Published date: October 21, 2024
Excellent location just 2 subway stations from Seoul Station
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Room Type Stayed
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Experience of the stay
I stayed here last April as well, but the lobby has expanded, and next to the entrance, a bingsu (shaved ice) shop has opened! There’s also a CU convenience store, and it was an interesting sight to see older men enjoying beer in front of the convenience store on Saturday night.
The hotel key is the type you see in Korean dramas, where you push numbers, so it's good for those who often misplace card keys.
The shower room is still small, but for one person, it's manageable... More importantly, the bed was solid, and two bottles of water were free (they add more for consecutive nights) with conveniently located outlets, so I was very satisfied. The couch was firm enough to spread my luggage around.
From my room, I could see Namsan Tower and the moon well.
There are no amenities. You can borrow a conversion plug at the front desk, but they may not always have it, so it's a good idea to bring your own. The person who came to check at the time of my check-in said they ran out, so I'm sorry. English is generally understood, and there were some who could speak Japanese.
For some reason, there was no remote control for the TV in my room, so I had to go to the front desk to get one. The phone function to the front desk was a wall-mounted LCD type, and I didn't quite understand how to use it.
You could hear quite a bit of noise from the adjoining room, so sensitive people should be cautious. It depends on the neighbors, I think... On weekends, Myeongdong is lively, but conversely, that made it safer for a solo female traveler. Once you enter the room, you can’t hear the noise.
It’s about a 10-minute walk from the nearest station to Line 1, making it convenient for anywhere you want to go.
On weekdays in the mornings, City Hall and Seoul stations have a horrifying rush hour, so those with large suitcases should be careful! If you're a Tokyo resident, you can picture the morning Tokyo Metro, it's quite similar.
I had an early morning flight returning, but I left the hotel at 5:30 AM and took the subway to Seoul Station. From Seoul Station, I caught the first AREX (leaving at 6:00 AM) and arrived at Incheon Airport by 7:00 AM. I managed to catch the 8:30 flight. However, I don’t recommend it! Ideally, you should be at the airport about 2 to 2.5 hours before departure! I was lucky and proceeded smoothly.
Experiences during the trip
This was a solo trip for me, my fourth visit to Seoul.
On Saturday, I enjoyed exploring Hongdae and the Insadong area around my hotel. The weather was nice, so I might have gone to the Han River or Seoul Forest instead.
I didn't visit places like Songpa, Gangnam, Itaewon, Namsan, or Gyeongbokgung this time because I'd been there before.
In Insadong's Starbucks, they had tumblers from all over Korea, which might be a hidden gem! Usually, they only have Seoul goods, but despite the small size of the store, they had a good range of products.
There were cafes where you could listen to records and pop-ups along Culture Street, making it quite lively. There's also a tourist information center tucked away nearby.
In the evening, I walked along the riverside promenade.
It's often featured in dramas. There were many couples and families, and people were walking, jogging, and chatting until around 10 PM, so I could stroll without worrying about safety.
On Sunday, I took the KTX to Jeonju! I was worried because I didn't have a ticket, but I heard a lot of trains were available from Yongsan Station, which is two subway stops from Seoul Station, so I bought my ticket at the window in Seoul Station before heading there.
It seems like there are Kakao Friends shops at every KTX station. I asked a bookstore if they had any of Han Kang's books, and since it was just about two days after she won the Nobel Prize, they were all sold out.
When I arrived in Jeonju, I headed to Bukchon Hanok Village.
The station was under construction, and there was only a taxi stand available. The bus stop was a bit far, and I had some trouble communicating with the convenience store staff, but a university student helped me in English.
The bus stop was easy to spot with its bright red design.
In the Hanok Village, I rented a Hanbok and, since I was there, I decided to explore the village and then had some photos taken at a photo studio.
It was about ₩5000 for a print and ₩30000 for 30 digital images, so I made a quick choice, but everyone was kind and accommodating even without a reservation. There were also several life shot booths in the street, so taking photos in Hanbok looked fun.
Since it was a tourist site, many people were walking around in rented attire, so I didn't feel too embarrassed. While Gyeongbokgung in Seoul has many foreign tourists, Jeonju also had numerous Korean tourists.
Because it was the weekend, I could only get a late KTX back, but I was advised to check frequently for cancellations.
The souvenir choco pie was a great success, so I plan to buy even more next time.
The weekend trip was short, but I had a fulfilling stay as I was able to meet a friend along the way.