Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.5/5
We recently went on a company retreat for my husband’s business.
His company is now in its 16th year, and it had been a while since the last retreat. Compared to before, there were more families, more kids, and definitely more noise.
The good kind of noise.
We stayed at Villa The Mare, a Korean pension with a private pool, karaoke room, screen golf, and space for a group stay. The price was around ₩1,000,000 for one weekend night, which is about $660 USD.
So, not exactly cheap.
The Rooms
The rooms were simple but useful.
There were beds, floor mats, and enough space for families to sleep. It was not a luxury hotel, but for a company retreat with adults and kids, it worked well enough.
The only problem was time.
Check-in was at 3 p.m., and check-out was at 11 a.m. the next morning. For a one-night trip, it felt very short.
The Pool
The indoor pool was one of the best parts.
The kids had plenty of space to play, and there were pool floats and water toys. For a family group, having a private pool makes the trip much easier.
No need to go anywhere else.
Just release the children into the water and hope for the best.
Screen Golf Was Disappointing
The screen golf room looked fun at first, but this was the most disappointing part.
The equipment felt old, and it kept turning off while people were trying to play. Since screen golf was one of the facilities we were looking forward to, this was a real downside.
Having screen golf sounds great.
Having screen golf that keeps shutting down is less great.
Karaoke and Family Chaos
The karaoke room was loud, messy, and honestly pretty funny.
Adults were singing, kids were running around, and at some point it became less of a karaoke room and more of a small indoor festival.
But that is kind of what a Korean company retreat is.
Not peaceful.
Still fun.
Dinner Together
Dinner was probably the best part of the trip.
We ate meat, shared side dishes, had drinks, and spent time together around the table. It was casual, noisy, and comfortable.
Not fancy, but memorable.
Sometimes that is better.
One Thing About Korean Pensions
One thing that might surprise people from other countries is the check-out culture at many Korean pensions.
Before leaving, guests usually need to clean up quite a bit. That means sorting trash and recycling, washing dishes, putting things back where they were, and leaving the space reasonably tidy.
I am not sure how common this is overseas, but in Korea, this is pretty normal for pensions.
Still, when the stay costs around ₩1,000,000, or about $660 USD, cleaning up before leaving can feel a little tiring.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was not perfect.
The screen golf equipment was disappointing, some parts felt a little old, and the stay felt too short for the price. Check-in at 3 p.m. and check-out at 11 a.m. made the trip feel like it ended too quickly.
But we still had a good time.
It was nice to see my husband’s company in its 16th year, with more families and kids than before. We ate well, laughed a lot, played hard, and came home tired in the classic company retreat way.
Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.5/5
Good memories.
Fun people.
But the facilities could use some maintenance.
