Advice for trip to S Korea

[Dori]

We are thinking of going to South Korea to visit our son, who is teaching ESL near Seoul. We are contemplating going in June. Does anyone have any advice about good airfares, preferred airlines , nice but reasonable hotels in Seoul?

We thought we may add on a tour of Japan while we are over there. We are trying to decide whether to do that on our own or to do an organized tour. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks!

Dori

[jcatblum]

My DH has done 3 tours to Korea. I have only once saw really cheap airfare to Seoul, it was this past April (I forgot who was running the sale). We always end up flying Korean Air out of LAX. Korean Air is VERY nice.

While in Korea we stayed on the go, lots of shopping. They have the world largest indoor theme park. We also went to a dinner theater, it was a good way to sample all the foods at one time.

As far as hotels being military we stayed in military lodging. I know my DH went on a few missions and stayed in other hotels that were pretty cheap (like $40 a night). He was always in small places, probally something you would need your son to find, since he is there locally. If he knows some Korean civilians then they would be a great help to find a good place. The civilians always helped my DH find the good places. (The ones that had real bathrooms). They were always nice, plasma TV's and such. Good Luck finding some place to stay. We enjoy Korea, plan on doing another tour in a few yrs.

[Dori]

Thanks for your reply. Our son is looking at a few hotels, the Koreana and another, I think it is called Walker Hill. Both run over $100 per night. I thought that was kind of expensive, so I'll get him to check further. So far, airfares I'm seeing from Toronto are running about $1300. I'll check to see if Korean air flies from here. We could also fly from Buffalo, which is a 2 hour drive from Toronto.

Dori

[sml2181]

The Walkerhill, assuming it's the Sheraton or the W, is nice, but very very much out of town. I don't know where exactly you would like to stay in town, but this location, although it does have a nice view over the city and it does have an outside pool complex, would be too far out of town for our family.
If you enjoy Vegas-style shows, you could visit the show and maybe spend a night.

The Koreana does have a better location (unless you want to stay in the Walkerhill area), but I have never been in the hotel.

If you want to be in the middle of shops and restaurants and not too far from the palaces and budget is a concern, I would consider staying at the Ibis Meyong-Dong. There you are surrounded by both. If you cross the road, you will be at the Lotte department store, which also happens to have a very nice foodcoart in the basement. The Ibis opened a little more than 2 years ago so it should be pretty nice. (Haven't actually stayed there, but it is ranked #1 on Tripadvisor) Lotte does have a hotel attached to the department store too, but it's a bit more expensive.
Next to the Lotte is the Westin, which is our favorite. If you stay there, try to get a room with lounge access. Restaurants are great but expensive, fitness and pool are great.

Very popular are the Fraser Suites and Fraser Place. Fraser Suites is close to Insadong, and Fraser Place is closer to Myeong Dong. Both Frasers have apartments, fitness and pool and breakfast included. Their rates are usually very reasonable imo. I haven't stayed there, but I know many people who have stayed there. The Fraser Place is next to the Vabien Suites.
Location is ok, but I would still very much prefer the Ibis for location.

There is also the Summerset Palace, which has a rooftop pool which may be nice if you are there in June. It's close to the palace and the embassies, but you would have to walk for 10 minutes to restaurants.

Other hotels in the same area: Seoul Plaza and Hotel President. They are both very close to City Hall and steps from the Westin and Ibis. They are all surrounded by Starbucks, Outback Steakhouse, Dunking Donuts and plenty of 7-11's if that is important to you. Of course there are Korean restaurants too.

Taxi's are cheap - the black ones are a little more expensive than the silver/white ones.

[Dori]

Wow! Thanks for all the great information! I'll forward your comments on to my son and he can do some investigating for us. He is located in Bundang (?) about an hour out of Seoul, and he thought that we could stay in the city to sightsee, while he is working. His apartment is too small for us to bunk in with him for more than a night or two. On his days off, we'll venture farther afield.

Now we have to find airfares that won't break the bank!

Dori

[Snorkey]

Bun Dang. It's nice new city.

Try not to stay in $20-$40 motel. They call this love motels. Try to find a nice place or I am sure they have condo for short term rental. Very cheap in Bun Dang area.

Try to goto "Min Sok Chun" It's traditional place close by Bun Dang.

Lotte is indoor amusement park/ shopping center with big indoor ice skating rink.
If you goto east side of Korea, there is good place to go eat and have fun around the mountains and sea.
I usually goto south where they are lots of islands and you can experience farmers and fishermans. They catch and sell it right off the boats.
Dong dae mun and Nam dae mun is good place for shopping. You have to be good at bargaining or you will get ripped off but it is still lower price than in US.
Nam San is another good place to go. You can either walk/hike up or ride the cable car. Walking will take you around 30 minutes. Cable car, 5 minutes.
If you goto college town, you can get food from the street vandor. I think you can spend about $3 and get almost a full meal. Most dishes would be around $4-5. Korean won has been going down so you will benefit from that. This is great year to go since dollar almost doubled.
I have invested most of my cash in Korea since I am betting it will come back to 800 won from 1500 won currently.

[sml2181]

The Korean won has gone down indeed. A lot. I was shocked when I was there a few months ago.

I agree with everything the above poster mentioned.

Metro system is good and cheap too, so if budget is your main concern, don't worry too much about location.

One clarification: There are 2 Lotte's, the one I mentioned above and the one close to the theme park. Never been to the park, so can't comment on that.

