The Sosan Hotel is, to be honest, not a great hotel. Built in the 1980s for the World Student Games (which was the DPRK's answer to the 1988 Seoul Olympics) it sits in isolated, brooding splendour - what's the opposite of splendour? - in the middle of a large and empty sports complex on the western side of Pyongyang.

Going in you get the very strong sense that it has not been renovated since 1989 - the lobby is nice enough, though dark and cavernous, but as soon as you go beyond the front desk you can see little (or not so little) signs of wear and tear, peeling paint and so on. The corridors are full of velour carpeting which serves to deaden the sound and, along with the 70's style decor, makes the whole place quite creepy.

This is all the more so because, if you stay there, you may well be the only guest. When I was there, the only other people in evidence were a couple of Chinese tourists and some sort of sports team who I only saw a couple of times. All in all, pretty weird. It basically feels as if you are Jack Nicholson staying in an abandoned hotel for the winter, trying desperately not to go crazy.

The reception were quick to assure me that there was 24 hour hot water - from their evident pride in his fact, I suspected that there might be nights when this was not the case - but I had to tell them when I wanted it. Turning on the hot tap led to a lot of spluttering and some alarmingly brown water, but after ten minutes or so it was hot enough for a perfectly good shower.

Otherwise the room was clean - fearsomely warm (underfloor ondol heating which permeates even through the thick carpeting) and with no obvious climate controls I had to open the window to make it comfortable. There's no satellite TV (unlike the posher hotels in PY) so you're stuck with the oddly compelling North Korean channel.

Meals were taken in a huge dining room that was nearly always empty. The food was pretty bad but the staff were generally very friendly and attentive. If you can manage a few words of Koreans (assuming you're a westerner) the waitresses will look at you in amazement and might even get chatty - it's well worth it.

Other than that, there is a mezzanine level with a bar, a couple of pool tables and a ping pong table. Assuming you are there with guides, they will probably be happy to challenge you to a game or two and have the odd beer. Otherwise, your best bet is to persuade them to take you over to the Yanggakdo Hotel in the evening, where there is a shop and a bowling alley in the basement - since your guides have to stay with you in the Sosan Hotel they will probably be more than happy to get out of there for an evening.

In summary, whether you stay here really depends on what you're looking for from your stay. For me, the hotel was one of the more surreal aspects of Pyongyang and I wouldn't have traded it for anything - I got a very powerful sense of how weird the place was, and that simply wouldn't have been the case in the far more busy and cosmopolitan Yanggakdo Hotel, which is much more reminiscent of a real, you know, hotel.

But there wasn't (on my trip) much of a difference in price between the two options and after a couple of days the novelty would wear off and you'd begin to get very bored, not to mentioned annoyed at the lack of conveniences and comforts.

So my advice would be - if your stay in Pyongyang is more than a couple of days, or if a higher level of comfort is important to you, then strongly consider spending a little extra and stay in the more upmarket accommodation options - but be aware that you're going to miss one of the most bizarre hotels you will ever stay in, anywhere.

The hall of the Hotel Sosan in Pyongyang was very large and cold in April, the month I was there. First they gave me a room on 19th floor, which I found unpleasant because it was too cold. I exchanged it with one on the 20th floor, where all the rooms had the heated floors, 26°C, delicious!
The Hotel Sosan has 30 floors, 2 restaurants, a massage room, pool tables and 2 shops, but it isn't in good condition. They put the carpet in a bad way, room keys are normal metal keys (not cards), and of the 4 lifts only 2 are working. When I opened the warm water tap, strange incrustations came out. Some people of my group lamented about the cockroaches in their rooms. But worse was surely the food in the restaurants: it seems they have no idea what to serve to western guests! For breakfast they often served us the cold remnants of dinner from the night before. Good laundry service, though.

The hotel itself was rather old, but recently renovated, resembled a Sheraton or Hyatt. It has great facilities, a pool, bars, internet access (remarkably), and even cable! Although it was inhabitable, it was inhospitable, as very few knew english, and those who did - was fairly incoherrent. Guards are stationed around the hotel, and they're generally alright if you do not provoke them. There are pictures of the Dear Leader everywhere, even in the guest rooms.

Anyways, my stay at the hotel had gave me much insight into the love and care the Dear Leader shows upon his citizens.

North Korea, a beautiful country, is a must place to visit.