tourism

The Sosan Hotel located in the sports village on Chongchun Street in Pyongyang is welcoming to all guests with its friendly service and excellent facilities and scenic and clean environment.

The hotel’s surroundings fascinate guests at first sight.

Rising up in an imposing triangular prism shape at the foot of Mt So, it is encircled by verdant foliage to present a striking contrast to downtown hotels.

The lower half of the 30-storey building is invisible from the main road as it is hidden behind thick trees and its 18 000-square-metre environs are jam-packed with massive trees and lush greens where the birds sing and the air is fresh.

The 20-odd-year-old hotel was rebuilt in 2015 in a modern style.

The atrium extends up to the third floor and spacious halls lead to dining halls, wading and swimming pools, fitness, massage and billiard rooms, banquet hall and karaoke bar and bookshop. Each section is distinctive in style and every place is decorated with chandeliers, mirrors and fragrant flower pots.

The deluxe, premium and standard suites win favour with a variety of guests as they are clean, neat and affordable.

“I think good taste of food is a major attraction for guests,” said Kim Chang Ho, chief of the barbeque dining hall. “The chefs of our hotel do their best to make dishes to suit the taste of guests according to their regions and nationalities, but the most popular are Korean dishes like our Korean barbeque.”

Pyongyang cold noodles and kimchi, which are Korean specialities, are always the most sought-after, he added.

The hotel offers a breathtaking view at night.

When darkness sets in, mystic illuminations fill the greens around the hotel, unfolding an amalgam of imaginary and real worlds, which evoke an irresistible urge to walk through them.

Barbeque tables and tents are installed in the greens so that guests can dine anytime in the great outdoors.

There is a fishing pond with an area of 1 500 square metres in front of the hotel to give exceptional pleasure to guests.

It is an unusual pastime for guests to do angling at the pond swarming with sturgeon, Ryongjong fish, carps, tilapias and porgies and eat what they caught.

“We try to improve our service as the number of guests is increasing,” said Pak Chol Min, chief of the reception department. “The strongest appeal for guests is warm hospitality of the hosts and that’s why the hotel staff is trying hard to make ‘excellent service’ become the pull of our hotel.”

The hotel was filled to capacity during the tourist season this year.