[yumdrey]

If you like fun shopping and various food, try to stay at Kang-Nam (it means South of river). If you want to feel "Korean feeling", Myung Dong is good, In Sa Dong is near by (there are many Korean antique shops, it is a good place to buy souveniors) and couple big shopping center (indoor) & hotels are close.
Bun Dang would be cheaper to stay than downtown Seoul. There are many ways of commute (metro, buses, etc...) between Bun Dang and Seoul. Bun-Dang is mainly residence area, but there are big shopping centers too.
Korea has so many things to eat, try all the cheap street food, nice restaurant and bars. If you have chance, try to visit Jeju island, it has worth to visit. Very different culture and lots of things to see. Min Sok Chon is like colonial Williamsburg in US, you can see old fashioned life style of Korea.
Have fun!

[MaryH]

Dori,

Also try to find an Asian travel agency since they likely have consolidated tickets not available online. I know Air Canada flies there but likely to be higher than other options unless you happen on a sale.

[Hoc]

Originally Posted by sml2181

The Korean won has gone down indeed. A lot. I was shocked when I was there a few months ago.

It is actually up in the last couple of weeks. It was down to 1579 Won to the Dollar, and now it's closer to 1400.

[MaryH]

Dori,

If you can move up your trip to April, I just saw Air Canada e-mail that YYZ-ICN (Soeul) is C$299 OW which is a very good sale.

I plugged in some sample dates in April and got the $598 fare which came out to be C$920 all in which is a very good deal I think, likely even better than if you go via Buffulo since at the current exchange rate, that is about US$700-750. The fare class is A and if you use flexible dates checkbox on Aircanada.com, you can probably find some dates fairly easily. Sunday-Thursday gets you the best fare and departure must be before Apr 30 and ticket need to be purchased by Mar 31.

Hope this helps.
Mary

[Dori]

Wow! that is a great deal, Mary. Unfortunately, we don't get back from a trip to Reno until the 27th of April, and our son will be tied up with work commitments and some co-workers ending their contracts in May, so he wouldn't have any time to spend with us if we chose to go then. I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled for any other deals AC may offer.

Dori

[PeelBoy]

Dori, I saw you are from Scarborough. I live north of Steeles, so not far away from you.

Being an Asian, I have been in Korea many times, about 10 to 12, including one month in 2002 to watch the World Cup Soccer and a short term residence there for 6 months in 80s.

I have to say I am kind of out of the loop for now about Korea. I understand airfare from Toronto by Korean Airline or United usually runs about 1200, though June is high season and can be higher. I could be wrong but I don't think Air Canada goes to Seoul.

Try toureast.com and Tianbao.ca to explore their airfare.

I would spend sometime this weekend to re-explore Korea to give you some advice. I may ask my friend who is Korean to give you some hotel recommendations.

As the first timer there, I would highly recommend staying at Myong Dong, instead of Gang Nam. The latter is nice, but Mydong Dong is where the actions are.

Are you planning to timeshare in Korea? There are a few nice ones on the east coast. Pusan at the south is only a few hours away by train or bus.

[Dori]

Thanks PeelBoy. I would appreciate any advice. We plan to stay in Seoul, since that is close to our son. We want to spend as much time with him as his work schedule allows.

Yes we live quite close by, in the Markham Rd./Lawrence area. Did you know that we have a Toronto chapter of TUG that meets twice a year? You would be most welcome to join us! If interested, you can send me a message.

Dori

[PeelBoy]

Dori, I am well aware of the Toronto tuggers meetings. I was planning to participate but in the past 2 years I was timesharing when you guys were meeting. Looking for an opportunity this year.

I talked to my friend this morning but unfortunately he gave me 20 minutes ventilation instead of any useful information. He was complaining about the airfare to Seoul ($1600) by Korean Airline but the airfare to Hong Kong with a stop over in Seoul is like $1300. To save on airfare for his family of 4, he is forced to vacation in Hong Kong for 2 days every time he goes to Seoul. Very interesting.

I was wrong last night that Air Canada now goes to Seoul (ICN) again. The airfare is like $1500. I called toureast.com this morning. Their lowest fare is $1050 by AA, unfortunately with 2 stops (Chicago and Tokyo). The Chicago-Tokyo section is full, so waitlist is required but the chance is pretty high. I will PM you their phone number. They have an office on Finch between Kennedy and Midland (there is an HSBC Bank). If you want to stop over in Tokyo, there is a fee like $50. This agent said the fare will run out soon, so quick action is needed. You know travel agents always say that; we still need to use our judgement to determine what is the best for us.

Are you aware of this web site: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto.

Two years ago, I ordered brochures from them to plan for my timeshare exchange to the east coast in Korea. The plan didn't materialize since I decided to go to Hungary/Croatia. The web site provides lots of information including an interactive map which is very useful. This site can be slow so be patient.

[Dori]

Thanks so much, PeelBoy. I checked the Toureast site today and saw the AA fare. It's better than any I've seen so far. I'll have a look at the VisitKorea site too. I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

Dori

[sml2181]

Can't help you with airfare because I fly from Europe. But, although I usually try to get tickets as soon as possible, maybe now it would be better to wait a little and have Kayak and Farecast search for you. Another website I like is Mobissimo.com (Still search the airline websites yourself though). But of course I am not sure if that would be best for you.

I agree with Peelboy that as a tourist I would prefer staying in the Myeong Dong area, or at least north of the river.

I have also used tour2korea which is the same website as Peelboy mentioned to you. Lots of information.

For hotels I would search Kayak and Agoda.com and there is a Korean website too but I can't recall the name right now. I just checked hotel rates for the week I will be there in June, and the Ibis I mentioned earlier, started at 69$; the Somerset Palace 1 bedroom including breakfast for 103$.

[MaryH]

Dori,

I just received an e-mail from Air Canada with international fare specials and they have RT as low as $838 + fees and taxes that is valid for June and the summer. Sound like airline travel is really hurting but I know my work travel has been down this year.