like the Mediterranean Sea, is calm (almost without tides) as it's almost entirely enclosed from the Pacific Ocean by mainland Japan, Russia, and Korea.
Kore'as Sun Cruise hotel was specifically designed to overlook the sunny beach of this beautiful resort area, looking like a cruise ship and offering facilities and amenities just like real liners. The cruise ship hotel attracts a huge number of international tourists. Its shape actually resembles a Royal Caribbean ship of the company's older Sovereign-Class. There are 3 such vessels, currently operated by RCCL's subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises.
Looking out over the sea and witnessing the magnificent Jeongdongjin sunrise and sunset, the "ship hotel" is itself a travel destination. The unusual design ranked it among the most popular South Korean tourist attractions.
Built in 2002, this colossal hotel structure actually was invented for tourists who don't have the budget or time to go on a real ship cruise vacation. The bizarre location is not the only thing setting Sun Cruise Hotel apart from real liners - hotel rooms are all with heated floors, and the surrounding area has walking gardens with sculptures.
South Korea's cruise ship hotel was designed to emulate the cruising experience. It was even constructed at the Korean shipyard. A hotel stay truly approximates cruise voyage. Constructed high on the mountain edge, a stroll on the "open deck" provides guests with the feeling of being at sea. To further allusion, the "cruise ship hotel" even plays on speakers' bird calls and sounds of wave crashing - throughout the whole hotel area.
Hotel rooms, prices, "shipboard" facilities
- The hotel offers a total of 211 rooms, including bedrooms and apartments. All staterooms have heated floors.
- Six restaurants that serve European and Korean food, along with a rotating bar on the top floor, give visitors panoramic views of the famed sunrises.
- A night club and karaoke, beautiful sky lounge, and seawater swimming pool were also made to pamper.
- Six function rooms, state-of-the-art, were specially designed for workshops and seminars.
- Sporting facilities - for the more dynamic guests, include a fitness club, volleyball court, netted golf range.
- Visitors can stop by adjacent to the Sun Cruise Hotel theme park and further the experience.
- The Sun Cruise Hotel and Resort is also famous for the "Hands of Promise" located within landscaped gardens and rising from the ground, together with other sculptures' variety.
- An observation area, which is made of glass floor suspending above the sea, is among the amenities, along with the exhibition hall and the lake.
- Prices for a room at Jeongdongjin's Sun Cruise Hotel start at 80,000 South Korean Won, which is ~US$70 per night.
The resort complex also has a yacht marina with 5 boat slots, helipad (helicopter landing platform) and its own bar lounge.
In 2003, a construction with a similar theme ("Titanic Hotel") started in Turkey (Titanic Beach Lara). The Turkish resort has 550 hotel rooms, 3 swimming pools, premium Flower Shop, Toy Shop. At the cost of USD 165 million, in China was built an RMS Titanic replica hotel.
The South Korean Sun Cruise Resort & Yacht complex in Jeongdongjin is the first in the world on-land themed cruise resort. The "cruise ship hotel" provides everything a real ship can offer, except the seasickness risk. Thankfully, this boat doesn't rock - at least the owners assure so. But better be careful around the bow because the only thing which separates guests from the below cliffs is a short railing - beware if you suffer from vertigo.