I’ve encountered my fair share of mediocre hotels, but none can quite compare to our current lodgings, which happen to be at Army Lodging on Camp Walker. This place has swiftly earned the title of my least favorite. Camp Walker serves as temporary accommodation for military and Department of Defense (DOD) personnel who are in the process of Permanent Change of Station (PCS) into or out of Korea. It’s where we undergo administrative procedures for our new assignments and begin our search for permanent housing. The location is great if you don’t have your car because the metro is out Gate 6. Unfortunately, facilities like this can be found on military installations worldwide. I want to shed light on this deficiency in support for our dedicated military personnel.
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New Chapter Begins January 2024
Location.
Camp Walker Lodge enjoys a convenient location near Gate 6, the Commissary, and the post office. This proximity provides easy walking access to local shops and cafes, particularly those on Cafe Street, as well as the Red Line of the metro system. However, despite its practicality as a home base for transitioning in and out of South Korea, I would willingly endure the inconvenience of staying at a Daegu hotel if given the choice. Last night, we opted for the Rivington Hotel, which cost us $89, a much better deal than the lodging.
The Bad News.
The place appears old and worn out, with inadequate maintenance. It exhibits signs of rust, mold, torn wallpaper, worn-out carpet, stained ceiling panels, and numerous broken or out-of-service facilities. The environment also carries an unpleasant, old, and worn-out odor. As for the bathroom and its grout, I’ll leave it to the pictures to convey the story. My “nasty grout-o-meter” is registering at full strength. Don’t forget to bring your slippers or flip-flops; the carpet even feels sticky too.
No Alternative.
My second grievance pertains to the lack of options for alternative accommodations, unless, of course, there are no vacancies – a scenario highly unlikely for us given our orders. During our transition in and out of Daegu, we were compelled to stay at Camp Walker Lodge for a full 10 days.
Continental Breakfast.
There is no hot breakfast. Most of the hotels in Daegu offer a hot breakfast where you can get made to order eggs and rice porridge at a minimum. The Continental breakfast at Camp Walker Lodging is heavily carb based, with breads, cereals, boiled eggs, yogurt, and some fruit. And it has never changed in the 10 years, I’ve been coming here. Scratch that, the lodge has added a waffle iron.
Nightly Rate.
And probably the worst infraction of them all is you can suffer all the above for $122 per night. That’s outrageous and does not make up for the convenience of being onpost to out-process. We stayed at a hotel near downtown the night we cleared our apartment and it was $80, included a hot breakfast, an onsite gym, coffee shop, Japanese toilet, a thermostat, and modern furnishings.
The rate at Lodging doesn’t even allow you to make local phone calls, open your window (mine was painted shut), adjust your room thermostat, or watch anything other than AFN channels. However, the small flat screen TV is smart. So you can hook up your HDMI cable to watch Youtube, Netflix, or Amazon Prime if you have accounts.
Chuseok
We ended up staying over the Chuseok Holiday and while I am happy that many of the staff were permitted to celebrate with their families, we had limited service with no discount. I realize I may sound a little petty at this point. I agree, but it’s how I feel.
The Good News.
A new Camp Walker Lodge, is under construction next to the housing towers, the Evergreen, and clinic. It’s slated to open in January 2024.
When we arrived in February 2021, there were few housing options due to shortages in the Daegu housing market. We stayed in lodging for well over three months until we found a suitable apartment in Suseong Lake. You can see that will not be a problem in the future, since there are new apartment buildings all.over town.
And although I will probably never get over the trauma, lol, of such a lengthy stay in that place, I did gain something from staying at Camp Walker Lodging. The people I met who were also looking for an apartment, who were also getting used to life in a foreign country, and living in old dusty. They became good friends. Lodging– coming or going– brings the anticipation of embarking on another new adventure.
ADDRESS:
[KakaoMap] Rivertin Hotel
193, Gyeongsanggamyeong-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu
Conclusion
Any stay here is temporary. The new lodging will be available soon. And if you get the chance to stay at either one, you’ll discover the gateway to some of the most beautiful places in Asia. Safe travels!
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