Little Prince Pension Gurye — Hotel in Masan-myeon

The Little Prince Pension was very accommodating for our group of 6 travelers over the Lunar New Year holiday. This pension is situated in a picturesque part of Gurye with a river rushing out back and a great view of the mountains. ||||We rented a family room and a double room both with traditional Ondol floors for sleeping. The family room had a refrigerator, stove, and kitchenware so we were able to prepare several meals during our stay. The owners, Scott and his wife, were very kind and helpful. Scott had lived in Seattle for 12 years so his English is superb. He helped us set up the grill on the back patio (there's a small fee for charcoal), and they prepared a lovely breakfast for us each morning--sandwiches, his wife's homemade mushroom soup, fruit, nuts, coffee, and orange juice. Scott helped us get taxis, drove us into town for the grocery store, and told us how to get places around town. One place he recommended was just up the road--Hwaeomsa Temple (화엄사).. definitely worth the short hike--a very lovely temple in the mountains. ||||Across the river running outside the back of the Little Prince is a Wildlife Preservation (Species Restoration Technology Institute) where they are rehabilitating bears in an enclosed area behind the building. We did not get to see the bears because they were hibernating, but I'm sure in the spring, summer, or fall you could get to see them. A peek inside the Institute or guided tour is free to visitors--small, but worth checking out to learn about Korea's wildlife and endangered species. It also looked like you can rent campsite ||||Another highlight of our trip was Jirisan Nogodan Hot Spring 지리산 노고단 온천. It's 12,000 won per person to do the jimjilbong + the outdoor hot springs, and Scott gave us a coupon for 2,000 won off for each person. The outdoor hot springs are great for a cold winter day! Definitely worth a trip, but to get there, you may be better off taking a taxi then the bus. It's around a 25,000 taxi fare if your driver takes the highway, closer to 15,000 if he takes the back roads.||||It may be easier to get around the area by car rather than public transport (we never did use the buses), but we made do without a car. Gurye's bus station is about 10 minutes from the pension--a quick taxi ride away.||||This pension is wonderful for groups that want to get out of the city and enjoy nature. We can't speak highly enough of Scott--he will really make you feel welcome (though it may have helped that we were practically the only guests staying there and therefore were given all...

My partner and me wanted to hike in the mountains of Jirisan and Hwaeomsa was mentioned as the best place to start for hikers depending on public transport. So we arrived by bus late in the evening without a booking in any hotel. We passed the closed visitor's centre and behind was The Little Prince. We walked in, welcomed by classical music and in the hallway sat five or six people at a table. For one moment everybody was quiet and I asked if anybody spoke English. The owner jumped up and spoke fluent English, giving us a duplex room with a good bed, nice hot shower with a good water pressure and a view on the river. In the morning, we had breakfast, best pancakes ever and a wake-up call. The room is clean, the bed nice and warm, mornings are wonderful with the view on the river and the terrace.||The owner was a man with a great sense of humor, who also gave us good tips on where to eat good Korean food in the neighbourhood. ||We did a three day hike in two days and it was no problem for us to leave our luggage in the pension and come back two days later to enjoy our room and a good breakfast again.||We would recommend everybody going to Hwaeomsa temple or hiking in Jirisan, stay the night in this wonderful pension with its great owner, good breakfasts, classical music, art works and horticulture. You can notice that this is a pension that is run with...

The Little Prince Pension was great for our needs. ||||We’re a group of 8 international teachers that wanted to hike in Jirisan Park and this was a perfect place to stay. The location to the park entrance and hiking trails was perfect as a number of trails started right from the back door stream-bed.||||The host and owner (I forget his name) speaks english and was helpful when we needed directions or recommendations. He was easy to talk to and attentive each time we spoke. And the pension was busy as we stayed there during the Lunar New Year - he never seemed TOO busy to help.||||The room itself was just what we expected; plenty of floor pads and warm comfy blankets and really good floor heaters. The kitchenette was simple and the refrigerator was medium size which was a nice surprise. The bathroom had great water pressure and hot water whenever...