Gangneung travel gift sand at Gangneung Sand Main Branch

I stopped by Gangneung Sand Main Branch (강릉샌드 본점) to choose gifts for my husband and grandmother, who could not join me on my trip to Gangneung. I bought the strawberry and chodang corn flavors, and after trying them myself, I liked them more than expected and wished I had bought a few more.

Where is Gangneung Sand Main Branch, and is parking available?

The main branch I visited is near Ojukheon. Ground-level parking was available in front of the store, making it convenient to stop by for gifts.

The hours posted when I visited were 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with last order at 6:30 p.m.

What was the store atmosphere like when I stopped in for gifts?

I went to buy snacks, but the store atmosphere also stayed with me. It reminded me of Santorini, Greece. This time I only bought gifts, but I found myself wishing I had made time to stay for a cup of coffee.

What souvenirs were available besides the sand cookies?

Gangneung Sand reportedly received a gold award in the 2022 Gangneung City Tourism Souvenir Contest. The store also sold other souvenir breads.

The Breakwater Bread caught my eye because of its cute shape. I was curious after hearing that it had received a silver award, but this time I only bought the sand cookies. I would like to try the Breakwater Bread next time.

How much are the strawberry and chodang corn sand cookies, and how long do they keep?

The purpose of this visit was to buy Gangneung Sand as gifts. I had heard that it was tasty and was curious, and the storage period was another detail I appreciated when choosing gifts.

The strawberry and chodang corn flavors I chose were ₩17,000 per box of 10 pieces. They were not available individually and were sold by the box. The listed storage period was 14 days at room temperature or 30 days refrigerated.

The flavors included coffee, strawberry, dried persimmon, black sesame, purple sweet potato, and chodang corn. I liked being able to choose according to the recipient’s preferences.

The sand cookies are made with gourmet butter, with a butter content of 21%, and are reportedly made in-house. Ingredients matter to me when choosing snacks like these, so I was curious about the butter aroma.

Was the packaging easy to share as a travel gift?

When I choose gifts, I look at the packaging as well as the taste, and I liked the bright boxes at Gangneung Sand. They made a good impression for giving to family as a travel gift.

Each sand cookie was individually wrapped inside the box. It looked neat when I opened it, and I thought the pieces would be convenient to take out one at a time or share at the office.

The name “Gangneung Sand” was embossed on the cookies.

How did the strawberry and chodang corn sand cookies taste?

The most memorable thing when I tried both flavors was the rich, fragrant butter aroma. I enjoyed it even though I had expected it, and the texture was softer than I thought. To me, the flavor brought Butter Ring cookies to mind.

The buttercream inside was not greasy to my taste and was fragrant, so it went well with the sand cookies. More than the difference between the strawberry and chodang corn flavors, I especially remembered the combination of the cookies’ buttery aroma and the cream.

I bought them for my family, but they suited my taste so well that I wanted to eat more myself. I was satisfied with the bright boxes and individual wrapping, and after tasting them, I regretted not bringing home a few more.