Trip to Nonsan and Yesan, South Korea (sponsored by Trazy & K Story Tour)

I remember telling my friends last June 2022 when I was in Seoul that I want to explore provinces and different cities around South Korea if given a chance. I’ve been to Seoul a couple of times already but I always just stay in the city. Not complaining, of course. But my curiosity about other places is getting stronger.

During this autumn trip to South Korea, I promised myself I’m gonna visit provinces. And so I did. I think I've already went to 8 provinces as of writing this. I want to share my experiences with you, that’s why I’m resurrecting this blog. 

Let’s start with my Nonsan and Yesan 2 days & 1 night tour I sponsored by TRAZY and K Story Tour :)

I’m going to be honest and say that I’ve never heard of Nonsan and Yesan before this trip. What pushed me to do this is that in Nonsan, we were gonna do a tour of Sunshine Studio where my favorite book turned series Pachinko was shot and the famous drama, Mr. Sunshine. And for Yesan, we were going to do a hot spring spa day (and if you know me, I am a big fan of spas and resorts).

So last week, I packed an overnight backpack and walked to the city hall station (the meet up point). Luckily my hotel was just 5 mins away by walk from City Hall station so I know the tour was off to a good start.

We were picked up by Dony (@dony_koreamate on instagram) and we rode this comfortable van to our first destination, Nonsan.

Stopover for lunch! 

Took us 2 hours and 30 mins via car to get to Nonsan. So apparently, this province is the training area of all Korean men who are going to the army. After they finish their training here, they will be dispatched to their assigned locations.

We stopped by Taejong Lake and Taejong Bridge for a quick walk. The bridge was closed since it was a Monday but I still loved the walk around the lake. So peaceful!

Next stop? Highlight of the day. Sunshine Studio and 1950 romantic studio shooting locations. They shot a lot of Mr. Sunshine and Pachinko scenes here.

Before the tour, we had to avail the renting of costumes. As a former stylist and fashion writer, I enjoyed rummaging through the available costumes! Every rack had different sets of clothes, Korean, Japanese, Victorian outfits. These are the ensemble shown in the drama Mr Sunshine.

Had 3 outfit changes till I found the perfect outfit! I love my crocs but it ruined the outfit :)) Pax and I keep on hiding our shoes! Hope they have rentals for footwear, too! But of course I know it’s somehow unhygienic to do so lol

So for like more than an hour, Pax, Michelle and I went around Sunshine Studio and took photos. Thanks to Dony for our wonderful photos! :) Who here has watched Pachinko and Mr. Sunshine??

Yep, we certainly took gazillion photos but we had SO much fun doing so. Wearing a costume adds to the whole vibe of this place!

After maximizing our time here, we returned the costumes and walked to the 1950’s romantic studio which was also in the area.

Again, took so many photos! Everything looks so realistic. So amazed with how Korean production houses really make everything extra!

I thought the activity was over for that day but we did virtual shooting in the Military Survival Experience Center to cap of the afternoon! Love driving range, so this was such an exciting activity for me to do. My competitive side was on fire hehe

After all the activities, we headed to Yesan. It was like an 1 hr and 30 mins from Nonsan. Got to Splas Resom and first thing I noticed was the hotel is HUGE. 

Got my hotel key and went up my room. Here’s a room tour! It’s massive and can fit a lot of people. Seriously perfect for a trip with family and friends!

After checking out the room, we went down to have dinner! KBBQ, of course. Just a few steps away from the hotel. This resort really has everything. 

So full from the scrumptious dinner (I had to cups of rice lol), decided to check out the retro arcade in the lobby area. Timezone and power station are shaking!! LOL!! This arcade has all the games I want :o

Slept asleep like a baby after all the first day activities! Fast forward to the next day, we had breakfast at like 9am (breakfast ends 10am), loved the buffet spread. I was telling Pax how impressed I am with this hotel.

Checkout was at 11am, packed my bags and went to Splas Waterpark which is located beside the Splas Resom. Literally walking distance!

First they ask for your ticket (we got a barcode), so it was very easy to get in after scanning. They give a locker key for your outdoor footwear (no slippers allowed inside the resort). Then this key is also for your clothes locker inside the women’s locker room. Cos I’m OC, I was very hesitant that I didn’t have slippers while walking around the resort but I swear, all areas were SO CLEAN. Got impressed even more. Also, restaurants like BHC chicken have stalls inside the watepark!

We were already wearing our swimwear (which was leggings and sports bra) since it was so cold to wear a bikini. You also have to have a cap (yes, even baseball caps are allowed) that you have to wear while swimming. Thought it was going to be uncomfortable but it wasn’t, actually very hygienic for them to make this as a rule!

So for like 3 hours, we got to enjoy the resort. Did I tell you it was a natural HOT SPRING resort?? Yes! warm water all around the waterpark, even the pool with slide. So perfect for autumn weather. Pax and I spent an hour or more in the big pool where we just enjoyed the hot water while swimming and talking about life :)

We thought we weren’t gonna try the slides but guess what? We did it twice! Hahaha! It was crazy fun, since I don’t like heights I thought it was gonna be scary. It was actually during the first 2 drops (I hate the feeling of falling), but after the 2 quick drops, it was so fun we had to do it again!

All the adrenaline rush we felt after the slides led us to the spa areas so we can spend the remaining hour to just relax. We tried all the spas but my favorite one was the Gayagum Spa! 

We didn’t get to try the wave pool since we spent so much time in the main pool so my advice for the people who will go here is plan your swim accordingly (LOL), I mean there are so many different areas so I hope you get to try everything!

They actually also have a jjimjilbang (bath house) :) they also have kids section so the whole family can enjoy this resort. 

I was telling Pax when we were fixing up that I truly enjoyed the waterpark and spa (also, showing off this mise en scene spray that did wonders to our hair) :)) As a water baby and someone who is obsessed with spa, I was thrilled to be able to do both in the same place. Bonus : hot spring water! I love waterparks but not a fan of cold water. This was perfect, wish more waterparks have hot spring!!!

After relaxing, we stopped by Napobobusangchon. A cultural village just right outside Splas Resom. So nice to walk around here, especially during autumn. Lotsa photos spots in this area! :)

Dony (our tour guide for this trip) and I even did this Korean game! Love learning new things whenever I travel :)

We rode the van again to go to Sudeoksa temple. Of course, as expected, the views were spectacular. You can really see autumn leaves in this area! My favorite was the Daeungjeon — it is said to be one of the most important buildings in the history of Korean wooden construction. It’s aesthetic is just mind-blowing.

They even had these stalls with Korean delicacies, fruits and snacks outside the temple!

Last stop was the Yedangho Suspension bridge. It was the perfect ending for our 2-day overnight tour. Just to be able to see the sunset while enjoying the view and the musical fountain show (they played a big bang song, I was very excited hehe)

Got back to Seoul around 8pm with a full heart. So grateful I got to explore more of South Korea via this tour with Trazy. I can’t wait to discover more provinces and cities in South Korea.

To book the tours I did, click here ---> NONSAN and YESAN :)

 

I wonder what Trazy Tour in SoKor shall I book next?? :)