The first time I went to Seoul, South Korea, again in 2015, I used to be overwhelmed by the sheer measurement of the town. Enticed by each neighborhood, I could not determine the place to discover, the place to eat and the place to remain. Back then, actuality helped with the final query; I used to be points-poor and on a backpacker’s price range, so a hostel with a mattress I might afford was the hostel the place I stayed.
A decade later, I returned to the Korean capital metropolis. But this time, I had a plan. Now, as a seasoned journey journalist specializing in hotels, I made a decision to work my manner round Seoul to expertise it from completely different views: city and artsy on the uber-cool Ryse, Autograph Collection; refined and stylish on the towering Four Seasons Hotel Seoul; and timeless and touristy on the hilltop Grand Hyatt Seoul, which overlooks the bustling metropolis.
Urban and artsy: Ryse, Autograph Collection
If you wish to keep in part of Seoul that is vibrant, richly creative and positioned close to a number of the metropolis’s finest buying (suppose: Korean streetwear, classic retailers, native fashions and artwork), look no additional than Ryse, a part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection and bookable with Marriott Bonvoy factors. The resort is up to date past measure, from a minimalist entryway with a Blue Bottle Coffee store to a foyer with resort merch worthy of a designer division retailer.
Inspired by a close-by artwork college, your entire resort is filled with issues to admire — and the rooms aren’t any exception. Featuring names impressed by completely different roles in artwork, TV or movie manufacturing (like “Creators Room” and “Editors Suite”), visitors ought to anticipate a laid-back sense of cool, with facilities like smooth bluetooth audio system, varied pictures and prints adorning the partitions, blended tones (like concrete contrasting towards vivid pops of colour) and an total really feel that jogged my memory of that one buddy’s residence you all the time want you lived in.
To get a really feel for the guy visitors and local people, head as much as the fifteenth flooring to go to the Side Note Club, a bar the place I attempted a cocktail crafted from chilly brew, bourbon, cognac and … cottage cheese — and I loved it!
Outside the resort, you will discover ample bars and eating places, Korean magnificence clinics, an outpost of the favored Olive Young cosmetics retailer the place you may choose up all the favored Ok-beauty merchandise, and Hongdae Shopping Street, the place you may (and can) simply spend a complete day buying.
How to e-book
Ryse, Autograph Collection begins round $216 or 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy factors per night time.
Sophisticated keep close to the palace: Four Seasons Hotel Seoul
My keep on the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul was unforgettable and a super mixture of luxurious and luxury, with a facet of Four Seasons’ signature peerless service, nice meals and a world-class Korean sauna.
While the resort is nice for each enterprise and vacationer vacationers, I’d say anybody seeking to hit the key points of interest, like Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village, will recognize this resort’s proximity (particularly as a result of automobile site visitors in Seoul could be overwhelming throughout peak hours).
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But truthfully, you would spend a complete weekend on this resort and by no means wish to depart. For starters, the eating alone places different hotels to disgrace. There’s a moody underground speakeasy serving top-tier cocktails; the Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Yu Yuan, the place the brunch tasting menu left me completely satisfied to easily have to take an elevator to my mattress for a nap; and Oul, a bar and restaurant serving elevated Korean bar meals, together with mouthwatering Korean fried hen and a kimchi-infused cocktail I could not get sufficient of. And these are only a few examples.
Rooms are elegant and cozy, with floor-to-ceiling home windows displaying off the town, soaking tubs and plush beds that have been arduous to get out of. But after I wasn’t in my room, I used to be on the Korean-style sauna, the place I soaked in swimming pools at varied temperatures and simply relaxed. And for what it is price, there’s an official artwork to Korean saunas, and that features bathing and coming into the general public area absolutely nude, a cultural expertise that I’m glad I embraced as a result of the each day ritual gave me the power I wanted to hit Seoul, able to see the sights and eat a number of the finest meals on the planet.
Read the total Four Seasons Hotel Seoul overview right here.
How to e-book
Rates on the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul begin within the mid-$400 vary, although charges sometimes hover round $600 and above.
If you e-book through applications like American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts (out there to these holding The Platinum Card® from American Express) or by way of The Edit by Chase Travel℠ (a reserving platform for these with playing cards just like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®; see charges and charges), you can even earn perks like potential room upgrades, property credit, free breakfast for 2 and assured late checkout.
Timeless tourism close to the tower: Grand Hyatt Seoul
Perched on a steep hill close to the favored neighborhoods of Myeongdong and Itaewon and the touristy N Seoul Tower, the Grand Hyatt Seoul is about as iconic as they arrive. From the second you drive up the tree-lined entrance (take a look at the best way the bushes all mild up at dusk), you will really feel such as you’ve landed someplace particular. And from the huge home windows within the foyer, you get your first style of how the resort, perched excessive on the hill, affords views of Seoul like nowhere else.
I notably cherished my visitor room (an entry-level king) with its calming and complicated oak furnishings and the peaceable view of mountains, together with N Seoul Tower within the distance. The resort is massive, and like many Grand Hyatt properties, it affords a lot of occasion area, so do not be shocked if it is full and busy. But regardless of this, I discovered my room to be a respite from each the hustle and bustle of Seoul and the resort’s buzzing public areas. Other nice facilities included the clublike fitness center (which simply rivaled any Equinox I’ve visited), a winter ice skating rink, an outside swimming pool and a Korean sauna.
Dining on the Grand Hyatt Seoul can be an journey in its personal proper, beginning with an enormous breakfast buffet within the morning and persevering with on all through the day with a phenomenal foyer bar and lounge with afternoon tea and night drink service, a sushi counter, a steakhouse, a Japanese skewer grill and Paris Bar, the place I sat and listened to jazz one night.
One factor to know in regards to the Grand Hyatt Seoul, nonetheless, is that for those who’re eager on taking public transportation, the hilltop location could make attending to the subway somewhat difficult bodily. That mentioned, cabs in Seoul are very reasonably priced, and you may get one in seconds with assist from the pleasant employees ready to help proper outdoors the foyer.
How to e-book
Cash charges on the Grand Hyatt Seoul begin round $230 per night time. As a Category 5 World of Hyatt resort, this property affords award nights beginning at 17,000 factors per night time.
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