If you want a clean, new-build hotel within walking distance of Jeonju Hanok Village, Shilla Stay Jeonju is one of the best value picks in the city. It’s a recently opened property with spotless ondol (floor-heated) rooms that are great for families, an 11th-floor rooftop lounge with a city view, and a solid breakfast — all a 10-minute walk from the Hanok Village. Here’s a full guide to the location, lobby, rooms, the rooftop lounge, breakfast and the facilities.
First, a quick word on Jeonju
Jeonju sits about 2–2.5 hours south of Seoul (roughly 1 hour 40 minutes by KTX) and is famous as the home of bibimbap and the beautifully preserved Jeonju Hanok Village, a district of hundreds of traditional tiled-roof houses. It’s one of Korea’s top food-and-culture city breaks, and staying near the Hanok Village lets you wander the lanes, hanbok rental shops and street food early in the morning before the crowds.
What is Shilla Stay Jeonju?
Shilla Stay is the business-class hotel brand from Hotel Shilla, one of Korea’s best-known luxury hotel groups. The Stay line keeps things clean, modern and reasonably priced rather than full-service luxury. The Jeonju branch is a new build, so the biggest impression is how fresh and spotless everything feels, and it offers ondol rooms — a big plus for families with young children.
Location & how to get there
The hotel is at 10 Hyeonmu 1-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju. The best thing about it is the location: it’s a 10-minute walk to Jeonju Hanok Village and sits right in the city centre, so restaurants, cafés and convenience stores are all within a couple of minutes. Parking is in the B1–B3 basement; it was fairly busy even on a weekday, and the entrance and ramps are a little tight, so take it slow with a larger car.
The lobby & first impression
The lobby is on the 1st floor and has a library-style lounge area where you can sit while you wait to check in. Like the rest of the hotel, it looks sleek and immaculately clean — exactly what you’d hope for from a new-build. Check-in is 3 PM and check-out is a generous 12 noon.
The rooms — a spotless ondol stay
We travelled with our baby, so we booked the Standard Ondol room. When you have a little one you end up checking the floor cleanliness first, and here it was genuinely spotless — floor, bedding, everything. There’s a low platform bed plus a floor-mattress (yo) set, so three of us slept comfortably. The room isn’t huge (two large suitcases fill it up), but it’s fine for a family of three, and the ondol heating would be lovely in winter.
One honest note: the view is a city/industrial one — don’t expect a scenic outlook. But the room gets good daylight. The bathroom has a separate toilet and shower, plenty of towels, and Elemental Herbology amenities (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand wash, lotion). A robe and disposable slippers are provided.
Travelling with a baby? The only in-room table is a high bar-style table, and its height is right at a toddler’s eye level, so watch curious little ones near the edges. There’s no shared microwave, but staff will happily warm baby food if you ask, and there’s a nursing room on the 1st floor — small touches that made it easy with a child.
The rooftop lounge (11F) — the highlight
The hidden highlight is the 11th-floor rooftop lounge. Floor-to-ceiling glass looks out over the city, and there’s an open-air terrace with a water feature plus a floor-seating (ondol) zone inside. It opens 16:00–24:00, so you can have an early dinner or a late-night drink. Because some guest rooms are on the same 11th floor, we could put the baby to bed, switch on the monitor and slip up for a drink — incredibly convenient.
The menu is broad — draft and bottled beer, a big makgeolli lineup (including local Jeonju fresh makgeolli), cocktails and mocktails. The signature is the Juan-sang (54,000 won), a sharing platter of three house specialities: grilled-pork-rib tteokbokki, octopus fritters and gamtae-seaweed beef tartare. We paired it with beer and makgeolli and everything went beautifully with a drink. Hotel guests get 10% off.
The night view isn’t dramatic, but the wide-open city outlook and the calm, upmarket atmosphere made it a lovely spot for a couple’s evening. If you stay here, go up at least once.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served on the 1st floor from 07:00 to 10:00. It costs 30,000 won for adults and 20,000 won for children, but if you book by midnight the night before it drops to 24,000 won per person. The dining room is bright and spacious, and there were noticeably many foreign travellers — a good sign.
The spread isn’t huge but it’s tidy and well made: salads, Korean hot dishes, a solid bakery corner, cheese and cold cuts, fruit and cereal, plus made-to-order stations for rice noodles and omelettes. Being Jeonju, there’s even a bibimbap option. We left full and satisfied.
Fitness center & laundry (2F)
The 2nd-floor fitness center is better equipped than expected — treadmills and a cycle, weight machines (cable, leg press), free weights and yoga mats, with towels and water provided. There’s also a self-service laundry with washers and dryers on the same floor, which is genuinely useful on a family trip with lots of baby laundry.
Quick facts — rates & operations
- Check-in / out: 3:00 PM / 12:00 noon
- Room: Standard Ondol (low bed + floor-mattress set); ~180,000 won for 2 weekday nights when we stayed (varies by date; holidays much higher)
- Breakfast: 07:00–10:00, 1F · adult 30,000 / child 20,000 won · 24,000 per person if booked by midnight the night before
- Rooftop lounge: 11F, 16:00–24:00 · Juan-sang platter 54,000 won · guests 10% off
- Facilities: fitness center & self laundry (2F), café / meeting room / business corner / nursing room (1F)
- Parking: basement B1–B3 (tight entrance; busy on weekdays)
- Walk to Jeonju Hanok Village: about 10 minutes
Frequently asked questions
How far is Shilla Stay Jeonju from the Hanok Village?
About a 10-minute walk. It’s right in the city centre, so restaurants and convenience stores are close too.
Is it good for families with a baby?
Yes. There are ondol rooms (low bed + floor mattress), a nursing room on the 1st floor, and staff will warm baby food on request (there’s no shared microwave). Just watch the high bar-style table with toddlers.
How much is breakfast and what are the hours?
07:00–10:00; 30,000 won for adults and 20,000 for children, or 24,000 per person if you book by midnight the night before. Salads, Korean dishes, bakery and made-to-order rice noodles/omelettes, plus Jeonju bibimbap.
Can anyone use the rooftop lounge?
It’s on the 11th floor, open 16:00–24:00. The signature Juan-sang platter is 54,000 won (grilled-pork-rib tteokbokki, octopus fritters, gamtae beef tartare), with a big makgeolli and cocktail list. Hotel guests get 10% off.
Is there parking?
Yes, in the B1–B3 basement. It gets busy even on weekdays and the entrance is a little tight, so allow extra time.
What’s the room view like?
It’s a city/industrial view rather than a scenic one, so keep expectations modest — but the rooms are bright and spotless.
The bottom line
Shilla Stay Jeonju is a clean, well-located, great-value base for exploring Jeonju. The rooms are spotless, the 10-minute walk to the Hanok Village is unbeatable, and the ondol rooms plus family touches make it especially easy with young children. The rooftop lounge was the pleasant surprise — go up for a drink and a Juan-sang at least once. Just set your expectations for the room view, and you’ll have a very comfortable stay.
Written by WY, a Seoul-based local sharing honest, first-hand guides to Korea. Nothing here is sponsored; I go and pay my own way. More about me →